# Verdant Frontiers

> Verdant Frontiers is a VC fund in Austin backing Travel and FinTech. See 5 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Austin, United States
- Total investments: 5
- Last investment: Dec 2022
- Lead investor: 0%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://in.linkedin.com/company/verdant-frontiers
- X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/verdantfrontier
- Website: http://verdantfrontiers.com

Verdant Frontiers is a venture capital firm specializing in start-up and early-stage investments. The firm builds portfolios of large-scale businesses that deliver compelling returns for investors and create life-changing jobs in Africa.

## Contacts

5 contacts available for Verdant Frontiers. Shizune tracks 3 team members at Verdant Frontiers. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-team-emails/verdant-frontiers?utm_source=investor_profile

## Round sizes

| Stage | Round size |
| --- | --- |
| Seed | $1.8M–$6M |

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Travel | 1 | 20% |
| FinTech | 1 | 20% |
| Finance | 1 | 20% |
| Software | 1 | 20% |
| E-Learning | 1 | 20% |

12 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Seed | 4 | 80% |
| Pre-Seed | 1 | 20% |

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kenya | 2 | 40% |
| Italy | 1 | 20% |
| Ethiopia | 1 | 20% |
| United States | 1 | 20% |

## Team

| Name | Title | Investments | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Russ Murphy | Co-founder and Board Member | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/russ-murphy |
| Scott Friesen | Co-Founder | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/scott-friesen-2 |
| Tony Chen | Partner | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/tony-chen-9827 |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Zeraki | Zeraki is to use technology to address some of the obstacles learners encounter in accessing quality education. We use technology to enhance the quality of education students get at each level of education and use technology to help students transition from one level of education to the next, and ultimately from education into employment. | $1.8M | Seed | Dec 08, 2022 |  |
| Leta | Leta Technology is a software development company that creates supply chain and logistics software to enable the efficient and automated movement of goods. | $3M | Pre-Seed | Nov 22, 2022 |  |
| Pezesha | Pezesha aims to be the first Africa-focused digital financial marketplace that converges lending amongst other financial services and products for both borrowers, lenders and investors, facilitating a shared economy. | $6M | Seed | Aug 30, 2022 |  |
| Verdant Consulting | Verdant Consulting is specializing in solving business and social problems in tandem. we collaborate with leaders and entrepreneurs to start-up or scale purpose-driven businesses that accelerate Ethiopia’s industrial, agricultural and technological transformation. |  | Seed | Jan 01, 2017 |  |
| Kizo Lodge | Kizo Lodge provides conceived and established this property as a mid-level hotel and restaurant targeted towards the thriving eco-tourism segment of those who come to visit the Kara, Hammar and Benna tribes surrounding the town of Turmi, Ethiopia where the lodge is located. Opened in Summer of 2016, the lodge quickly earned a reputation for itshigh level of service and excellence in all aspects of hospitality. |  | Seed | Jun 01, 2016 |  |

5 of 5 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Acumen](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/acumen-fund) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [4Di Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/4di-capital) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [cFund](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/cfund) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Chandaria Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/chandaria-capital) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Chui Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/chui-ventures) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [DotExe Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/dotexe-ventures) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

## Similar investors

### Similar industry
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### Similar stage
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### Similar country
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## Featured in investor lists
- [All Investors in Ethiopia](https://shizune.co/investors/investors-ethiopia)
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- [Travel Investors in Italy](https://shizune.co/investors/travel-investors-italy)
- [EdTech Investors in Kenya](https://shizune.co/investors/edtech-investors-kenya)

## FAQ

### What does Verdant Frontiers invest in?

Verdant Frontiers invests primarily in Travel, FinTech and Finance startups, most often at Seed and Pre-Seed stage. Most of the 5 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in Kenya. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### What is Verdant Frontiers's check size?

Verdant Frontiers typically joins rounds of $1.8M–$6M at Seed. These ranges are 10th–90th percentile round sizes calculated from confirmed public funding rounds, so they are a realistic guide to the rounds Verdant Frontiers participates in.

### How do I contact Verdant Frontiers?

Public channels for Verdant Frontiers include LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and the website linked on this profile. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.

### Who are the partners at Verdant Frontiers?

The team at Verdant Frontiers includes Russ Murphy (Co-founder and Board Member), Scott Friesen (Co-Founder) and Tony Chen (Partner). The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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