Portfolio: Building Startups the Agile Way
Hi there,
Welcome to the 14th edition of Next Capital, where we help you find Africa’s most promising startups—before anyone else does.
Last week, we wrote about the startup building the No-Code Builder for AI Products. If you missed it, you can catch up here 👇🏾
Startup: Portfol.io
Location: Kenya
Today’s story is not about one startup, but many startups—all housed within the same company. And the guys who built it gave it the most befitting name: Portfolio.
Let’s dive in.
The Problem
A leaky tap. A disappearing landlord. An entire apartment block with no tenant database—just names scrawled on an A4 sheet.
That’s the messy reality of renting property in Kenya.
And it’s exactly the kind of chaos Wallace and Billie are building for.
Their startup, Portfol.io, is creating chat-first software for Africa’s most everyday problems—starting with housing.
Portfol.io’s Fix
The flagship product? KejaAI, a WhatsApp-based property management tool that connects landlords, tenants, and service providers through a single chatbot.
So instead of your landlord ghosting you for months or worse, leaving a random caretaker in charge, KejaAI gives tenants a structured way to report issues, pay rent, and request repairs.
Meanwhile, landlords get visibility on tenant payments, maintenance requests, and real-time alerts—all through WhatsApp.
“80% of Kenya’s rental housing is informal,” Wallace says. “There are no systems. No records. We’re fixing that.”
And it’s working.
The Opportunity
In just five months, Portfol.io has signed up 56 rental units across two buildings and started generating revenue. The product has been so sticky that they’ve scored meetings with Kenya’s Presidential Advisor to discuss managing part of the government’s 250,000-unit affordable housing rollout.
That’s no joke.
But KejaAI is just the first act.
Portfol.io is positioning itself as the chat-first software layer for essential services in Africa. The team is already developing:
Abacus AI – a WhatsApp-based upskilling platform for blue-collar workers
Micro-credit partnerships – where tenants with strong rent repayment records can access loans
Hard-to-map data services – for delivery companies and emergency services in rural and peri-urban areas
Even crime reporting is on the roadmap, through anonymous WhatsApp inputs.
The insight behind it all? WhatsApp isn’t just a messaging tool in Africa. It’s the internet.
Over 90% of Kenyans use it. 80% of messages get opened. People trust it. Know how to use it. And don’t even realize they’re talking to AI.
“We want to build AI tools that feel like conversation. That are contextual. That are African.”
The Money Talk
It’s early days—but that hasn’t stopped Portfol.io from charging ahead.
They’ve made $420 in revenue in just two months of monetization. The revenue is small but sticky.
The pricing is SaaS-based and tiered, starting from $30/month, charged to the landlords depending on the number of units managed.
And they’re currently raising a $250K pre-seed round.
Why We Are Excited
Built for how Africa actually works – No fancy dashboards. Just WhatsApp.
Sticky product + fast validation – Paying users, strong retention, and demos from a national TV appearance.
Platform thinking – Property is the wedge, but it unlocks fintech, job matching, logistics, and learning.
Infra for the real economy – Most startups in Africa focus on middle-class users. Portfol.io is building for the 127,000+ informal landlords and the millions of youth with underused skills.
They are in Kenya right now, but eyes are on Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda next.
Team
Wallace Milei: Vision‑driven CEO, public voice advocating for chat‑first AI’s role in transforming African economies, leads on strategy and outreach.
Billie K Mushongwi: Technical force behind Keja AI, ensuring the chatbot and backend run smoothly and scale fast.
If you're an investor, partner, or operator looking to help Portfol.io scale chat-first infra across Africa, reply to this email and we’ll connect you.
Otherwise? Stay tuned. This story is just getting started.
Till next week!🫡
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