In Nairobi, fintech Flowt closed a pre-seed funding round, announced in late August 2026, to build an artificial intelligence platform aimed at financing African SMEs engaged in the climate transition.
Built within venture studio Delta40, Flowt is led by Elana Laichena, an entrepreneur on her second venture following the sale of Acacia Innovations to Mashariki Utilities. The round, led by Delta40 Fund I and Impacc, with technical support from the Argidius Foundation, had its amount left undisclosed by most trade outlets that covered it — only one, TechCabal, cites a figure not confirmed elsewhere, which should be treated with caution.
Flowt's technology analyzes bank statements, M-Pesa transactions and accounting data from small businesses within hours, via QuickBooks, Zoho or Odoo integrations, to build a creditworthiness file — work that typically takes months of conventional due diligence. The first loan issued through the tool went to GreenBay, a Kenyan company that refurbishes household appliances and home solar systems, via a partnership with microfinance institution Choice Bank.
The sector targets a well-documented problem: according to TechCabal, Africa's SME financing gap is estimated at $330 billion, and in Kenya alone, credit demand is nearly six times what commercial banks supply.
