Sevi is a social business impacting thousands of lives and businesses in Kenya.
Small enterprises in developing regions face a $5.2 trillion annual financing gap, limiting their growth and economic impact. Access to affordable capital is rare, as traditional institutions lack effective tools for SME lending.
High loan costs, perceived risks, and insufficient collateral frequently exclude small and micro-businesses from the financing they need for essential working capital and fueling their growth.
Limited capital forces small enterprises to place frequent, smaller orders, creating inefficiencies in transactions and logistics for both retailers and suppliers. It also restricts their ability to expand product offerings or invest in higher-value items that customers demand.
Sevi bridges this gap by financing stock purchases directly for retailers and suppliers, empowering small enterprises to grow and meet customer demand efficiently.
My name is Hannah Waithira, and I have been working as a chemist for about three years. I also provide services at a dental clinic. Before I got this job, I started my own business because the hospital I was working at closed down.
For the past nine months, I have been a customer of Sevi. I faced a problem because I didn’t have enough money to buy medicines. The place where I usually bought them required cash, and I just couldn’t afford it. A friend told me about Sevi, where I could buy medicines and stock up, then pay back in a week.
This was a game changer for me. Now, I have a wider range of medicines available for my customers. Before, I mostly had generic drugs, but now I can also offer original brands, which some customers prefer even though they are more expensive.
With this change, my sales have improved a lot. I have more customers because I can provide any type of medicine they need. I’ve gained experience and confidence, and I’m even thinking about opening another chemist in a different area. Sevi will help me stock it, allowing me to pay later, just like before.
My name is John Weru, and I have been in the business of selling food items like soda, bread, milk, sweets, and cereals for over ten years. I know this business very well. I have been a client of Sevi for two years now.
I decided to work with them because they give me the chance to buy soda on credit, allowing me to pay later. This opportunity helps me run my business better. They also have reasonable prices and low interest rates.
One of the biggest benefits of working with Sevi is that I can keep a lot of stock. Even if I buy on credit, they give me enough time to pay it back in installments. Before Sevi, I could only buy as much stock as I could afford, which was limiting. Now, I can spend more than I have because Sevi covers the extra cost.
There was a time when I lost money because someone I sent to buy stock ran away with my cash. I was really worried, but Sevi helped me during that tough time. I didn’t have to stress too much because they stepped in and supported me while I tried to recover the money.
In the future, I plan to expand my business, maybe even open a supermarket. I believe Sevi will help me stock up to reach that goal.
Sevi is actively contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular the following:
The SEVI app enables access to finance and improves the applicability of financial services as it is imbedded in supply chains, designed to the need of small retailers and appropriate to their circumstances.
Sevi’s technology ensure ease of use, efficiency, and low defaults, resulting in a very low market price.
55% of SEVIs users are women micro-entrepreneurs, contributing to women financial inclusion. Digitalisation gives insight, prevents fraud and overleveraging, improves credit scoring, increase efficiency, decrease costs and risks and transport movements
Many users of Sevi experience growth in revenue, and as a consequence, growth of income. Many small sellers are also able to hire another employee within a year, thereby providing new sources of work and income.
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