How Shamba Pride found scale and seed funding with long-term mentorship on VC4A

This article describes the enduring mentoring relationship between founder Samuel Munguti, CEO of Shamba Pride, and his mentor Joel Patenaude, Head of Business Partnerships and Strategy at VTNGlobal, as part of the VC4A Mentorship Marketplace. We interviewed both participants to capture key insights on the outcome of their five-year engagement and how it transformed a pioneering agri-tech venture.

About Shamba Pride: Shamba Pride is a One-stop online-to-offline platform that connects smallholder farmers to services technology-powered digishops. It solves supply chain bottlenecks and modernizes agri-retailers’ operations.
Sector: Agri-Tech / Agri-Retail
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Venture reach: Over 100,000 registered farmers and 4,000 agri-retailers use its commerce platform. Learn more.

The Genesis: Bringing order to a chaotic market

Samuel Munguti started Shamba Pride with a clear vision to modernize the business of selling essential agri-products, such as seeds and fertilizers. The market for smallholder farmers in Kenya was highly fragmented and chaotic, and farmers often weren’t guaranteed good quality products. Samuel aimed to create modern, tech-leveraged shops with inventory management and Point of Sale (POS) systems to sell high-quality products.

Samuel sought a mentor to help him bridge the gap between his product idea and achieving a really scalable business. He matched with Joel Patenaude, an investment and business strategy professional, who was notably one of the first mentors to join the VC4A platform in 2016 before we built the VC4A Mentorship Marketplace as it is known today.

Goals and approach of the mentorship

At the start of the mentorship, Samuel’s main goal was to confidently establish Shamba Pride as a scalable business and successfully navigate the fundraising landscape. He also wanted to develop strong proposal writing skills and learn from Joel’s vast network.

Joel’s approach was hands-on and deeply supportive. He didn’t just stand on the outside looking in; he was “part of the business”.

“My approach is to pester my mentees. To hold them accountable to the goals they have set and things they have committed to do. My approach is to help the founder take action.”

— Joel Patenaude, Mentor.

Samuel appreciated Joel’s style, noting that he empowers his mentees to act for themselves, saying,

“Joel won’t jump in and do things for you. He will encourage you to try things yourself. I learnt my fundraising skills from him”.

— Samuel Munguti, CEO – Shamba Pride.

Mentorship in action: A five-year partnership

Their relationship, which began in 2016, extended to a hands-on partnership that lasted five years, with Joel also serving as the Shamba Pride’s board chairman for a brief time. Their interaction involved structured monthly meetings alongside flexible, ad hoc check-ins.

The extensive support that Joel provided covered:

• Fundraising support: He worked side-by-side with Samuel to apply for funding from different organizations , helping the company secure a USD 20K grant from Dprize.
• Access to strategic networks: Joel unlocked connections for Shamba Pride to a wide network of people, some of whom went on to become investors in the company.
• Technical guidance: Joel provided hands-on support with data analysis, which was a critical resource for Samuel.

Progress and achievements

The long-term mentorship delivered measurable improvements that transformed Shamba Pride from an idea into a fundable venture:

Successful fundraising: The company went on to raise follow-on funding from Seedstars and Gray Matters Capital. Joel was instrumental in their 2021-2022 seed funding process, which changed things for Shamba Pride.

Business structure: Samuel significantly improved his organization and attention to detail, particularly concerning the business’s financials.

Scalability: The key goal was met: Shamba Pride successfully developed the business into a scalable model.

“Samuel is tenacious, resilient and passionate about his business… His only limitation now is funding but he has all it takes to succeed.”

— Joel Patenaude, Mentor.

Reflections and lasting impact

Both mentor and mentee reflected on the significant impact of their collaboration. Samuel highlighted the emotional support crucial for early-stage founders: “The early stages of building a business is very hard and people like Joel help to make the journey a bit easier”.

For Joel, the reward was seeing the impact of his guidance: “He came into a chaotic market and put order to it in the way he conducted his business… I get to say I have a friend in Kenya with a successful business. That is kinda nice”.

Samuel’s final thought is a powerful endorsement of the power of the VC4A Mentorship Marketplace:

“Joel is a great coach. He sees a lot of potential in African founders and he is passionate about them. The African business ecosystem needs more people like Joel.”

— Samuel Munguti, CEO, Shamba Pride.

Take the next step on your startup journey with VC4A

This case study demonstrates the power of strategic committed, long-term mentorship and how it is key to unlocking a startups’ full potential.

Entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey. Like Samuel, if you’ve been looking for a sign to work with a mentor, this is it. Find your long-term, committed mentor and business partner on the VC4A Mentorship Marketplace.

Are you an experienced professional interested in giving back? Join our community and become a startup mentor.

To create a mentorship component in your startup programs, monitor and track progress in real-time, speak to us about our Mentorship Marketplace for Partners service.