Since its launch in 2019, the Harambeans Prosperity Fund has deployed $1.5 million across 15 early-stage startups led by Harambeans, sparking more than $189 million in follow-on funding from notable investors including Backstage Capital, V8 Capital Partners, and Harambean-led funds like Enza Capital and Future Africa
The fund focuses on innovations that create new markets and sustainable economic growth across Africa. “Lasting prosperity depends not just on tackling poverty, but on backing innovations that drive market creation,” said 2025 Harambeans Prosperity Fellow, Anna Ogundipe from the Wharton School.
2024 INVESTMENTS: CHARI AND FINGO
In 2024, H-Prosperity invested $200,000 split between two promising startups addressing structural challenges in African commerce and finance.
- Chari: Digitizing Informal Retail in Francophone AfricaCasablanca-based Chari, founded by Ismael Belkhayat H’23, provides a B2B e-commerce and fintech platform helping informal retailers streamline inventory procurement and access flexible financing. With backing from Y Combinator, Airbnb, and Orange, and recognition from Harvard Business School, Chari cleared a key regulatory milestone in Morocco, enabling the launch of full banking services. It aims for profitability in e-commerce by 2025.
- Fingo: Redefining Youth Banking Across AfricaNairobi-based Fingo, led by Kiiru Muhoya H’23, partners with Ecobank to offer digital banking services in over 33 African markets. The app enables quick account openings, free peer-to-peer transfers, spending analytics, savings, and financial literacy tools. Despite regulatory hurdles, Fingo onboarded 150,000 users and processed $500,000 in transactions in 2023. Future plans include microloans, investment tools, and a payments platform called “Fingo Pay,” aiming for 1 million users.
INTRODUCING A UNIFIED IMPACT FRAMEWORK
In 2024, the fund implemented a standardized impact measurement system aligned with four United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: No Poverty, Gender Equality, Decent Work and Economic Growth, and Responsible Consumption. This framework supports consistent reporting and real-time tracking across portfolio companies.
“These Harambean-led startups are scaling while advancing key social goals,” said Justin Kong, 2024 Harambeans Prosperity Fellow from Harvard University. The fund’s ventures have already created nearly 23,000 jobs.
LOOKING AHEAD: A LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP
With plans to deploy remaining capital by 2030, the Harambeans Prosperity Fund aims to be a long-term partner in Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. “Prosperity doesn’t happen by accident. It’s engineered, venture by venture, founder by founder, metric by metric,” said Harambeans Founder, Okendo Lewis-Gayle.