Supporting African farmers to become more efficient and boost profitability while tackling food insecurity is the mission of Yale computer science graduate Ikenna Nzewi. In 2017, Ikenna co-founded Releaf, a thriving agri-tech business that supplies ingredients to FMCG food processors, starting with palm oil and cassava. In the process, it’s helping to industrialize Nigeria’s food processing sector by championing environmentally friendly farming practices and building climate-adaptive supply chains.

Releaf secured $3.3 million in an over-subscribed Pre-Series A funding to launch a portable version of a palm-nut sheller called Kraken. Once the world leader in palm oil production with a global market worth $68 billion, Nigeria has slipped to fifth place, resorting to imports to meet demand.