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SORA Technology, a Japanese startup that applies drone and artificial intelligence technologies to public health challenges, has secured an additional $2.5 million in the second close of its late seed funding round.
This latest tranche brings its total capital in the round to about $7.3 million, building on an earlier $4.8 million raise in March 2025.
Founded by Yosuke Kaneko, SORA Technology focuses on strengthening health infrastructure across Africa, where malaria remains a persistent and deadly threat.
Malaria infects more than 200 million people worldwide each year and causes roughly 600,000 deaths, the majority of which occur on the African continent.
The newly secured funds will be directed toward enhancing the company’s AI-driven disease prediction and environmental analysis tools, expanding its operational team, and building deeper partnerships with African governments and global health organizations.
Strengthening these collaborations is intended to improve the speed and precision of disease monitoring and control on the ground.
Three new institutional investors joined the late seed round: Daiwa House Group Investment Limited Partnership, Central Japan Innovative Research Fund I, and UNERI Capital Fund Series I.
They have joined existing backers, including Nissay Capital and SMBC Venture Capital, signaling sustained investor confidence in SORA’s model.
SORA’s flagship programme, SORA Malaria Control, integrates satellite data, AI analytics, and drone operations to map high-risk mosquito breeding sites, forecast outbreak risks, and support targeted interventions.
The approach deploys AI to identify and prioritise breeding areas and then uses drones to gather field data and inform vector management strategies.
Although headquartered in Nagoya, Japan, SORA Technology has concentrated its impact efforts on Africa, where it now operates in more than 10 countries, including Ghana, Sierra Leone, Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Kenya and Mozambique.
The company works closely with national and local governments, research institutions and international health bodies to embed its technology within existing malaria control frameworks.
The expanded funding will support the ongoing enhancement of SORA’s technological capabilities and deepen its footprint in public health solutions, with the broader mission of reducing preventable deaths from infectious diseases through advanced technology.
Paytic, a technology company helping banks and financial service providers streamline its payment operations, has secured $4 million in a seed extension round.
Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), a key player in infrastructure financing across the continent, has successfully raised $400 million through a Shariah-compliant Commodity Murabaha facility.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private investment arm of the World Bank, has announced a $100 million investment in Raxio Group to support the development of data centres across Africa.
