ImpactAlpha, March 3 – Kenya-based Powered by People is a “distributed manufacturer” that enables artists and designers to become suppliers to large companies like IKEA and Crate & Barrel by pooling their individual making capacity to fulfill large, batch orders. The company acts as a work pipeline for local artists and artisans. It also provides cash advances to makers to allow them to cover the costs of their materials.
Powered by People raised $1.5 million in funding from a group of angel investors.
Frontier markets
Startups outside of Africa’s established tech hubs have a harder time fundraising, but are securing investor support for helping other entrepreneurs and small businesses access capital.
In Cameroon, enterprise tech venture Diool raised $3.5 million from Lundin Group to enable small businesses to handle digital payments.
In Angola, crowdfunding platform Deya secured $50,000 from angel investors to help impact-focused startups raise early funding.
