Grant Brooke, the co-founder of Kenyan startup Twiga Foods has announced that he has stepped down from managing the startup.
Twiga Foods’ platform aggregates the requirements of the informal retailers through its mobile-commerce platform and leverages this to efficiently source produce directly from farmers and food manufacturers.
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Brooke (pictured above), who is from the US originally, had already stepped down as the startup’s CEO earlier last year and handed the reigns to fellow co-founder Peter Njonjo. The two founded the startup in 2014.
In a statement yesterday on his LinkedIn profile, Brooke said while he would step down from active management in Twiga as of this month, he would remain on the company’s board of directors going forward.
Twiga Foods co-founder Grant Brooke who has stepped down from managing the startup will remain on the company’s board
“Since handing over the role of CEO to Peter last year, I’ve stuck around to help in that transition as much as possible. I think we’ve reached a point where my not being present won’t cause any disruption. I’m so thankful we’ve been able to do this on the best of terms,” he said.
He said he helped start Twiga in November 2014 with a small team in the single room of a rented schoolhouse.
“Five years later, to see what Twiga has become, and is still growing into, is the absolute joy of my professional life,” he added.
In the statement he also thanked the company’s team and various stakeholders and investors.
He also thanked the people of Kenya who he said had “welcomed me as an immigrant with open arms for nearly the entirety of my adult life,” he said, adding that “I wish my home country was nearly as welcoming”.
“As for me, I probably need to pay some attention to my personal life — entrepreneurship will do that to you. And while my next project is lined-up, I’ll have more to say about that in March or April.”
In October last year the startup announced that it has secured almost $30-million in a new round led by Goldman Sachs (see this story). The deal was one of the biggest concluded by an African startup in 2019 (see this story).
It follows the $5-million investment from French investor Creadev that the Kenyan startup announced in June (see this story).
In tech startup circles around the continent, Twiga Foods is hailed as one of Africa’s biggest success stories. Perhaps a break is just what Brooke deserves.
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Featured image: Twiga Foods co-founder Grant Brooke (IFC via YouTube)
