Ghana-based AI consultancy startup, Aya Data, has successfully raised $900,000 in a seed round, combining both debt and equity. This new funding will help the company scale its AI products—AyaGrow and AyaSpeech—and bring on new talent. With this latest round, Aya Data’s total funding now stands at $1.15 million. The startup previously raised $300,000 from Microtraction, Savannah Fund, and other UK investors. The recent round was led by 54Collective, with additional backing from angel investors.
Founded in 2021 by Freddie Monk and Ama Larbi-Siaw, Aya Data has made its mark by employing individuals to collect and label data such as images, videos, and text—crucial elements for developing Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Gemini. They also train workers in data annotation for highly technical roles, including data engineering and data science. Currently, Aya Data employs 11 people across these specialized roles.
Driving AI Innovation in Africa
In addition to data collection and annotation, Aya Data builds custom AI solutions for businesses across various sectors. The startup’s two key products are AyaGrow, an AI-powered crop and field monitoring tool that helps farmers improve productivity through precision agriculture, and AyaSpeech, a speech-to-speech solution designed to support businesses, consumers, and governments in communicating through local African languages.
Aya Data is part of a growing movement of startups—such as Shaip, Sama, iMerit, Cloudfactory, and Dataloop—which are contributing to the development of AI systems worldwide. Large language models rely heavily on correctly labelled data, which is often outsourced by global tech companies like Meta and OpenAI to data annotation companies in developing economies, including India, Kenya, and the Philippines.
By controlling its operations entirely in Ghana, Aya Data aims to deliver services faster and more efficiently, avoiding the risks that come with third-party outsourcing. Gillian Hammah, the company’s Marketing and Strategy Officer, emphasized that this approach sets Aya Data apart from its competitors.
“We are able to deliver quicker without relying on third-party involvement, which is crucial for meeting our clients’ needs,” Hammah explained.
Expanding Reach and Impact
Aya Data is positioning itself to make a significant impact, not just globally but also within Africa. In 2023, the company generated $500,000 in revenue, with around 20 active clients, including well-known names like MIT, Seedtag, Unilever, and Labelbox. While a significant portion of their work has been with international clients, Aya Data is increasingly focusing on helping African businesses leverage AI to boost their competitiveness.
“Our mission is to build local expertise that can use AI to address Africa’s most pressing challenges,” said co-founder and COO Ama Larbi-Siaw.
Looking ahead, Aya Data has ambitious plans to train 1,000 data annotators, engineers, and scientists in the coming months. The company also aims to further improve its in-house AI products as it continues to expand its offerings across the continent.
“Ultimately, we want to enable as many businesses and individuals as possible to benefit from AI,” Larbi-Siaw added. “And to ensure that the ability to build world-class AI technology exists in Ghana and other similar markets.”
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