Recolte
Recolte Limited is a Nairobi-based trade finance intermediary issuing bid bonds, performance bonds, advance payment guarantees, and contract, LPO, and invoice financing — via its RecoSIB arm — to SMEs, contractors, and suppliers bidding on public and private tenders across Kenya and Uganda.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersNairobi, Kenya
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Recolte does
Recolte Limited is a Nairobi-headquartered trade finance intermediary that issues bid bonds, performance bonds, and advance payment guarantees to small and medium enterprises bidding on public and private sector tenders in East Africa. The company also arranges contract financing, LPO financing, and invoice discounting through its dedicated financing arm RecoSIB (recosib.co.ke), and brokers contractors' all-risk insurance, WIBA cover, letters of credit, and project management services. Its core product set spans the full procurement-to-delivery lifecycle, allowing the same client to secure tender eligibility, mobilize awarded contracts, and discount receivables from a single counterparty.
The company operates a capital-light intermediary model: it does not itself underwrite bond risk but channels issuance through a network of financial institutions and insurance partners, earning transaction fees and managed-services spreads. A core technology differentiator is registration as an approved digital guarantee issuer on Kenya's e-Government Procurement (e-GP) portal, with integration into IFMIS, enabling electronic submission and verification of bid securities and guarantees inside the public tendering workflow. Distribution is sales-led and direct, with physical offices in Nairobi (Upper Hill) and Kampala (Uganda), supported by phone, email, and an online inquiry channel. Marketing emphasizes content (a regularly updated blog), social media, and engagement with Kenyan procurement bodies including KISM, KNCCI, NCA, KeNHA, and KURA.
Recolte is privately held, founded in 2015 in Kenya, led by CEO Betty Karimi (15+ years trade finance experience) with a small executive team (COO Peter Gacheru, CFO James Wagura, CTO Raphael Kinoti), and reports serving over 5,000 SMEs across East Africa. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quoted per transaction based on contract value and risk profile; no external institutional funding rounds have been disclosed in the source material.
Recolte firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Recolte
- Legal name
- Recolte Limited
- Website
- https://recolte.co.ke
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Recolte Limited is a Nairobi-based trade finance intermediary issuing bid bonds, performance bonds, advance payment guarantees, and contract, LPO, and invoice financing — via its RecoSIB arm — to SMEs, contractors, and suppliers bidding on public and private tenders across Kenya and Uganda.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Recolte industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Trade Finance Services
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)
- SIC
- Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Receivables Management (Collections, Lockbox, EIPP) (FSABAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Recommerce, Trade-In & Buyback Collection (TLAAALAM)
Keywords
Where Recolte is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nairobi
- HQ country
- Kenya
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices2 records
Markets served
Recolte business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Bid Bond Issuance: Recolte issues bid bonds to SMEs and contractors bidding on government and corporate tenders, charging a fee or premium for the guarantee. This is a core product facilitating tender participation.
- Performance Bond Issuance: Recolte issues performance bonds post-contract award, providing financial guarantees that contractors will complete projects as agreed, charging fees for issuance.
- Advance Payment Guarantee Issuance: Recolte provides advance payment guarantees enabling contractors to access up to 80–90% of contract advance payments from employers, charging guarantee fees.
- Contract Financing: Short-term working capital financing provided to businesses awarded confirmed contracts, covering materials, labour, logistics, and operational expenses. Repaid as the contract generates revenue. Facilitated through RecoSIB (recosib.co.ke).
- LPO Financing: Financing tied to Local Purchase Orders, enabling suppliers to access cash flow to purchase inventory and fulfil customer orders. Short-term, focused on goods supply.
- Invoice / Certificate Discounting: Recolte advances a percentage of invoice value against unpaid customer invoices, helping businesses overcome cash flow delays between invoicing and payment receipt.
- Insurance Products (Contractors All Risk Insurance, WIBA): Recolte offers Contractors All Risk Insurance covering material damage and third-party liability, and WIBA (Worker's Injury Benefits Act) compliance coverage, acting as an intermediary with insurance partners.
- Letter of Credit Services: Recolte facilitates letter of credit issuance for domestic and international trade transactions, providing secure payment guarantees for importers, exporters, and contractors.
- Project Management Services: Expert-driven project management solutions for businesses handling construction, procurement, or large-scale tenders, providing end-to-end support from planning to execution and delivery.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom / Tailored Pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Recolte product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Recolte provides trade finance solutions to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), contractors, and suppliers engaged in public and private sector procurement. Its core offerings include bid bonds, performance bonds, advance payment guarantees, contract financing, LPO financing, invoice/certificate discounting, letters of credit, contractors all-risk insurance, and project management services, facilitating the end-to-end lifecycle from tender bidding through contract execution and delivery.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Bid Bonds Financial guarantees issued during the tender/bidding process to assure buyers or government agencies that the bidder will honor the terms of their tender. If the bidder fails to proceed after winning, the procuring entity is compensated through the bond. Targeted at SMEs, contractors, and suppliers bidding on government and corporate tenders.
- Performance Bonds
- Advance Payment Guarantees
- Contract Financing
- LPO Financing
- Invoice / Certificate Discounting
- Letter of Credit
- Contractors All Risk Insurance
- Project Management
Quantifiable outcome
- 5,000+ SMEs have successfully used Recolte's trade finance solutions to win and execute contracts across Africa.
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Recolte
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Recolte technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature3 records
Recolte partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- SHEconomyminorRecolte's website links to SHEconomy (sheconomy.co.ke), a platform serving women-owned SMEs in Kenya. The link appears in Recolte's primary navigation, suggesting a marketing or referral partnership that channels women entrepreneurs (potentially AGPO/Youth, Women, PWD enterprises) toward Recolte's trade finance services.
- KeNHA (Kenya National Highways Authority)minorRecolte references working with and being accepted by major Kenyan government agencies including KeNHA (Kenya National Highways Authority), KURA (Kenya Urban Roads Authority), NEMA, and KETRACO. Recolte's bid bonds and guarantee products are formatted and accepted by these agencies as part of their tender requirements.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Recolte competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lendable: Kenya-focused invoice discounting platform that advances working capital against unpaid invoices. Direct overlap with Recolte's invoice/certificate discounting product and Kenyan SME contractor/supplier segment.
- Pezesha: Kenyan fintech providing invoice discounting and supply chain financing to African SMEs and suppliers. Closely comparable to Recolte's invoice discounting and contract financing products and East African SME customer base.
- Kopo Kopo: Kenyan fintech providing working capital advances to SMEs via M-Pesa integration. Comparable Kenyan SME working capital focus and short-term credit intermediation model.
- TradeDepot: Africa-focused fintech providing working capital and inventory financing to small retailers and suppliers. Comparable working capital and SME financing model to Recolte's LPO and contract financing offering.
Emerging players
- Tau Payments: African trade finance and cross-border payments platform targeting SMEs. Comparable emerging trade finance infrastructure for African SME importers/exporters.
- Branch International: Pan-African digital lender offering working capital and SME loans via mobile. Adjacent SME financing competition in Kenya and broader East Africa.
- Wapi Pay: African cross-border trade and payment platform for SMEs and traders. Partial overlap with Recolte's letter of credit and cross-border trade finance offerings for East African SMEs.
Broad incumbents
- KCB Bank Kenya: Largest Kenyan bank by customer base, providing corporate bonds, performance guarantees, bid securities, and SME financing at scale. Key incumbent in the trade finance space where Recolte positions itself.
- Equity Bank Kenya: Large Kenyan commercial bank offering SME loans, bid bonds, performance guarantees, and LPO financing. Represents the entrenched incumbent that Recolte competes against for SME trade finance customers.
- African Guarantee and Economic Cooperation Fund (FAGACE): Multilateral development institution providing guarantee facilities to African banks and SMEs. Overlaps with Recolte's bid bond and performance guarantee offering at a much larger institutional scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Recolte social profiles
Digital presenceRecolte financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Recolte leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Recolte subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Recolte funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Recolte M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Recolte
What does Recolte do?
Recolte provides trade finance solutions to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), contractors, and suppliers engaged in public and private sector procurement. Its core offerings include bid bonds, performance bonds, advance payment guarantees, contract financing, LPO financing, invoice/certificate discounting, letters of credit, contractors all-risk insurance, and project management services, facilitating the end-to-end lifecycle from tender bidding through contract execution and delivery.
Is Recolte a public or private company?
Recolte is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Recolte founded?
Recolte was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Recolte based?
Recolte is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, in the Africa region.
How does Recolte make money?
Nine revenue lines are on record. Bid Bond Issuance is the primary driver. The others are performance Bond Issuance, advance Payment Guarantee Issuance, contract Financing, LPO Financing, invoice / Certificate Discounting, insurance Products (Contractors All Risk Insurance, WIBA), letter of Credit Services and project Management Services.
Who are Recolte's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lendable, Pezesha, Kopo Kopo and TradeDepot. Emerging players are Tau Payments, Branch International and Wapi Pay. Broad incumbents are KCB Bank Kenya, Equity Bank Kenya and African Guarantee and Economic Cooperation Fund (FAGACE).
Does Recolte have an API?
No public API is recorded for Recolte.
What industry is Recolte in?
Recolte's product category is Trade Finance Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSABAIAA, Receivables Management (Collections, Lockbox, EIPP), with a secondary code of TLAAALAM, Recommerce, Trade-In & Buyback Collection. Its NAICS code is 522320 and its SIC code is 6153.