Ghana-based fintech startup Liquify has secured $1.5 million in seed equity funding, alongside a debt facility, to scale its digital trade finance platform for African small and medium-sized exporters.
The funding round, which exceeded initial targets, was led by Future Africa, with participation from Launch Africa, 54 Collective, Digital Africa, Equitable Ventures, and other angel investors. Emerald Africa contributed additional debt financing to support liquidity needs.
Founded in 2023 by Nadya Yaremenko and Alberta Asafo-Asamoah, Liquify aims to close Africa’s long-standing trade finance gap, estimated at $120 billion annually.
Its platform helps exporters access instant working capital by converting unpaid invoices into cash, solving a major liquidity problem that has hindered many SMEs engaged in cross-border trade.
Since launching its beta in late 2024, Liquify has processed over 150 transactions worth $4 million, mainly for exporters in Ghana and Kenya trading with buyers in Europe and North America.
The platform replaces complex paperwork and long delays with fully automated systems for onboarding, credit scoring, KYC, and AML compliance. Verified invoices can be financed within hours, offering exporters access to capital when they need it most.
Co-founder and CEO Nadya Yaremenko brings experience from managing a $3 billion trade finance portfolio at Citi across emerging markets, where she saw how risk-averse global banks gradually scaled back support for smaller businesses post-financial crisis.
Asafo-Asamoah, with a background in impact investing, observed that capital alone wasn’t enough, systems also needed to be faster, more efficient, and accessible to smaller players.
Liquify’s model has been especially well received by agri-exporters, many of whom face 30- to 90-day payment cycles.
By providing same-day access to cash, the platform gives these businesses flexibility to manage operations, fulfill new orders, and grow.
The company earns revenue by buying invoices at a discount and reselling them as short-term assets to investors.
With repeat usage by exporters and no customer attrition so far, Liquify’s early traction points to a growing appetite for digital-first financial tools in African trade.
The seed round will enable the company to expand across more markets and deepen its presence in key export hubs, while continuing to enhance its AI-powered technology stack.
As more African startups seek practical ways to address structural gaps in finance and infrastructure, Liquify’s focus on invoice-based liquidity offers one of the clearer examples of fintech meeting real economic needs on the continent.
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