A reality on the ground is that international investors are often more comfortable investing in non-Kenyan start-ups. A Village Capital report published last year found that 90% of funding for East African start-ups went to foreign founders.

One reason for this problem is the lack of local investors in the market – especially for early-stage start-ups that are looking for sub-KSh 10m ($100k) investments. This is likely due to a lack of experience investing in tech, as well as the relative absence of success stories. Another potential reason is international investors’ subconscious biases that may result in them preferring founders with backgrounds similar to theirs.