Talanton Leads $1 Million in Funding for Africa’s First Running Shoe Company
Enda, the first made-in-Kenya and only black-led running shoe company in existence, meets Talanton’s rigorous standards for investment to tackle poverty through job creation.
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa., Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — By investing in values-aligned, high-impact, high-growth businesses, Talanton’s mission is to create jobs in East Africa to help people lift themselves out of desperate poverty and bring them Hope.
Talanton, a private U.S. based impact investment fund, made the decision to invest in Enda after the Kenyan founded and Kenyan led business met Talanton’s strict investment requirements and passed rigorous due diligence processes. Based on anticipated achievements of financial, spiritual and social impacts, Talanton led this $1.1 million Series A funding round to also include several Kenyan angel impact investors.
“We are thrilled about this investment,” said Iris Wen, a partner at Talanton. Enda is perfectly aligned with our mission of investing in companies that create high-quality jobs, especially in places where these jobs have the most impact by creating opportunity and reducing poverty. That they’re able to do this while satisfying customers around the world means they’re poised for growth and making a real difference in the world.”
With this investment, Enda aspires to be a top high-performance running shoe brand by further expanding its product lines and distribution, thus also creating more jobs and achieving positive social and spiritual impacts.
“We’ve been working hard to fulfill orders as thousands of people around the world are discovering our shoes. It is an exciting time for our company,” said Enda co-founder and CEO Navalayo Osembo. This is our moment to invest in further growth and help even more people “Run Kenyan” in 2022.”
For more information, visit www.talantonllc.com.
SOURCE Talanton LLC
Alwin Marshall-Squire is the Editor-in-Chief of S-Q Publications Inc., overseeing editorial strategy for GTA Weekly, GTA Today, and Vision Newspaper. He leads the publications’ mission to deliver bold, original journalism focused on the people and communities of the Greater Toronto Area, Canada, and the global Caribbean diaspora.
Also writes for GTA Weekly and GTA Today.
