Agriarche Secures Largest Award at Cascador Pitch Day 2026, Receiving ₦2.5 Billion Credit Facility

Woman-led Nigerian agri-tech company named top recipient among seven startups as Cascador deploys over $5 million to high-impact entrepreneurs

Lagos, Nigeria — Agriarche Limited, a Nigerian agri-tech company that gives food processors, aggregators, and exporters reliable, traceable access to quality agricultural commodities at scale across Northern Nigeria, has been named the largest funding recipient at the Cascador Pitch Day 2026. The company has secured a ₦2.5 billion (approximately $1.7 million) debt credit facility, which represents the single largest award of the day. The event, held in Lagos, saw Cascador deploy over $5 million in catalytic funding to seven high-growth Nigerian startups across agriculture, clean energy, artificial intelligence, and financial intelligence.

Founded in 2020 by Deina Mayaki, Agriarche operates across nine Nigerian states in the North-West, North-East, and North-Central regions, with more than 25,000 active farmers onboarded on its platform. The company’s flagship digital marketplace, Kasuwa, gives food processors, manufacturers, and exporters a single platform to source, verify, and procure agricultural commodities with real-time price transparency, integrated logistics, and seamless payments. It currently serves over 3,000 active monthly users.

“Cascador’s ScaleUp programme built upon my team’s ability to translate learning into action by helping us refine our message and market position, adjust our funding strategy, and adapt without defensiveness. The Catalytic Fund due diligence team assessed Agriarche’s financial strength, resourcefulness, and track record of success, and they rewarded our high-potential for scale and impact today by awarding a new ₦2.5 billion credit facility to power our growth.” — Deina Mayaki, Founder & CEO, Agriarche Limited

About the Award

The Cascador Catalytic Fund is an annual facility launched in partnership with Sterling Bank that provides tailored debt, equity, guarantees, and collateral investments to mid-stage businesses across agriculture, healthcare, logistics, education, manufacturing, and financial inclusion. Cascador’s second annual Pitch Day brought together more than 300 investors, lenders, mentors, and ecosystem builders in Lagos.

In total, the 2026 Pitch Day awarded ₦7.7 billion (approximately $5.6 million) in catalytic funding and $20,000 in prizes across seven companies. Agriarche’s ₦2.5 billion award was the largest of the event, reflecting the Catalytic Fund team’s recognition of the company’s financial resilience, track record, and potential for large-scale impact in Nigeria’s agricultural sector.

Agriarche’s Impact to Date

Since its founding, Agriarche has delivered measurable outcomes for smallholder farmers across Nigeria’s fragile northern regions:

• 25,000+ active farmers supported across nine Nigerian states.

• 42% of farmers served are women, reinforcing financial inclusion for underserved communities.

• 40% average reduction in production costs for farmers through strategic input and financing ecosystems. Through key partnerships with organizations like Propcom+, Trade Lenda, and the Value Seed/Agra Consortium, Agriarche directly provides critical agricultural inputs, financial resources, and sustainable assets to smallholder farmers.

• 3,000+ active monthly users on the Kasuwa digital marketplace.

• 12 training programmes on climate-adapted agricultural methods delivered.

• An average of 5 additional jobs supported per farmer through downstream employment.

Plans for the Catalytic Funding

The ₦2.5 billion credit facility will be deployed primarily as working capital to optimize operational efficiency across Agriarche’s entire supply chain. This foundational liquidity will directly accelerate the company’s expansion across Nigeria, scaling its physical fulfillment infrastructure and extending Kasuwa’s reach so that more food processors, manufacturers, and exporters can source verified, high-quality commodities from Northern Nigeria’s farming communities. This optimized operational framework will seamlessly support expansion into commercial hubs like Lagos and key export markets in North and South America.

Central to this operational efficiency and expansion is a deepened commitment to driving long-term climate impact and resilience. Agriarche will utilize a portion of these resources to transition its distribution network toward eco-friendly logistics, notably through the procurement of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks to significantly lower carbon emissions and fuel overheads across its transit corridors. Additionally, the company will scale its climate-smart agricultural initiatives, helping smallholder farmers adapt to shifting weather patterns through sustainable resource management and the wider distribution of solar-powered assets and inputs. By integrating environmental sustainability directly into its operational model, Agriarche aims to protect local ecosystems while securing the future of regional food production.

This milestone marks the beginning of an aggressive growth phase for the company. As Agriarche continues to deepen its ecosystem footprint, optimize climate-resilient smallholder supply chains, and secure vital institutional alignments, stakeholders can expect more major corporate and funding announcements to come in the near future.

About Agriarche Limited

Agriarche Limited is a woman-led Nigerian agri-tech company founded in 2020 and headquartered in Abuja. The company gives food processors, manufacturers and exporters reliable, traceable access to quality agricultural commodities through an integrated model spanning commodity trading, logistics, payments, export sales, branded processed products and digital services. Its physical fulfillment centres and the Kasuwa platform serve businesses and farmers across nine states in Northern Nigeria, with more than 25,000 active farmers on the platform.

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