Applicant FAQ

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Already highlighted in the application with the criteria here.

• Not within our target revenue range of Ksh300k monthly revenue or more
• Not in Kenya
• Capital requirements were MUCH more than we could support
• Business model did not seem scalable or profitable
• We didn’t believe the current CEO could scale the company to $10m in annual revenue.
• Not in Agri processing, construction, real estate, manufacturing, retail or fintech. Note: we typically don’t invest in primary agriculture businesses unless you plan to engage in value addition in the near future or sell directly to the customer.
• Applicant wants a loan. Our first investment is always an equity investment, though we can follow-on with a loan once the company has proper structures in place like accounting and governance.
• Numbers grossly inaccurate. Sometimes we see a promising company but then their accounts conflict with the info in the application
• Not responsive to our emails (sometimes people mistype their email and phone number so there is no way for us to contact them)
• Not responsive to requests for information such as management accounts or not responsive to requests for a site visit
• Applicant slow to respond to messages. Unresponsiveness would be a big challenge if we invested thus we pass.
• Heavy indebtedness above their assets or revenue.
• Directors have low credit score and unserviced loans that could result in siphoning off money from the business to repay the loan.
• Low gross margin. Typically a company needs to have 20-80% margins for us to invest.
• Long working capital cycle. If a company needs to wait a long time to get paid and the gross margins are low then it’s hard to scale the business.
• Shareholder disputes.

No. Here’s what one founder anonymously wrote to us in our final feedback form:

Most business owners hit a wall—and assume it’s sales, marketing, or their team. So they hustle harder, spend more… but the needle doesn’t budge.

Here’s the truth: Every business has one core constraint at any given time. Fix that, and you unlock growth. Ignore it—or work on the wrong thing—and you spin your wheels.

Sounds simple. But here’s the twist: Most entrepreneurs are too close to see their real bottleneck. That “sales” issue? Might be poor onboarding or weak recruitment. Marketing not working? Could be your positioning, pricing—or the product itself. Team struggles? Often it’s a system problem, or lack of role clarity.

At Kuzana Workshops, this is what we do. We’ve built a method to uncover and eliminate the real bottlenecks—the hidden ones that keep businesses stuck.

Here’s how it starts:

• What’s your One Thing?
• What are you doing to make real progress on it?

We won’t promise you’ll never feel stuck again. But we will give you the tools, insight, and momentum to break through this block—and the next one.

Provide clear traction metrics. Don’t give vague answers.

No, we don’t expect you to have it all figured out. You don’t need perfect accounting, a slick pitch deck, or a polished business model. What matters most is that you’re honest about where things stand, even if your structure isn’t formal yet. We’d rather work with real than perfect. If you’re clear on your thinking and open about what’s working (and what’s not), we can actually help you grow.

We will not. We will have a non-controlling minority stake. You will be in charge of determining dividends.

Yes, we currently provide up to $100k follow-on investment.

Yes. We can help with the migration. Migrating to a professional accounting system like Zoho is a requirement of starting the Kuzana program.

After reviewing your application we will reach out to you for a call and then set up an in-person meeting if there could be a fit.

Yes. Mentorship and networking are key aspects of Kuzana’s secret to success. Money only gets you so far. We connect entrepreneurs with successful founders in Kenya so that you can learn from their mistakes. As it’s well known, you are the average of your 5 closest friends. The other members of your batch will become increasingly influential and helpful to you as you go from Ksh5m monthly revenue today to Ksh100m revenue in a few years.

We don’t consider impact.

Forever. We never plan to sell our shares, unless you want to buy us out.

Our exit strategy is to list the holding company on the Stock Exchange of Mauritius like Africa Eats did in 2024. Our model is similar to Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway investment company. He said “our favorite holding period is forever.”

Our investment is $10k-20k cash plus $20k support so the percentage depends on the valuation of the business.

We are open to SAFEs (Simple Agreement for Future Equity), but we don’t usually use them.

See our portfolio.

2 months.

Most investors take 12-24 months to invest. Our goal is to make an entrepreneur’s search for funding as easy as finding an Airbnb by 2040. For now, it typically takes 2 months from application to cash in the bank and as little as 1 week for follow-on investments. We aim to improve this.

Yes. We lead and expect to be your only equity partner for the next few years (if someone else wants to invest that’s great but in all likelihood, there won’t be anyone else interested until you are doing over $5m annual revenue)

Yes. Equity investment is Sharia-compliant.

No. We do not discriminate against—or provide preferential treatment to—any person other than based on the quality of their business.

No. But you must have significant traction. For example, a business may have $0 revenue but has planted 100 acres of avocado. In this case, significant progress in the business has been demonstrated.

Refining the business model. This includes: setting up systems, financial controls, sales processes, and operations optimization. We assume you already have a product-market fit. Scaling typically happens once you have refined the business model and are really just putting petrol on a fire. For example, you wouldn’t want to scale a company that hasn’t first optimized its operations.

Here are some from a similar investor whose business model we license, Africa Eats.

The program is held weekly on Friday all day. It’s best to attend in person, but you can also log in via Google Meet for up to 4 sessions. Successful entrepreneurs are scrappy and can typically find accommodation for themselves. If you can’t find accommodation, let us know, and we can pay for your accommodation, deducted from your in-kind investment.

We provide equity investment, which means we offer dollars in exchange for shares in your business.

Yes. That is a key component of the Kuzana investment.

It’s best to apply to Kuzana with a happy “marriage.” Sometimes, we can help founders come to an equitable arrangement to avoid conflict in the future. If conflict between founders does arise the founders need to solve their issues between themselves. Co-founder disputes are often the result of ego masquerading as business issues—solving the business issue doesn’t solve the ego issue. Go to a therapist to solve an ego issue. Successful entrepreneurs are often both very confident and very humble at the same time. Unsuccessful entrepreneurs leave a trail of wrecked personal and business relationships.

That said, if your co-founder needs to be bought out, we can arrange for that, but the terms will not give the exiting shareholder a profit.

No one has all the answers. Think about your strengths and weaknesses. What gaps do you need to fill? What personnel do you need to hire? Do you need a mentor/advisor now even though times are good so that when times inevitably go dark you have someone who has walked the journey with you?

Would you rather own 100% of a kibanda place or 1% of Facebook?

Success is both financial and feeling like you made a difference in the world. Measure financial success with your head and impact with your heart.

No. But the founders must be in Kenya to attend the in-person accelerator sessions.

Punctuality is important. Not just for you, but part of the program is interaction between participants so if you aren’t there on time other people can’t benefit from your genius.

100%. We are with you.