Pula (Kenya, founded 2015) is Africa agri-insurance leader. Covers 15M+ smallholder farmers against droughts, floods, crop losses. $45M+ raised (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Hesabu Capital, etc.). Presence 15+ African countries.
TL;DR
- Pula: Africa agri-insurance leader, 15M+ farmers.
- $45M+ raised (Gates Foundation, IFC, BlueOrchard).
- Presence 15+ Africa countries + emerging Asia.
- Climate insurance + parametric + index-based.
Business model
Index-based insurance
- No individual claims evaluation
- Automatic trigger by weather / satellite data
- Fast post-event payment
- Cheap to administer
Parametric insurance
- Pre-defined conditions (rainfall < X mm, NDVI < Y)
- Satellite imagery analysis
- Automatic payout if trigger reached
Bundled distribution
- With seeds (Mahyco, Pioneer, Bayer)
- With fertilizer (Yara, OCP)
- With input loans
- With mobile money
Replanting guarantees
- Pula guarantees seed re-supply if crop lost
- Innovation vs traditional cash payout
2026 metrics
- 15M+ farmers cumulative covered
- 15+ Africa countries: Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Malawi, Zambia, Senegal, Ghana, Burkina Faso, etc.
- Asia expansion: India pilots
- $1B+ premiums lifetime
Investors
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Hesabu Capital
- BlueOrchard Microfinance
- IFC (World Bank)
- Mercy Corps Ventures
- Sumitomo
Tech stack
- Satellite imagery: Sentinel-2 (ESA), Planet Labs
- Weather data: ECMWF, NASA
- ML risk models: Python, R
- APIs: integrations partner seed suppliers, banks
- Mobile money: automatic payments
Use cases
Smallholder farmers
- 0.5-5 hectares typical
- Premium $2-20/season
- Coverage $50-500/hectare
Cooperatives
- Farmer aggregator
- Bulk premium discounts
- Distribution efficiency
Governments
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
- Subsidized premiums
- National crop insurance schemes
- Kenya KAP, Senegal CNAAS partnerships
Microfinance institutions
- Bundled insurance loans
- Reduce default risk
Regulation
- NAICOM (Nigeria): insurance regulator
- IRA (Kenya): Insurance Regulatory Authority
- CIMA (UEMOA francophone countries): multi-country regulator
- Insurance broker license typically
Competitors / partners
Competitors
- Acre Africa (Kenya): similar agri-insurance
- CelsiusPro: tech provider
- Hollard: traditional insurance with digital
- Mara Farms / OKO Finance
Partners
- Reinsurers: Swiss Re, Munich Re
- Banks: Ecobank, Equity Bank
- MNOs: Safaricom, MTN
Climate change opportunity
- Sahel droughts increasing
- East Africa erratic rainfall
- West Africa floods
- Massively growing insurance demand
Tech opportunities
- AI yield prediction: ML satellite + soil + weather
- Blockchain claims: transparency
- WhatsApp claims: low-bandwidth UX
- Drones field assessment: ground truth
- Livestock insurance: emerging niche
FAQ
Q: Africa insurtech builders?
A: Mobile money microinsurance, climate parametric, embedded in loans/inputs, livestock niche, healthcare bundling.
Q: Invest Pula?
A: Private, equity rounds. Potential Africa IPO 2027-2029 if growth.
Q: Market size?
A: Africa agri-insurance gap: 95%+ smallholders not covered = $5-20B potential opportunity.
Conclusion
2026 Pula: Africa agri-insurance leader, 15M+ farmers covered. Climate change increases demand. Index-based + parametric + bundled distribution model demonstrates scalability. For Africa insurtech builders, Pula vertical agri case study. Climate + insurance + mobile money + agritech convergence = new 20B$+ Africa market by 2030.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
