Ghanaian Startup Aya Data Raises $900K to Expand AI Solutions

STARTUP VENTURE CAPITALOctober 21, 2024 at 11:17 AM UTC

TLDR

Ghana AI startup Aya Data secures $900k seed funding round led by 54 Collective and angel investors.
Specializes in data collection and labeling for large language models, collaborating with OpenAI and Meta.
Plans to expand AyaGrow and AyaSpeech products and hire new talent with the $1.15 million raised.

Aya Data, a Ghana-based artificial intelligence (AI) startup, has raised $900,000 in a seed funding round led by 54 Collective, with contributions from angel investors.

Founded in 2021, Aya Data specializes in data collection and labeling, supporting the development of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Gemini. The company works with global tech giants like OpenAI and Meta, helping label data such as images, videos, and text to train advanced AI systems.

With the latest funding, Aya Data's total raised reaches $1.15 million, with previous backing from Microtraction, Savannah Fund, and others. The startup plans to use the funds to expand its two core products: AyaGrow and AyaSpeech. Part of the investment will also be used to hire new talent.

Key Takeaways

African startups and businesses are increasingly embracing AI-driven solutions. InstaDeep, a Tunisia-based startup founded in 2014, stands out as a prime example and made headlines when it was acquired by Germany's largest vaccine manufacturer, BioNTech, in January for up to $680 million. This acquisition marked a historic milestone in the African startup ecosystem and has put Africa's AI industry on the global stage. However, InstaDeep is not the sole pioneer in this field. Numerous other promising startups throughout Africa are harnessing AI in exciting ways. With PwC estimating that AI could contribute as much as $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, Africa is well-positioned to emerge as a leader in this arena.

Venture Capital

Startups

Aya Data

Microtraction

Savannah Fund

Artificial Intelligence