Former TikTok engineer launches fundraising campaign for $100k pre-seed and plans to establish an app store specializing in AI tools across Africa.
Yamify: Bringing AI Infrastructure to Africa's Developers
Yamify, an African AI infrastructure startup, is revolutionising the way developers across the continent access and utilise AI tools. Operating like an app store for AI, Yamify offers a range of applications such as chatbots, automation agents, video generators, and language models, all bundled with local server infrastructure.
Founded by Luc Okalobé, a former cloud engineer at TikTok and Salesforce with over 15 years' experience, Yamify is making strides in the tech industry. The startup has raised $100,000 in pre-seed funding and is seeking an additional $100,000 to close its funding round.
Okalobé's strategy for growth is a grassroots approach, focusing on hackathons, developer groups, and universities rather than chasing enterprise sales. This community-led growth strategy has helped Yamify attract developers, fintechs, and web agencies across several African cities.
Yamify's unique selling points include its integrated "app store" model, which simplifies one-click deployment of AI tools. The startup also offers local currency billing and payment options, providing greater affordability and addressing currency exchange challenges that many global AI platforms pose for African users.
In addition, Yamify places a strong emphasis on open-source technology, providing greater flexibility and cost efficiency. The startup's localized data centers, situated in Nigeria, DR Congo, and South Africa, help improve latency and user experience for African developers.
One of Yamify's planned flagship features is the Model Context Protocol (MCP) that enables instant provisioning of AI tools via chat input. This feature is set to launch soon, funded by the startup's recent funding round.
Yamify's six-month goal is to onboard 100,000 users. With over 1,500 developers and startups, including Vaultpay.io (Y Combinator 2023), on the waitlist, it seems Yamify is well on its way to achieving this goal.
In a world where most cloud AI infrastructure is designed for enterprise teams in the U.S. or Europe, Yamify aims to serve Africa's cost-sensitive developer market. The startup's mission is to build AI infrastructure for Africa and the world, and it believes in community-led AI infrastructure.
Don't miss out on Yamify's Moonshot event, happening in Lagos on October 15-16. Early bird tickets are available with a 20% discount. Join Yamify in its mission to democratise AI infrastructure in Africa.
[1] Okalobé, Luc. (2025). Yamify: Bringing AI Infrastructure to Africa. Retrieved from https://yamify.com/blog/yamify-brings-ai-infrastructure-to-africa
[2] TechCrunch. (2025). Yamify raises $100,000 in pre-seed funding to bring AI infrastructure to Africa. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/01/yamify-raises-100000-in-pre-seed-funding-to-bring-ai-infrastructure-to-africa/
[3] VentureBeat. (2025). Yamify enters private beta with a grassroots approach to AI infrastructure. Retrieved from https://venturebeat.com/2025/07/01/yamify-enters-private-beta-with-a-grassroots-approach-to-ai-infrastructure/
[4] TechCabal. (2025). Yamify's $100,000 pre-seed funding round: What you need to know. Retrieved from https://techcabal.com/2025/07/01/yamifys-100000-pre-seed-funding-round-what-you-need-to-know/
- Luc Okalobé, the founder of Yamify, is a former cloud engineer at TikTok and Salesforce, seeking an additional $100,000 in funding to further develop the African AI infrastructure startup, which is already backed by $100,000 in pre-seed funding.
- Yamify, an African fintech startup that operates like an app store for AI, is attracting developers, fintechs, and web agencies across several African cities with its community-led growth strategy.
- To serve Africa's cost-sensitive developer market, Yamify provides an "app store" model for AI tools, local currency billing, and payment options, along with localized data centers in Nigeria, DR Congo, and South Africa.
- One of Yamify's planned features is the Model Context Protocol (MCP), which enables instant provisioning of AI tools via chat input, set to launch soon after securing recent funding.
