Jahazii, a Kenyan fintech that lets workers access part of their earned wages before payday, has raised $400,000 in pre-seed funding to speed up its plan to build a “workforce operating system for Africa”, a platform designed to formalise and finance the continent’s largely informal workforce.
The round, a mix of equity, debt, and grants, drew backing from Antler East Africa, DEG Impulse, Jozi Angels, Innovest Afrika, and strategic angel investors. Jahazii said the new capital will be used to scale its software suite that unifies HR management, payroll, and embedded financial services for operations-heavy employers such as manufacturers and agribusinesses.
“Informality is the biggest structural barrier holding back Africaʼs economic transformation,ˮ Jahazii CEO Sven Grospitsch told TechCabal. “Without systems that provide structure and credibility, workers remain excluded from financial opportunities, and organizations canʼt scale efficiently. Jahazii exists to change that. ˮ
More than eight in ten jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa are informal, according to the International Labour Organisation, meaning millions of people earn their living without contracts, payslips, or access to regulated financial products. The absence of formal employment data makes it nearly impossible for traditional lenders to assess credit risk, locking workers out of savings, insurance, and affordable loans.
Founded in 2023 by Grospitsch, Vaidehi Tembhekar, and Martin Gitehi, Jahazii operates across Kenya’s manufacturing and agricultural sectors, industries that together employ over 10 million people, the majority informally. The company’s approach echoes a broader shift among African fintechs toward infrastructure-first solutions, as investors grow wary of unsustainable digital credit models.
Jahazii’s model differs from conventional digital lenders, many of which have been criticised for high interest rates and aggressive debt collection. Instead of lending directly to individuals, Jahazii partners with employers to embed financial products directly into payroll cycles.
Through the platform, employees can access earned wage advances, savings tools, and insurance at fairer rates, while employers automate HR and compliance tasks.
“By embedding financial services into the paycheck, weʼre building the financial infrastructure for Africaʼs middle classˮ Sven said. “This investment allows us to scale responsibly, deepen employer partnerships, and give workers fair financial access without the traps of high-interest loan apps. ˮ
The startup enters a space that has seen growing interest from startups like Workpay, Seamless HR, Sage, and PaidHR, working to digitise HR, payroll, and wage access across Africa. Jahazii believes its approach is different, focusing on industrial and agricultural employers rather than office or gig workers, a segment that has received less attention from most HR and payroll innovators.
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