Kenyan sports startup Enda raises Ksh.113 million funding to expand globally

Kenyan-based startup Enda Sportswear, which produces the first Made in Kenya athletes’ running shoes, has raised Ksh.113.1 million (USD 1 million) in funding.

The funding, led by an American Venture Capital firm Talanton, will allow Enda to expand its global brand by boosting its product development and distribution efforts.

"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. This is our moment to invest in further growth and help even more people ‘Run Kenyan’ in 2022," said Enda co-founder and CEO Navalayo Osembo.

“We are thrilled about this investment,” added a partner at Talanton, Iris Wen. 

With this investment, Enda aspires to be a top high-performance running shoe brand by further expanding its product lines and distribution, aiming to create more jobs and achieve positive social and spiritual impacts.

Co-founded in 2016 by Navalayo Osembo and Weldon Kennedy, Enda is the first shoe brand proudly Made in Kenya.

The shoes are designed to give the most from each workout and see one's running improve consistently. 

In partnership with a factory in Kilifi known as Umoja Rubber Products Limited, a team of 42 employees produces between 150 to 300 pairs of shoes per day for the brand.

In 2020, Enda sold 7,000 pairs of shoes thus marking a tenfold increase in sales compared to the year-end in 2019.

Enda was named after the Swahili translation from the word ‘Go’, founded with a mission of bringing Kenyan athletic greatness to runners everywhere and fueling economic development in Kenya.

In pursuit of that mission, they have since been measuring their impact by supporting the local communities, reducing environmental impact by creating neutral road running shoes and developing the economy by creating jobs.

Enda believes that running can be more than just a means to improve physical and mental health but also increase fairness, justice, and equality around the world, a mission that drives its ‘Run Kenyan’ slogan.