Ghanaian agri-tech startup Landmapp, which enables smallholder farmers to document and protect their land holdings, has raised an undisclosed funding round from Omidyar Network to help it grow its customer base.
Formed in 2015, Landmapp offers a mobile platform that provides smallholder farmer families with documentation of their land.
The startup offers farmers products that are fully compliant with Ghanaian regulations and customary traditions, grant a high level of legal security, and can be used as collateral for accessing agricultural loans.
Landmapp has already sold more than 2,000 documents to smallholder farmers in Ghana, and has now secured funding from Omidyar Network – which has also invested in the likes of Hotels.ng, Zoona and WhereIsMyTransport – with participation from HERi Africa, an existing investor in the company.
“We are delighted to be investing in Landmapp and its exciting model,” said Omidyar Network venture partner Peter Rabley. “They have clearly shown that farmers in Ghana understand the value of land documentation and are willing to pay for the legal protection they offer. We believe this model can be replicated in other countries.”
Landmapp chief executive officer (CEO) Simon Ulvund said the new investors provided more than just capital to the startup.
“Land and property rights is a complex sector, requiring significant knowledge and deep relationships in order to succeed. Omidyar Network has both, so we really couldn’t have a better partner on board. And with HERi Africa, we have an investor with a thorough understanding of agriculture value chains and smallholders,” he said.
“We’re now able to focus on growing our business in Ghana, first looking at scaling the number of land documents sold, while also partnering with complementary businesses such as financial service providers, unlocking new products and services for smallholder farmers,” said chief technology officer (CTO) Thomas Vaassen.
