About Clay
We help startups become investable, and help the institutions that back them prove it works.
We work with founders preparing to raise, and with the ESOs, donors and investors who run or fund startup programs across Africa.
- 3,000+
- Startups assessed
- 15
- Series A+ deals led
- $70M+
- Capital deployed
Why Clay
We have been in the room — as founders, as operators, and as investors.
Lived experience on both sides of the table
We have founded companies, raised capital, and sat on the investing side. We know how a diligence conversation actually goes.
Clarity over complexity
We translate ambiguity into decisions and complexity into a narrative an investor can repeat. No jargon for its own sake.
High standards, held with empathy
We tell founders the truth about where they stand, and then we do the work with them until it is no longer true.
Analytical precision, early
Institutional-grade financial and market rigour applied to companies at the stage where it changes the outcome.
Evidence of impact
We track startup performance and founder progress over time, giving clear evidence of results and insights that strengthen future cohorts.