Nairobi, Kenya (July 14, 2025) — Obudu Capital has announced its first portfolio investment, a USD 100,000 commitment in Rhea Soil Health Management (Rhea), a women-led agritech company making soil testing affordable and accessible for smallholder farmers across Kenya. The investment marks the first deployment from Obudu Capital’s USD 20 million fund dedicated to early-stage climate technology and women-led enterprises across Africa.
Rhea is transforming agriculture in Kenya through the RHEA AgriPad, an IoT-powered soil testing device paired with machine learning that delivers real-time, on-site soil diagnostics and tailored fertilizer recommendations by SMS. This gives farmers an affordable alternative to slow and costly laboratory testing, helping them improve yields, reduce input waste, and protect long-term soil health. To date Rhea has completed more than 300 paid soil tests and trained over 2,000 farmers, building a verifiable record of soil performance that can unlock access to credit, insurance, and carbon credit eligibility.
The financing is structured as a convertible note and will be released in milestone-based tranches, supporting Rhea as it commercializes the RHEA AgriPad, deploys 100 devices, onboards 5,000 farmers, and expands operations across Kenya and into Tanzania.
“Our investment in Rhea Soil Health reflects the core of what we stand for, backing visionary founders solving critical climate and food security challenges in Africa” said Nela Duke Ekpenyong, Managing Partner of Obudu Capital. “Priscilla, Soinato, and the team are bringing practical, scalable innovation to the millions of smallholder farmers who are the backbone of Kenya’s agricultural economy.”
“The timing is significant,” added Nela Duke Ekpenyong, Managing Partner of Obudu Capital. “In October, the African Development Bank committed USD 16.61 million to IITA’s TAAT-III programme, designed to move climate-resilient agricultural technologies to smallholder farmers at scale. Rhea is building exactly the last-mile data infrastructure these programmes depend on. Our investment sits at the intersection of private innovation and public mandate.”
“Partnering with Obudu Capital is an important milestone for us,” said Priscilla Wakarera, Co-Founder and CEO of Rhea Soil Health. “Their expertise in climate-focused venture building and their commitment to gender-responsive investing will help us reach more farmers faster and deliver measurable impact.”
Rhea’s mission aligns closely with Obudu’s thesis of supporting ventures at the intersection of sustainable agriculture, climate adaptation, and gender inclusion. By reducing soil degradation and optimizing fertilizer use, Rhea aims to boost food security and resilience across East Africa, with a goal of training one million farmers in sustainable soil management by 2030.
About Obudu Capital
Obudu Capital is a USD 20 million venture fund supporting early-stage climate technology founders across Africa, with a focus on sustainable resource management, renewable energy, and climate-resilient infrastructure. The fund also operates the African Climate Action Leaders (ACAL) Program, a post-investment support platform designed to accelerate growth and deepen impact for portfolio companies.
About Rhea Soil Health
Rhea Soil Health Management is a Kenyan agritech company improving soil health and farmer livelihoods through affordable, data-driven soil testing. Its flagship RHEA AgriPad combines IoT sensors and machine learning to deliver real-time soil diagnostics and precision fertilizer recommendations for smallholder farmers.
Media inquiries
Nela Duke Ekpenyong, Managing Partner, nde@obuducapital.com