Kenyan Agri-fintech Using AI, Satellite Data, and Mobile Tech to Help Farmers

Apollo Agriculture is a Kenyan agri-fintech company transforming how smallholder farmers access the tools and capital needed to grow. The company was co-founded by Benjamin Njenga, alongside Eli Pollak and Catherine Berman, to address one of agriculture’s biggest challenges: the lack of affordable financing for small-scale farmers.

By combining satellite imagery, machine learning, mobile technology, and agronomic data, Apollo assesses farm-level risk and provides farmers with access to credit, quality seeds, fertilizers, crop insurance, and expert advice—all through a streamlined digital platform.

Apollo Agriculture’s innovation lies in its ability to serve farmers who have traditionally been excluded from formal financial systems. Instead of relying on conventional credit histories, the company uses alternative data sources to evaluate risk and deliver customized financing packages.

This approach enables farmers to invest in better inputs and farming practices, leading to higher yields and improved incomes. To date, Apollo has supported more than 400,000 farmers across East Africa and facilitated hundreds of millions of dollars in agricultural financing, helping build more resilient and productive rural economies.

Apollo Agriculture has emerged as one of Africa’s most prominent agri-tech success stories, raising more than $50 million in equity funding and securing substantial debt facilities to expand farmer lending.

The company has attracted backing from leading investors including SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Anthemis, Toyota Ventures, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Its impact and innovation have earned widespread recognition within the global technology and development communities, with Apollo frequently cited as a leading example of how artificial intelligence, fintech, and agriculture can be combined to improve food security and economic opportunity across Africa.