Reimagining Business Software with AI: Kenyan Startup Lua Secures $5.8 Million

Nairobi-based startup Lua is challenging the conventional logic of enterprise software, which typically breaks work into sequential steps managed by humans. Instead, Lua provides a platform for building autonomous AI “agents” that can handle entire business processes end-to-end.

The company recently raised $5.8 million in seed funding led by Norrsken22, with participation from Y Combinator, Flourish Ventures, P1 Ventures, and Enza Capital.

From Assistance to Execution

While most enterprise AI today focuses on assisting employees—think chatbots or productivity tools—Lua is betting on software that actually performs work. Their platform allows organizations to create agents capable of handling complex workflows like customer onboarding, loan processing, and claims management across channels like Slack, WhatsApp, and email.

“We’re in the race to shape how human-agent collaboration gets defined globally,” says co-founder Lorcan O’Cathain. “Organizations will be blends of humans and AI agents working together.”

Traditionally, enterprise software has been designed with decomposition in mind—a customer application might involve verification, risk assessment, approval, and onboarding handled by different systems or teams. Lua’s platform changes this paradigm by allowing companies to build agents that can manage entire processes from start to finish.

Early Traction in Financial Services

Early deployments in Kenya have focused on financial services, where manual processing delays are a significant operational constraint. Some Kenyan banks take 3-5 days to process unsecured retail loans due to manual KYC checks and document verification—delays that Lua’s agents can help eliminate.

“One of the most valuable skills someone will have will be the ability to manage agents and improve their performance,” O’Cathain notes. As AI takes on more execution-heavy tasks, he believes the distinction between technical and non-technical roles is blurring.

The Future of Work: Human Oversight Remains Key

While Lua’s agents operate autonomously within defined parameters, human oversight remains essential. Systems are designed to escalate uncertain cases or those requiring regulatory approval, ensuring compliance while maximizing efficiency.

This approach reflects both technical realities and industry requirements—particularly in regulated sectors like banking where full automation faces limitations. Even partial delegation represents a significant shift in how work is organized, with employees transitioning from processing individual cases to supervising entire agent networks.