Kenyan Fintech Jahazii Secures $400,000 Pre-seed Funding to Formalise Africa’s Informal Workforce

Kenyan fintech startup Jahazii has raised $400,000 in pre-seed funding to advance its mission of formalising Africa’s vast informal workforce and improving financial inclusion for millions of workers across the continent.

Founded in 2023 by Sven Grospitsch, Vaidehi Tembhekar, and Martin Gitehi, Jahazii is building a “workforce operating system for Africa”—a digital platform that integrates HR management, payroll, and embedded financial services to support employers and workers, particularly in factories and farms where informal employment is prevalent.

The funding round was led by Antler East Africa, with participation from DEG Impulse, Jozi Angels, and Innovest Afrika. The capital will be used to enhance Jahazii’s technology platform, expand partnerships with employers, and improve access to financial tools for low-income workers.

A standout feature of Jahazii’s platform is its earned wage access (EWA) functionality, which allows employees to access part of their salaries before payday—offering a safer and more flexible alternative to high-interest digital loans.

With over 80% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s workforce engaged in informal employment, many workers lack payslips, contracts, or financial records—barriers that prevent them from accessing savings, credit, or insurance. Jahazii aims to bridge this gap by providing digital systems that capture employment data and facilitate access to fair financial services.

Jahazii’s CEO, Sven Grospitsch, emphasised that the informal economy remains one of Africa’s greatest growth challenges. Without reliable employment data, he explained, workers are excluded from formal finance while businesses struggle to scale efficiently. Jahazii’s platform seeks to empower both employers and employees by introducing structure, transparency, and financial accessibility to the informal sector.

Unlike traditional digital lenders that burden users with high-interest debt, Jahazii integrates financial tools such as wage advances, savings, and insurance directly into payroll systems through employer partnerships. This approach reduces financial stress and promotes sustainable economic participation.

While other HR and payroll innovators—such as Workpay, SeamlessHR, Sage, and PaidHR—serve Africa’s formal employment markets, Jahazii uniquely targets factory and agricultural workers, a segment often overlooked by digital workforce solutions.

With this latest funding, Jahazii plans to scale its operations, enhance its financial wellness tools, and continue driving the formalisation of informal employment across Africa.

By digitising workforce management and embedding fair financial services, Jahazii is helping reshape Africa’s labour landscape—creating new pathways for inclusive growth, worker empowerment, and long-term economic resilience.