South African artificial intelligence startup Yazi has secured its first institutional investment round, achieving a pre money valuation of about R30 million, equivalent to roughly 1.6 million dollars. The funding round, whose size was not disclosed, was led by 3 Capital Ventures, an investment firm spun out of Allan Gray.
The company said the new funding will support product development and expansion of its research infrastructure. Plans include introducing automated voice interviews conducted directly through WhatsApp, growing its research participant panel across Africa and scaling operations internationally as interest from research agencies in the United Kingdom and Europe increases.
Founded in 2022 by Mzwandile Sotsaka and Timothy Treagus, the platform enables organisations to conduct AI moderated interviews, surveys and diary studies using WhatsApp conversations. The system uses artificial intelligence to engage participants in natural language discussions, ask follow up questions in real time and generate research insights automatically from the responses.
Yazi currently operates in more than 15 countries and has access to about 1.8 million pre qualified research participants across various demographics. According to the company, its AI driven model allows organisations to gather feedback and policy insights faster while reaching communities that are often excluded by traditional research methods that depend on email surveys or app downloads.
The startup reported strong growth over the past year, with revenue increasing by about 2.5 times and more than 65 percent of its income now coming from international markets. Its client base includes major companies such as Old Mutual, Pick n Pay, Discovery Limited, Capitec Bank and global research firm Ipsos, as the company continues to expand its presence in Europe, the United States and other global markets.