Kenyan agritech startup Farm to Feed has closed a $1.5 million seed round led by Delta 40, marking a significant milestone for the company that began as a COVID-19 relief initiative and pivoted into a tech-enabled food distribution platform tackling Africa’s massive food waste crisis.

The round saw strong backing from leading agtech and climate investors including returning investors Catalyst Fund and Acumen. 

To discuss this incredible journey, Charles Rapulu Udoh sat down with Claire van Enk, CEO and Co-Founder of Farm to Feed, whose journey from launching a GoFundMe campaign during Nairobi’s lockdown to building a venture-backed agritech company offers candid insights into the realities of fundraising as a woman founder, the shifting investor landscape in Africa, and what it takes to transform a fragmented food system where 50% of produce never reaches the market.

Launch Base Africa: Good to have you join the conversation, Claire. First of all, congratulations on the recent fundraising led by Delta 40.

Claire van Enk: Thank you for having me. 

Launch Base Africa: How do you feel about this investment, and how would you be deploying the funds?

Claire van Enk: It’s amazing. Building a startup anywhere is tough, and in our sector, market, and geography, there are numerous challenges. So, launching Farm to Feed and reaching this point is a huge milestone. If you had asked me three and a half years ago, I would’ve been surprised to hear that we’d be raising this much — in the best possible way. It’s a testament to all the hard work that’s gone into it. So, yes, this is truly a big milestone for us.

The primary goal with these funds is to unlock growth. Our main focus is on hiring the right people to strengthen our operations and enhance our sales capacity — those are the two key areas we’re investing in. As a tech-enabled company, we’re also focusing on elevating our platform to the next level, which will help us better understand and streamline our processes, track our operations, and know exactly where our produce is coming from.

Additionally, as you may already know, we’re developing semi-processing capacity. We’ve already begun launching some of these products and are exploring opportunities to develop products for the export market. These are the main priorities that this funding will support.

Launch Base Africa: Checking through the investor list, I found there was a recurrence of previous investors in this latest round — Catalyst Fund and the rest. I understand the existing investors were instrumental in the latest round. How did you meet Delta 40 and the rest of the new investors?

Claire van Enk: I believe in one key thing: in order to be fundable, you need to be visible. For me, it was crucial to get out there and meet investors — not just to raise funds but also to understand which investors would be the right fit for us, both in terms of mission and culture. It’s important to find investors who share the same values as our company.

Most of the investors I met were either through introductions or, quite a bit, through conferences. Nairobi is a vibrant ecosystem with a lot going on, and it provides plenty of opportunities for founders to connect with investors. Many of the investors I’ve worked with in this round I initially met during our pre-seed fundraising. Building a network is key, and conferences were a great place for me to share our story.

I wouldn’t also underestimate the value of participating in panels where I could talk about Farm to Feed and the traction we’ve gained. That visibility helped a lot with this round. When we raised our pre-seed round, we weren’t as well known, and I spent a lot of time explaining what the problem was and what Farm to Feed actually did. This time around, I feel like we were already known in the market, and that made the process much smoother. People already understood what we were doing, and that made it much easier.

As for the cap table, that’s really the key. It’s not just about raising the $1.5 million; it’s about the caliber of investors who are now on our cap table. If you had told me three years ago that we’d have this kind of support, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. We’re backed by some incredible investors like Catalyst Fund, Delta 40, Acumen, DRK Foundation, 54 Collective, Renew Capital, and others — these are all leading ag-tech and climate investors, and they’re among the most innovative on the continent. I’m incredibly proud of the type of investors we’ve attracted.

What’s even more meaningful is that these investors truly walk the journey alongside the founders. They’re not just passive backers; they’re helpful, supportive, smart, and active. They get involved in the business in ways that truly benefit the team. It’s the caliber of these investors that I’m really proud of.

Launch Base Africa: So what exactly does Farm to Feed do? Tell us a little bit of the story. I understand it started in 2020, following the coronavirus, and you had to pivot and find commercial viability.

Claire van Enk: I’ll start with a bit about myself. I grew up in Kenya and have Dutch origins. I studied in the Netherlands and then came back to Kenya, where I worked as a consultant. I was moving from one job to the next and took a career break to figure out my next steps. And then, of course, COVID hit.

One day, out of nowhere, a lockdown was announced. Nairobi was shut off from the rest of the country, and all counties went into lockdown. Since I was on a break, with time to reflect over my morning coffees, I started thinking about what I could do. The very next day, I launched a GoFundMe page called Farm to Feed because I knew that many farmers in my network were struggling to get their produce to Nairobi. Hotels and restaurants were closed, there were restrictions on travel, and the entire economy was in crisis. In Kenya, there’s no social security safety net, so many people lost both income and food security.

That’s how Farm to Feed started — just as a crisis response. I thought, “Let me do something right now,” because I had the time and the ability to help. I originally thought I would only be doing it for a month — after all, I thought COVID would last just that long.

The GoFundMe campaign raised more money than I expected. The plan was to buy produce from farmers who lost access to markets due to the pandemic and donate it to people in the slums. In the first month, we raised more than expected, and in the second month, even more. I went from doing one delivery to a slum to doing six days a week.

It was clear there was something in Farm to Feed’s value proposition. We raised more funding and kept raising more. I had never run a non-profit before — although I’d done some consulting work with county governments. Fundraising for a non-profit is a whole different ballgame, and it didn’t entirely fit my DNA. Our team was mostly made up of people from the private sector, including two of my co-founders.

But COVID relief was always meant to be a temporary measure. As we worked on this, we realized the broader problem of food loss. When we were buying produce from farmers and donating it, we saw firsthand that farmers don’t have reliable access to markets in general. In fact, 50% of fruits and vegetables never make it to market, and the food system accounts for 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

That was a wake-up call for me. Working so closely with farmers, I realized that this is a huge problem. There was no one directly addressing the issue of produce going to waste. While there are many valid solutions, the problem is so complex, and I realized we needed a more sustainable approach.

That’s when we decided to pivot from a non-profit to a for-profit business. We thought, “Let’s see if people will buy a ‘broken’ carrot, for example.” So, in May 2021, we made the decision to shift to a for-profit model and began piloting with our first customers.

Food loss became one of the key pillars for us. But looking ahead, our vision is to make the food system both climate-resilient and equitable. Right now, farmers are on the losing end of the food system. They get paid late, brokers take a portion of their harvest without paying for all of it, and they don’t have access to good farming practices. To make this system more equitable and sustainable, we need to ensure that the people growing our food have fair livelihoods, access to better farming practices, and more stability. That’s the first pillar.

The second is reducing waste. Our DNA is all about collecting the full harvest from high-waste value chains, ensuring we don’t let good produce go to waste.

The third pillar we’re focused on is improving shelf life, so produce doesn’t spoil before it reaches the market. We’re also looking at indigenous products and how they can be used to improve the food system, which is also beneficial for the climate.

Finally, we need to unlock demand. Without the customer, we can’t have the impact we want. The market demand is what will drive the change we’re aiming for.

So, that’s how I see us moving forward.

Launch Base Africa: Absolutely. We’ve seen across Africa where people launch, try to pivot from their original models, and those models fail. What do you think is particularly different about your pivot? Is it because of your experience as a consultant? What do you think made it succeed, unlike others we see across Africa?

Claire van Enk: That’s an interesting question. In the early stages, agility is crucial, and listening to the market is essential. As I mentioned, I may have big aspirations to change the food system, but honestly, the only thing that can make that happen is the market. That’s the reality of it.

What we do really well as a team is constantly asking, What does the customer want? Or more specifically, How can we present our product in a way that solves their problem? For example, a customer won’t buy a broken carrot just because it’s technically still good. There has to be creativity and imagination in how we present the solution.

One of the key things that has gotten us this far, aside from grit, is creativity and imagination. We’re constantly thinking outside the box in terms of problem-solving, and imagining what the food system could look like — and how to translate that vision to customers in a way they can connect with and buy into.

What we aim to do is more than just sell a tomato. We sell a solution. We also offer our customers the opportunity to be part of a bigger mission — transforming the food system. For our clients — whether they’re hotels, restaurants, food processors, caterers, or distributors — it’s about making sourcing easier, more sustainable, and traceable.

In today’s world, that’s an increasingly important trend. Consumers and businesses alike want sustainable, nutritious products that are traceable. We’re seeing that demand grow, and it’s becoming more of a priority. Of course, there’s still a price consideration — you have to be competitive and convenient. But the key is combining quality with traceability.

Launch Base Africa: Great. You spoke about your team and their contributions to the progress. How did you organize the team?

Claire van Enk: Anouk and Zara actually came on board when we were still a non-profit and in the process of transitioning. Anouk joined first, followed by Zara. These two women are so different from each other — and from me — but also incredibly complementary. I think that’s what has kept us together. We each bring unique skills to the table, but together, we make it work.

One thing we all have in common is grit. It’s about not giving up, no matter the challenges. It’s really rewarding to work with people whose skills complement mine, or who can fill in the gaps where I’m not as strong. That’s what has kept the three of us united.

I’m also very proud that we’re a women-founded team. It’s especially important in today’s world because, unfortunately, only 2% of funding goes to women founders. That’s something I’m passionate about raising awareness for. I want my company to be successful, but personally, as a woman, I also want to highlight this issue. I’m proud of my investors, who are not only aware of this disparity but are also actively conscious of it. Particularly in Africa, we need more women founders as role models — successful women-founded companies — to inspire investors to back more women-led businesses.

Launch Base Africa: In Kenya, you have lots of competitors you’re fighting with. What would you say about the competitive landscape for a relatively young startup like yours? And with the funding amount you have and the resources at your disposal, how do you think about the competition?

Claire van Enk: Personally, I believe our biggest competitor is the informal market — the brokers who go to farms, pick up 300 kgs of produce, bring it to Nairobi, and drop it off at various locations. That’s the biggest competition we face.

But what that also highlights is how fragmented the market is. For example, a hotel or restaurant may need to order from 10 different brokers and farmers — one for potatoes, another for tomatoes, one for herbs, one for fruits… and so on. That means they need more procurement staff to manage all these different sources. Unfortunately, there’s little transparency in this market, which opens the door for practices like kickbacks. You don’t know where the produce is really coming from, and you’re dealing with manual, disorganized delivery notes that need to be consolidated.

All of these issues create significant pain points for high-operation businesses. Restaurants, for instance, are highly operational — delivering the tomato is just a small part of the bigger picture. What we offer is the entire solution that solves the customer’s problem. It’s about transparency, convenience, and efficiency. We’re a one-stop shop with clear invoices, a seamless payment platform, and full traceability.

Our platform helps customers understand exactly where their produce is coming from — who the farmers are, when it arrived, what time it was delivered, and when to make payments. We also offer credit terms where possible. It’s about making everything easy. Produce arrives at 6:00 a.m., and they can get on with their day. The next day, it’s the same — consistent, reliable service. I think the convenience we provide is what’s truly lacking in this market, and that’s what Farm to Feed offers.

Launch Base Africa: What do the current numbers look like?

Claire van Enk: Currently, we have around 6,500 farmers onboarded on our platform. Of course, not all of them are active at the moment, but we’re working hard to increase demand so we can source from all these farmers. We’ve already activated about 1,300 of them, and our efforts are ongoing.

Our tech platform is made up of three main products. The first is the Farmer App, which helps onboard farmers. We also provide USSD for accessibility and use WhatsApp for communication. Through these channels, farmers gain direct access to the market. They can view all of our products and place orders, making the process administratively simple. They can also track the status of their deliveries — seeing when products arrive at our warehouse, which items we’ve rejected, and which we’ve accepted as rescue. This transparency is great for the farmers.

Additionally, farmers can explore different crops they could supply, which helps us create a more reliable and consistent market for them. This model also enables farmers to grow high-margin crops if they wish.

Next, we’ve developed our ERP system, which manages all our operations, and a bespoke e-commerce site. We believe it’s crucial to maintain control over these tech products, as they’re integral to scaling our business and offering the best experience for our customers.

Building this e-commerce platform is vital because it aligns with our mission and allows us to share our story effectively. The way we position our products and present our services is a key part of our strategy for growth and customer satisfaction.

Launch Base Africa: Do you have plans of expanding beyond Nairobi? What is your current expansion map in Kenya like? 

Claire van Enk: Absolutely. But Nairobi still offers significant growth potential for us. The city is expanding rapidly, with a population of about five million, and the middle class is growing steadily. There’s a lot happening in Nairobi, and we’re well-positioned to scale within the city.

That said, we’re already looking at secondary markets within Kenya. While secondary cities like Nakuru are definitely on our radar, we’re also focusing on specific regions that show promise. We’re currently evaluating these opportunities and anticipate expanding beyond Nairobi in the near future.

Another major focus for us is the export market. However, we’re in the product development phase, preparing our products to meet the standards of Western markets. We believe there’s significant potential there, especially given the growing demand for sustainable products.

Launch Base Africa: We’ve seen recent stories about agritech companies in Kenya having some issues. What do you think is wrong with the agritech ecosystem in Kenya? 

Claire van Enk: That’s an interesting question. I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with the situation. It’s easy to say that some models failed because they couldn’t raise the next round of funding or because certain decisions didn’t go as planned. But I’m not sure that reflects the full picture. 

As for our own model, we’re really focused on ensuring a consistent supply of fruits, vegetables, and crop ingredients for our customers, while also being a reliable off-taker for farmers. We’re committed to stabilizing the supply chain and making sure farmers can rely on us as a steady market for their products.

I believe a country like Kenya needs wholesalers as part of its economic development. The market is incredibly fragmented right now, with smallholder farmers scattered across the country, brokers interacting with each one, and trucks crisscrossing the nation. This fragmentation drives up food prices and leads to significant food losses. So, defragmentation is key, and it’s a natural next step for Kenya’s economy. The country is definitely ready for it.

Of course, this means we need to work through the complexities of transforming a highly fragmented system. The challenge is making it economically viable to work with many smaller farmers. How do we consolidate these efforts? We often collaborate with cooperatives and similar organizations, and in areas where cooperatives don’t exist, we establish what we call “supply hubs.” These hubs bring farmers together, with one coordinator overseeing the process. We actively encourage farmers to work together in these hubs. However, it’s still about working with smallholder farmers, and cooperatives aren’t available everywhere. We’re increasingly looking at partnering with organizations that can help bring smallholders together — whether that’s cooperatives, NGOs, or other collaborative models — so that we have a central pick-up point rather than dealing with each farmer individually.

For agritech in Kenya, fragmentation is the biggest hurdle. But I’m confident that the right solutions and innovations can help break down those barriers. Our tech is just really instrumental to bringing all the processes together.

Again, the importance of ensuring your cost structure aligns with your business model cannot be overstressed especially in emerging markets. That’s crucial. We’re an agritech company in Africa, and I’m very realistic about that. You have to be extremely careful with your decisions. Making sure your cost structure is well-suited to your business is key.

Also, investors today are very different from those four years ago. Back then, everything seemed possible — valuations were incredibly high, and you could raise funds based on revenue growth rather than profitability. But now, the landscape has shifted. We’re in a time where profitability is a priority. We need to ensure that our costs are in line with our goals. We’re focused on reaching certain milestones before raising more equity. The environment has changed, and so has the availability of funding.

Launch Base Africa: Great. You began your career as a consultant with one of the Big Four consulting firms, navigated through the challenges of COVID and its aftermath, and eventually started this journey. What key lessons have you learned along the way, particularly as a woman founder and entrepreneur? And, of course, these lessons could touch on everything from securing investment to running a sustainable business.

Claire van Enk: I think there’s one key lesson I would share with anyone growing a company: Sell your product as soon as possible, even if it’s not perfect. Don’t wait for it to be “ready.” Getting it into the market early and receiving customer feedback is crucial. Often, especially in the early stages, founders feel the need to make the product flawless before presenting it, fearing they’ll lose customers if it’s not perfect. But the feedback and the dynamic between you and your customers can teach you so much.

Another important lesson for me was realizing that, in the beginning, I was pushing a solution to a problem onto customers. Looking back, I think that’s what slowed us down in the first year. I was so fixated on our mission — creating an equitable and climate-resilient food system, addressing food loss, and so on — that I didn’t fully listen to our customers. At some point, I realized: I need to build a product that customers will actually want. Once they love the product, I can then integrate all the other things I care about.

Pushing a problem that you think is important onto a customer doesn’t work. The product has to solve a customer problem. It sounds so logical, but when you’re deep in the work, it’s easy to overlook.

I also want to mention something about our early funding rounds. In our pre-seed phase, I definitely felt there was some bias as a woman founder. You sense it in conversations, especially because investors don’t know you yet. What was really interesting is that coming from PwC, I felt like I had credibility. But when you’re a founder, that all disappears — particularly as a woman. That credibility just doesn’t carry over. It was a humbling experience, and I had to start from scratch and prove myself again.

There are so many times, especially in the beginning, when you feel like things are moving too slowly and you’re tempted to quit. But learning to stay the course is so important. If I had quit two years ago, I wouldn’t be experiencing what I am now. It’s a powerful feeling to keep going, even when it’s tough. I also have my co-founders to thank for that. Having co-founders who support you when you’re down and vice versa is invaluable. When you’re struggling, they’re there to lift you up, and when they face challenges, you can help keep them going. Doing this alone would be much harder. There were times when one of us faced a major challenge, but on the same day, another co-founder had a small victory, and it balanced everything out. The team we have today is the one that will carry us into the next phase of growth. We’ve got the founders, of course, but now we also have an executive team that is not only complementary but also culturally aligned. And I don’t mean just in terms of diversity — we’re a very multicultural team, which is definitely an advantage — but in terms of shared company values and mission.

So, surround yourself with a strong network and co-founders who help you stay grounded. 

And especially as a woman founder, it’s crucial to build that support network around you and talk about your challenges. If you feel there’s bias, talk about it. Don’t keep it to yourself.

Another lesson came from a talk I attended by Village Capital. They conducted a study comparing male and female founders during the investment origination phase. They found that female founders were often asked more risk-based questions, while male founders were asked more opportunity-based questions. This is a clear bias that exists in the investment world.

Also, as a woman founder, or any minority fundraising, it’s important to recognize the difference between risk-based and opportunity-based questions. If you feel the questions are disproportionately risk-focused, find a way to gently redirect the conversation to the opportunities. It can make a huge difference in how investors perceive your business. Otherwise, you’ll only be presenting a risk-based investment memo. I learned to reframe those questions as opportunities, and this gave me more confidence when pitching.

Finally, I think one of the biggest transitions for me was moving from being a founder to being a CEO. In the beginning, you’re constantly problem-solving and driving the vision forward. But as your company grows, it’s not just about being the founder anymore; it’s about becoming the CEO that the company needs to lead and scale. It’s a shift in mindset — from doing everything yourself to managing and empowering the team to drive the business forward. That transition has been a major personal development challenge for me.

Launch Base Africa: Thanks a lot, Claire, for your time. 

Claire van Enk: Thank you for having me.