Kepple Africa Ventures – Nominated for Investor of the Year at MOI Awards

When Japanese entrepreneurs Satoshi Shibata and Takahiro Kamisaka launched Kepple Africa Ventures, few expected two outsiders to become central figures in Africa’s tech revolution. But their belief in the continent’s potential has redefined cross-border investing.

Both veterans of Japan’s venture scene, they saw Africa not as charity, but as an opportunity, a market ripe with bold founders solving real problems.

Since its founding, Kepple has invested in over 120 startups across 11 African countries, spanning fintech, logistics, and agri-tech.

This year, Kepple made history by merging with Verod Capital Management, forming a $60 million Pan-African fund aimed at growth-stage companies, a union that symbolized global faith in African enterprise.

Shibata and Kamisaka’s vision goes beyond capital: they are building bridges between Japanese investors and African innovators.