Startup Story
Pretty Kubyane, a multi-award-winning entrepreneur and Tech Lead, is the Co-Founder of eFama App, launched in 2023. Inspired by her late father’s business ventures, she began her entrepreneurial journey at six. Holding 20+ certifications in cloud computing, cybersecurity, and blockchain, she leads eFama in transforming Africa’s agricultural supply chain. Under her leadership, eFama has secured backing from major companies in the USA, UK, and South Africa, including banks and tech firms. Named a Rising Star in 2022, Pretty drives innovation and social impact across Africa, together with her team of 7 employees, supported by a strong network of industry experts, investors and advisors.
LoA spoke to the impact-driven Pretty Kubyane about her entrepreneurial journey, her inspiration, and her vision for the future.
What does your company do?
eFama is a digital marketplace transforming Africa’s agricultural supply chain by directly connecting farmers with buyers. Our platform bridges the gap between smallholder farmers and businesses such as restaurants, hotels, and food processors, ensuring a seamless farm-to-market experience.
We leverage technology, data, and financial tools to enhance market access, improve supply chain transparency, and ensure food quality and safety. Since launching, we’ve onboarded 6,000+ buyers and engaged 5,000+ farmers, securing support from global partners in the USA, UK, and South Africa.
“We are on a mission to digitally transform Africa’s food supply chain, empowering farmers and buyers through technology, data, and financial solutions.”
What inspired you to start your company?
eFama was born from a deep-rooted passion for agriculture and a desire to solve real challenges in Africa’s food supply chain.
Both my co-founder and I were raised by farmers, which shaped our deep connection to agriculture. I was raised in a rural village in the Eastern Cape by a farming family, alongside other businesses they owned. My co-founder, on the other hand, was raised by two generations of strong female farmers—his late grandmother, a bold coffee farmer, and his mother, a crop farmer with a vast network of livestock farmers. Their resilience inspired me, but I also saw firsthand the struggles farmers face in accessing reliable markets.
Later, while working with a top U.S. tech company and the world’s largest retailer, we helped digitise 15,000 smallholder farmers into the supply chain. That experience was a game-changer, revealing how technology can remove barriers to market access.
When COVID-19 hit, it became clear that food security and supply chain transparency were urgent global challenges. That’s when we pivoted from blockchain-based beauty supply chains to agriculture, realising that farmers don’t struggle with compliance—they struggle with finding buyers first. By simply posting a bulk order request in WhatsApp groups, we saw 5,000+ farmers sign up in six weeks. This confirmed our mission: build a marketplace that connects farmers directly with buyers, enabling them to grow sustainably.
Today, eFama is bridging this gap, empowering farmers with market access, ensuring food quality for buyers, and shaping the future of Africa’s digital food economy.
What makes your business, service or product special?
eFama is not just a marketplace—it’s a game-changer for Africa’s agricultural supply chain. What makes us special is how we solve the real problem farmers face: access to buyers. While most platforms focus on compliance and supply chain logistics, we discovered that farmers only invest in compliance once they have a buyer secured.
Here’s what sets eFama apart:
Direct Farm-to-Market Access – Our platform eliminates unnecessary middlemen, ensuring farmers earn more while buyers get fresh, traceable produce at competitive prices.
Digital & Data-Driven – We leverage technology, AI, and data analytics to optimize supply chain efficiency, ensuring quality, safety, and reliability.
Scalable & Inclusive – From smallholder farmers to commercial buyers, eFama is designed to work for everyone, enabling even small-scale farmers to tap into formal markets.
Global Standards, Local Impact – Backed by partners in the USA, UK, and South Africa, we help farmers meet international quality standards while keeping the process accessible and affordable.
At eFama, we believe the future of Africa’s agriculture is digital—and we’re at the forefront of making that future a reality.
“We believe the future of African agriculture is digital—and eFama is committed to leading this transformation by empowering farmers, enhancing food security, and building a sustainable agri-economy.”
Tell us a little about your team
eFama is built by a team of innovators, problem-solvers, and industry experts who share a deep passion for transforming Africa’s agricultural supply chain.
Pretty Kubyane (Co-Founder & Tech Lead) – A multi-award-winning entrepreneur with 20+ certifications in cloud computing, cybersecurity, blockchain, and supply chain technology. She leads eFama’s tech development and innovation, ensuring our platform delivers real impact.
Shadrack Kubyane (Co-Founder & CEO) – A supply chain strategist and formerly worked for Deloitte, Shadrack brings expertise in scaling businesses and digital transformation. He ensures eFama stays aligned with market needs, driving farmer adoption and buyer growth.
Engineering & Operations Team – Our skilled engineers, data analysts, and supply chain experts work behind the scenes to build, optimise, and scale the platform while ensuring seamless user experiences.
Advisors & Partners – We are backed by industry experts, investors, and global partners from the USA, UK, and South Africa, who bring valuable insights, networks, and support to help us scale.
Together, we are on a mission to digitally transform Africa’s food supply chain, empowering farmers and buyers through technology, data, and financial solutions.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
My entrepreneurial journey began at the age of six, inspired by my late father’s business ventures.
Beyond farming, my family ran a wood-cutting business, supplying wood to butcheries, bakeries, funeral homes, and households. My parents always prioritised giving complimentary wood to women-led homes and the elderly, instilling in me the values of business with impact—where entrepreneurship goes beyond profit to uplift communities.
On weekends, my father ran a car repair workshop, but it was more than just a business. He used it to teach young boys in our village who struggled in school, equipping them with monetisable skills to earn a living. As our village lacked resources for children with learning difficulties, this workshop became a pathway to self-sufficiency for many.
Growing up in this environment gave me a front-row seat to engineering, farming, and social impact—all of which have shaped my entrepreneurial journey and influenced my own family business today.
This early exposure to innovation, problem-solving, and community-driven business models led me to become a certified Solutions Architect in cloud computing, with multiple certifications in frontier technologies. Today, I apply these skills to developing tech solutions that transform Africa’s supply chains, empower farmers, and drive social impact at scale.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
Our vision for eFama is to become Africa’s leading digital marketplace for agriculture, transforming the food supply chain at scale.
In the coming years, we aim to:
Expand Farmer & Buyer Networks – Grow our ecosystem to 100,000+ farmers and buyers, ensuring more smallholder farmers access stable, high-value markets.
Strengthen Cross-Border Trade – Leverage the AfCFTA framework to enable seamless trade across Africa, helping farmers tap into regional and global markets.
Enhance Supply Chain Transparency – Further develop our track-and-trace technology, ensuring compliance with global food safety standards while promoting fair trade and sustainability.
Integrate Financial Services – Provide farmers with access to finance, insurance, and digital payment solutions, bridging the financial gap that limits their growth.
Champion Women in Agri-Tech – Drive female-led innovation in agriculture, increasing the participation of women engineers, business owners, and decision-makers in the food supply chain.
We believe the future of African agriculture is digital—and eFama is committed to leading this transformation by empowering farmers, enhancing food security, and building a sustainable agri-economy.
“Solving challenges in Africa’s fragmented agricultural supply chain and making trade more transparent, efficient, and inclusive excites me.”
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
As an entrepreneur, my greatest satisfaction comes from creating solutions that drive real impact. Seeing smallholder farmers, who once struggled to access buyers, now sell directly to businesses and earn a fair income is incredibly fulfilling. Solving challenges in Africa’s fragmented agricultural supply chain and making trade more transparent, efficient, and inclusive excites me.
I am passionate about increasing opportunities for women in agri-tech, ensuring more female engineers and business owners shape the industry. Leveraging technology for good, driving food security, and connecting African farmers to global markets fuels my passion for innovation. Ultimately, success is not just about business growth—it’s about creating sustainable change and ensuring entrepreneurship benefits communities, not just profits.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Build before you seek funding. Many entrepreneurs focus on raising capital before proving traction, but the best way to attract investment is by demonstrating progress. Leverage what you have, upskill, and create value before seeking external support.
At eFama, we grew our social media following to 100,000+ without a marketing budget and completed 100+ industry certifications to develop in-house skills, enabling us to handle our own UX/UI, website development, branding, and more. My co-founder and I positioned ourselves as industry experts, leading to guest lectures at prestigious business universities and weekly speaking engagements at industry events and podcasts.
Investors back momentum, not just ideas. Focus on executing, learning, and creating impact—funding will follow.
Find out more
Email: pretty@efama.co.za
Website: https://www.efama.africa/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myefama
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MyeFama
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/efamaapp/
Pinterest: https://www.linkedin.com/company/efamaapp/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@efamaapp
Why LoA loves it…
Ensuring food security and creating economic opportunity for smallholder farmers through a strong agribusiness value chain in Africa are real challenges requiring innovative solutions. Today, Pretty Kubyane, founder of eFama, is bridging this gap, harnessing the power of technology to empower farmers with market access, ensuring food quality for buyers, and shaping the future of Africa’s digital food economy. Inspirational! — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa