(L–R): Jonathan Tseelon (Group CEO, Avenews), Nancy Kinyanjui (Managing Director, Avenews), Betty Mulemia Simiyu (Senior Commercial Officer, Avenews), and Okisegere Ojepat (CEO, Fresh Produce Consortium of Kenya) during the partnership engagement. Photo Credit: Avenews
By Murimi Gitari, March 30, 2026, Avenews, an agri-fintech startup, has entered into a partnership with the Fresh Produce Consortium of Kenya (FPCK) to address long-standing financing challenges in the country’s fresh produce sector. The collaboration aims to ease cash flow constraints that have hindered suppliers, distributors, and exporters, with ambitions to impact up to 10 million livelihoods nationwide.
At the heart of the initiative is an invoice discounting solution known as Agri-Supplier Financing, which allows suppliers to access working capital within hours of delivery. Traditionally, many businesses in the sector have had to wait up to 90 days for payments, a delay that often disrupts supply chains and forces reliance on costly or informal credit.
Jonathan Tselon, CEO of Avenews, said the solution is designed to match the pace of trade in a sector where perishability makes timing critical. “Access to immediate, flexible capital is not a luxury—it is what keeps the entire value chain alive,” he noted.
Industry leaders argue that financing delays have been one of the biggest structural barriers to growth. FPCK CEO Okisegere Ojepat emphasized that the partnership could open doors for more entrepreneurs, particularly youth and women, to participate in agribusiness. “Our industry already supports over 3 million people directly and indirectly. With these solutions, we are looking at scaling that impact to over 10 million livelihoods across the country,” he said.
Nancy Kinyanjui, Managing Director of Avenews, framed the partnership as part of a broader shift toward embedded financing models. “Capital is being structured around real economic activity and trade flows, not traditional lending timelines,” she explained.
This development highlights a growing trend in Kenya’s agribusiness sector: fintech-driven solutions that aim to bridge financing gaps and strengthen supply chains. It also underscores the increasing role of technology in tackling structural challenges that have long limited growth in agriculture.
