Pre-Seed Round · Fintech Infrastructure · East Africa
2 million boda riders across Kenya earn real income every day yet remain completely invisible to every bank, lender and insurer on the continent. Imara Rider is the infrastructure layer that changes that. Permanently.
The Problem
Kenya's boda boda riders earn real income daily yet banks, SACCOs and insurers have no way to verify it. An entire workforce locked out because the infrastructure to see them never existed.
Kenya's boda boda workforce generates billions in economic activity annually yet carries zero verifiable income documentation that any formal institution will accept.
Without verified earnings history, formal lenders will not engage informal workers. Those who qualify face predatory interest rates of 30 to 60 percent monthly from shylocks.
The informal transport sector represents a decade-long missed opportunity. The infrastructure to capture it simply did not exist until Imara Rider.
The problem is not that boda riders cannot repay loans. The problem is nobody built the infrastructure to prove they can.
Kelvin Mwangi · Founder and CEO
Current Reality For A Rider
How It Works
Every trip processed through our motion-forensic AI, verifying real riding behavior, building a financial profile and generating a Loan Readiness Score that lenders trust.
Rider logs journey via PWA, fully offline capable. Accelerometer and gyroscope capture authentic riding motion signature for every trip.
Offline-First · PWAImara Guard analyzes motion forensics to confirm genuine riding. Cannot be spoofed from a stationary device or desk anywhere.
Motion Forensics · AIImara Intelligence builds earnings profiles from verified trips, consistency, reliability and income patterns into a full financial identity.
Vertex AI · BigQueryBanks and SACCOs query our B2B API to receive verified Loan Readiness Scores in real time, unlocking credit for real riders.
B2B API · Real-TimeTechnology Stack
Production infrastructure deployed and running. Not a prototype. Every component designed for low connectivity, high mobile usage and the realities of the informal economy.
Proprietary algorithm analyzes accelerometer and gyroscope patterns to distinguish genuine riding from stationary input. First of its kind in African fintech.
Proprietary IPReal-time trip verification that processes motion data, assigns trust scores and flags anomalies before they enter the intelligence pipeline. Live and firing.
Cloud Functions · LiveML-powered earnings profiler on Vertex AI and Gemini. Processes verified trip data into structured financial identity profiles with Loan Readiness Scores.
Vertex AI · Gemini · LiveRiders log trips without internet. Data syncs automatically when connection returns. Zero data loss in Kenya's low-connectivity environments. Designed for the field.
IndexedDB · PWAClean REST API enabling banks, SACCOs and microfinance institutions to query verified rider creditworthiness in real time. Per-query revenue model built in.
Firebase · REST · LiveFirebase App Check, multi-layer authentication, M-Pesa integration and BigQuery data warehouse. Institutional-grade architecture from day one, not added later.
App Check · BigQuery · M-PesaMarket Opportunity
Kenya alone has 2 million boda riders. East Africa has 6 million. Nigeria's okada market adds another 2 million. Imara's infrastructure requires no rebuild to cross borders, only deployment.
Phase 1 · Kenya
2M+ riders. World's most sophisticated mobile money market. M-Pesa integration live. Starting Nairobi, expanding nationally within 12 months.
Phase 2 · East Africa
Uganda 500K riders. Tanzania 800K riders. Rwanda growing fast. Same infrastructure, new markets, zero rebuild required.
Phase 3 · West Africa
Nigeria's okada market at 2M+ riders. The data moat compounds with every new market entered and every rider onboarded.
Revenue Model
Multiple monetization layers built into the architecture from day one. Each stream grows independently as the rider base scales across the continent.
Monthly subscription unlocking a full credit profile, loan readiness score and lender introductions. Payable via M-Pesa in under 10 seconds.
Banks and SACCOs pay per-query to access verified rider credit signals in real time. High-margin institutional revenue that grows with every lender onboarded.
Anonymized aggregate mobility and financial behavior datasets licensed to insurers, urban planners and financial institutions across East Africa.
Pre-Seed Round · Open Now · 2026
Raising $500KFunding onboarding of 500 verified riders across 3 Nairobi regions, closing the first lender API agreement and proving the full revenue model within 90 days of close.
Get In Touch
We are speaking with a select group of investors who understand African infrastructure. Request the full 20-document data room below.