Why We Invested in Power: Integrated Financial Resilience for Africa's Workforce

Africa’s workforce is expanding faster than any other region globally, yet a deep-seated challenge of financial unhealthiness persists. Over 80% of Kenyans- and a similarly high proportion of workers across the continent - struggle to cover daily needs or save for emergencies. This instability is severe: nearlyhalf (49%) of the population in multiple markets cannot raise funds for unexpected life events, and only a small fraction consistently save for old age.

The problem is magnified by the structure of employment: eight out of tenworkers in Africa are informally employed, severely limiting their access to structured financial tools.

While mobile money and other fintech innovations have boosted overall financial inclusion, they often fail to drive sustained improvements in financial resilience. Traditional institutions are slow, often prioritizing only top-tier employees. Telcos price products highly to offset risk, and alternative lenders are fragmented, offering single-point solutions that neglect the full spectrum of users’ credit, savings, and protection needs.

These conditions underscore a pressing need for an integrated platform that helps individuals - formal and informal alike - manage short-term cash flow, build more secure saving habits, and protect themselves against financial shocks.

Power’s Solution: Payroll-Linked Financial Services

Power is a Nairobi-based fintech offering a comprehensive suite of payroll-linked financial services - including early wage access, term loans, savings, and insurance - to employees acrossSub-Saharan Africa. Founded in 2019, Power now operates in Kenya, Uganda,Tanzania, Zambia, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Power uses a B2B2C, payroll-linked approach to deliver its four core products through employer and partner ecosystems, including banks, lenders, SACCOs, and HR platforms.

By anchoring salary advance and loan offerings to automatic payroll deductions, Power achieves a credit performance that significantly outperforms other short-and long-term lenders in SSA. The model’s strength is amplified by its comprehensive product suite and deep employer integrations, which create additional revenue streams and ensure strong stickiness. By embedding with employers, Power becomes a reliable, daily touchpoint for financial stability.

Why We Invested

1. Massive Market Opportunity

Power’s multi-country footprint - live in Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, and DRC - taps into a vast market potential of 30 million formal workers and 15 million gig workers. The company's strategic partnerships with major financial players like First Capital Bank, Rafiki Microfinance Bank, SACCOs, Ecobank (across 33 markets), and Absa (across 13 markets), confirm broad, actionable demand acrossthe continent. This expansive reach positions Power to scale rapidly.

2. Proven Leadership

Poweris led by Brian Dempsey, a CEO with 16 years of Sub-Saharan Africa expertise across 15 countries, ensuring the team blends deep market insight with strong technical and strategic acumen. The team has built a highly scalable infrastructure that reflects their technical prowess and strategic wisdom in forging critical partnerships.

3. Comprehensive and Integrated Model

Unlike fragmented lenders, Power’s model solves the holistic problem of financial unhealthiness by offering an integrated suite of products. This ability to service a user's full range of needs - from short-term cash flow via early wage access to long-term resilience through savings and insurance - makes the platform indispensable to both employers and employees, driving both business growth and positive social impact.