Aya Data, a Ghana-based AI consultancy startup, has raised $900,000 in a seed round to scale its operations. The funding, a mix of debt and equity, will be used to expand its AI products, AyaGrow and AyaSpeech, and hire more talent. This new investment brings Aya Data’s total funding to $1.15 million, following a previous $300,000 raised from Microtraction, Savannah Fund, and UK investors.
The latest funding round was led by 54Collective, with support from other angel investors. Launched in 2021 by Freddie Monk and Ama Larbi-Siaw, Aya Data focuses on collecting and labeling data—such as images, videos, and texts—essential for building Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Gemini. The company also trains workers for technical roles such as data engineering and data science. Currently, Aya Data employs 11 people in these areas.
Aya Data’s services extend beyond data annotation. The company develops custom AI solutions for businesses, with two key products: AyaGrow, which helps farmers with AI-driven precision agriculture, and AyaSpeech, a speech-to-speech solution that enables communication in local African languages.
By handling data annotation internally, Aya Data stands out from its competitors, who often outsource such tasks to developing economies. “Because we control everything in Ghana, we can deliver faster and more efficiently without the risk of involving third parties,” said Gillian Hammah, Aya Data’s Marketing and Strategy Officer.
The company’s revenue reached $500,000 in 2023, and it currently works with 20 active clients, including MIT, Unilever, Seedtag, and Labelbox. While much of its work has been with global clients, Aya Data is now focusing more on helping African businesses utilize AI to boost their competitiveness.
Aya Data’s future goals include training 1,000 data annotators, engineers, and scientists in the coming months to grow its internal expertise. “Ultimately, we are working to enable as many businesses and people to benefit from AI as quickly as possible,” said co-founder and COO Ama Larbi-Siaw. The company is committed to developing world-class AI technology in Ghana and other similar markets.
