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Keep IT Cool Secures Acumen Investment to Expand Sustainable Cold Storage Solutions Across Africa

Keep IT Cool, a Kenyan startup revolutionizing food preservation with its innovative sustainable refrigeration solutions, has secured funding from global impact investor Acumen to advance its pan-African ambitions.

Established in 2021 by Francis Nderitu and Abigail Gachigi, Keep IT Cool leverages a range of cooling technologies and a B2B software platform to bridge supply and demand within the fish and poultry value chains.

Keep IT Cool’s app, “Markiti,” allows farmers and fishermen to track real-time demand, enabling stores, outlets, and eateries to place direct orders for fish and poultry from the source. A 2024 Earthshot Prize winner, the company currently operates in Tanzania and Kenya, with plans to expand further following its recent investment from global impact investor Acumen.

“Our partnership with Acumen reflects our shared dedication to empowering underserved African communities,” said Francis Nderitu, co-founder and managing director of Keep IT Cool. “We aim to enhance productivity, improve market access, and reduce waste, ultimately helping these communities increase their incomes.”

Chris Maranga, who leads Acumen’s East Africa initiatives, remarked, “In East Africa, inadequate cold storage results in significant post-harvest losses, which hinder food security and economic development. Keep IT Cool’s solar-powered cold storage solutions tackle this problem sustainably, empowering fishermen and smallholder poultry farmers in some of Kenya’s most underserved areas. This alignment with our mission to foster long-term resilience in local markets made supporting Keep IT Cool a natural decision for us.”

Keep IT Cool has nearly eliminated post-harvest loss within its network and increased the revenues of 3,600 fishermen by over 15%. The company has also built a network comprising more than 2,000 small businesses and 40 stores.

With its capacity expanded sevenfold, Keep IT Cool, which has already ventured into Tanzania, is building a solar-powered cold chain facility. This will allow the company to diversify into fruits and vegetables while serving over 100,000 farmers and fishermen. The Acumen investment will further accelerate its plans for expansion across Africa.

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Written by Grace Ashiru

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