Rwandan tech startups PesaChoice and Viebeg have raised seed funding from the Kigali-based Norrsken Foundation.
Founded by Niklas Adalberth, one of the founders of Swedish fintech unicorn Klarna, in 2016, Norrsken aims to help entrepreneurs solve the world’s greatest challenges. Disrupt Africa reported in 2019 the impact and tech entrepreneurship support foundation had launched operations in Kigali, Rwanda as a base for investing across the East and Central African region.
The “beta” opening of its Norrsken House co-working space in Kigali is less than a month away, and in advance of that Norrsken Foundation has announced seed investments into Kigali-based startups PesaChoice and Viebeg Technologies.
PesaChoice is a financial services technology company bridging the gap between salary payouts and unexpected expenses for people with limited access to institutional credit. Users can quickly and efficiently apply for micro-loans at a fixed interest rate, eliminating the need to rely on predatory lenders, piles of paperwork and long waiting times to get access to funds.
Viebeg, meanwhile, is an e-health startup that is building a procurement platform that ensures healthcare facilities always have the right type and quantities of product in stock to treat patients. Its software is used by over 230 hospitals across Rwanda, Burundi and Congo, helping them source supplies more efficiently and generating cost savings of up to 40 per cent.
“We are committed to building a thriving ecosystem for East Africa startups, with Norrsken House in Kigali as the epicentre. These investments are part of that commitment. We believe Kigali has a bright future ahead as one of Africa’s leading hubs for entrepreneurs, and we want to help accelerate that journey,” said Pascal Murasira, managing director of Norrsken East Africa.
“Our vision for PesaChoice is to make impact through providing access to finance. We are proud to be part of the Norrsken family because of our shared vision for Kigali’s future as a startup hub,” said Davis Davis Nteziryayo, chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder of PesaChoice, which also plans to relocate its operations to Norrsken House Kigali once the house opens.
“Norrsken’s investment is going to help our company build predictive analytics models that improve health care in the region with local talents. We are excited to be part of the fast growing, thriving tech environment in Kigali, which Norrsken is accelerating,” said Tobias Reiter, CEO and founder of Viebeg Technologies.
