PesaChoice and Viebeg based in Rwanda have raised seed funding from the Kigali-based Norrsken Foundation.

Rwanda’s technology start-ups PesaChoice and Viebeg have raised seed funding from the Kigali-based Norrsken Foundation.

Founded in 2016 by Niklas Adalberth, one of the founders of the Swedish fintech unicorn Klarna, Norrsken aims to help entrepreneurs solve the world’s biggest challenges.

Disrupt Africa reported in 2019 that the Impact and Tech Entrepreneurship Support Foundation began operations in Kigali, Rwanda, as a base for investment in the East and Central Africa regions.

It will take less than a month for the Norrsken House workspace to open in “beta” in Kigali. Prior to that, the Norrsken Foundation announced initial investments in Kigali-based startups PesaChoice and Viebeg Technologies.

PesaChoice is a financial services technology company that bridges the gap between wage payments and unexpected costs for people with limited access to institutional credit.

Users can apply for micro loans quickly and efficiently at fixed interest rates, eliminating the need to rely on predatory lenders, heavy paperwork, and long wait times to access funds.

Viebeg, on the other hand, is an e-health startup building a procurement platform that ensures that healthcare facilities always have the right type and quantity of products in stock to treat patients.
Used in more than 230 hospitals in Rwanda, Burundi and Congo, this software helps to procure supplies more efficiently and achieve cost savings of up to 40%.

“We are committed to building a thriving ecosystem for beginners in East Africa, with Kigali’s Norrsken House as the epicenter. These investments are part of that commitment.

We believe Kigali has a bright future as one of Africa’s leading entrepreneurial centers and wants to accelerate that journey, “said Pascal Murasira, Managing Director of Aurora, Norrsken East Africa.

“Our vision for PesaChoice is to create impact by providing access to finance. With a common vision for Kigali’s future as a starting point, we are proud to be part of the Norrsken family. “I think,” said Davis Davis Nteziryayo, CEO and co-founder of PesaChoice. We also plan to relocate our business to Norrsken House one the house opens.

“Norrsken’s investment will help us build predictive analytics models that improve community health care with local talent,” said Tobias Reiter, CEO and founder of Viebeg Technologies.