Click to watchKenyan fintech startup Jahazii has raised $400,000 in pre-seed funding to formalise and finance Africa’s informal workforce. The round, a mix of equity, debt, and grants, drew participation from Antler East Africa, DEG Impulse, Jozi Angels, Innovest Afrika, and angel investors.
At its core, Jahazii is building what it calls the “Workforce Operating System for Africa”—a digital platform that combines HR, payroll, and embedded financial services for operations-heavy employers in manufacturing and agriculture. By digitising how workers are managed and paid, Jahazii aims to address one of Africa’s most profound economic challenges: the prevalence of informal work.
Across Sub-Saharan Africa, about 87% of jobs remain informal, according to the International Labour Organisation. This means millions of workers earn their wages without contracts, payslips, or access to affordable financial products. The lack of structured employment data also prevents lenders from assessing credit risk, excluding workers from savings, insurance, and fair financing options.
“Informality is the biggest structural barrier holding back Africa’s economic transformation,” said Sven Grospitsch, Jahazii’s CEO. “Without systems that provide structure and credibility, workers remain excluded from financial opportunities, and organisations can’t scale efficiently. Jahazii exists to change that.”
Founded in 2023 by Grospitsch, Vaidehi Tembhekar, and Martin Gitehi, the company partners directly with employers to embed financial products into payroll cycles. Through this model, employees can access earned wage advances, savings tools, and insurance at fair rates, while employers streamline HR operations and ensure compliance.
Grospitsch describes Jahazii’s approach as an alternative to Africa’s problematic digital credit scene, where many lenders have been criticised for predatory rates and aggressive recovery practices. “By embedding financial services into the paycheck, we’re building the financial infrastructure for Africa’s middle class,” he said. “This investment allows us to scale responsibly, deepen employer partnerships, and give workers fair financial access without the traps of high-interest loan apps.”
Jahazii’s Workforce OS unifies employee attendance, shift management, and payroll into one secure platform, creating verified employment data that can unlock wider financial inclusion. The company has gained early traction among employers in Kenya’s manufacturing and agricultural sectors and plans to expand across East Africa in the coming year.
The startup joins a growing ecosystem of African HR and fintech innovators such as PaidHR, Workpay, SeamlessHR, and Sage. Still, it differentiates itself by focusing on blue-collar and industrial workers rather than office or gig economy staff.
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