HelloChoice

Founders, Backgrounds, and Bench

HelloChoice was founded in 2018 by Grant Jacobs and Graeme Jarvie [TechMoran, Sep 2021].

Company Overview

HelloChoice was founded in 2018 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, by Grant Jacobs and Graeme Jarvie [TechMoran, Sep 2021]. The company was established as a digital B2B marketplace to modernize the trade of fresh produce and agricultural commodities, moving transactions from traditional physical markets to an online platform [CB Insights].

A pivotal moment for the company came in September 2021, when it secured a strategic investment from Standard Bank [Ventureburn, Sep 2021]. The bank acquired a 25% equity stake in the business [Ventureburn, Sep 2021]. This capital injection was paired with a deeper partnership, positioning HelloChoice as the technology partner for Standard Bank's OneFarm Share initiative, a digital food-relief platform that channels surplus produce to charities [Ventureburn, Sep 2021].

By 2024, the company had expanded its product scope beyond a marketplace to include integrated agri-fintech services, rolling out multi-wallet functionality aimed at smallholder lending [Bizcommunity].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Key founding and funding events are confirmed by multiple press reports, but detailed corporate history and legal structure are not publicly documented.

The Product and the Stack

HelloChoice operates two distinct but interconnected platforms: a commercial B2B marketplace for agricultural trade and a social impact channel for surplus produce. The commercial core is a digital trading and auction system designed to replace traditional commission-based markets, allowing farmers to list produce and buyers to browse, purchase, and coordinate logistics through a single interface [YouTube]. The company describes itself as an "agri-fintech" platform, a label substantiated by the 2024 rollout of multi-wallet functionality aimed at smallholder lending and digital settlement [Bizcommunity].

The second platform, OneFarm Share, is a food-security initiative that channels surplus or donated produce from commercial farms to registered charities and feeding programs [OneFarm, 2026]. Public impact metrics for OneFarm Share are specific: it has distributed over 5,000 tonnes of fresh produce, created 20 million meals, and fed over one million beneficiaries across South Africa [News24, 2021]. A case study suggests the model creates tangible commercial value for farmers, with one potato producer reportedly selling between 33% and 50% of its crop via HelloChoice [Farmer's Weekly, 2026].

The strategic partnership with Standard Bank, which holds a 25% equity stake, likely provides critical infrastructure for the fintech components, including wallet services and secure settlement [Ventureburn, Sep 2021].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Product features and impact metrics are cited from press and company materials; fintech capabilities are noted in trade press. The technology stack and architectural details are inferred from described functionality.

The Market They Are Entering

HelloChoice operates within the digital transformation of agricultural trade and its associated financial services. The broader African agricultural technology market was valued at approximately $1.7 billion in 2021 and was projected to grow to over $2.5 billion by 2025 [African Development Bank Group].

Metric	Value
African Agtech Market 2021	$1.7B
African Agtech Market 2025 (projected)	$2.5B

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Market sizing is based on an analogous regional report. Core demand drivers are corroborated by multiple press reports on the company's strategic rationale.

The Competitive Field

Company	Positioning	Stage / Funding	Notable Differentiator	Source
HelloChoice	Digital B2B marketplace & agri-fintech for fresh produce in South Africa.	Undisclosed strategic investment from Standard Bank (2021).	Dual-platform model: commercial trade + OneFarm Share impact channel; deep integration with a major bank.	[Ventureburn, Sep 2021]
Khula	South African digital marketplace connecting smallholder farmers to formal markets.	Raised $1.3M seed in 2020; $1.7M pre-Series A in 2022.	Focus on smallholder farmer enablement with tools for farm management, input access, and market linkages.	[Disrupt Africa, 2022]
Nile	B2B agri-commerce platform operating in East Africa (Uganda, Kenya).	Raised $5.1M seed in 2022.	Full-stack approach including warehousing, logistics, and credit, primarily for grains and staples.	[TechCrunch, 2022]
TonnUp	Nigerian B2B platform for agricultural commodities trading and logistics.	Raised $1.5M pre-seed in 2023.	Focus on Nigeria's domestic trade corridors, offering price discovery and transport coordination.	[TechCabal, 2023]
SwiftVEE	South African livestock trading platform with online auctions.	Backed by Savant Ventures (2020).	Specialization in the livestock vertical with a real-time auction model.	[ITWeb, 2020]

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Competitor funding and positioning are drawn from public tech press, but direct feature comparisons are inferred from company descriptions. HelloChoice's strategic differentiator is confirmed by primary source reporting.

Opportunity

HelloChoice aims to become the default digital infrastructure for agricultural commerce in its core markets. The strategic investment and 25% equity stake taken by Standard Bank in 2021 provides a critical catalyst, embedding the platform within a major financial institution's agricultural banking strategy [Ventureburn, Sep 2021]. The cited example of a commercial farmer selling between 33% and 50% of their potatoes via HelloChoice demonstrates early, material displacement of traditional channels [Farmer's Weekly, 2026].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Opportunity framing relies on a mix of confirmed strategic facts (Standard Bank stake, product launches) and logical extrapolation from early traction signals.

Sources

1. [Ventureburn, Sep 2021] South African agri-fintech HelloChoice secures investment from Standard Bank | https://ventureburn.com/2021/09/south-african-agri-fintech-hellochoice-secures-investment-from-standard-bank/
2. [TechMoran, Sep 2021] South African agri-fintech startup HelloChoice raises investment from Standard Bank for expansion. | https://techmoran.com/2021/09/21/south-african-agri-fintech-startup-hellochoice-raises-investment-from-standard-bank-for-expansion/
3. [Farmer's Weekly, 2026] HelloChoice a proudly South African success story | https://www.farmersweekly.co.za/agri-business/agribusinesses/hellochoice-a-proudly-south-african-success-story/
4. [YouTube] HelloChoice platform explainer | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krKILWPvnsQ
5. [Prospeo] HelloChoice company profile | https://prospeo.io/c/hellochoice
6. [Bizcommunity] HelloChoice rolls out multi-wallets for smallholder lending | https://www.bizcommunity.com/article/hellochoice-rolls-out-multi-wallets-for-smallholder-lending-514500a
7. [News24, 2021] OneFarm Share impact metrics | https://www.news24.com/news24/onefarm-share-has-distributed-over-5-000-tonnes-of-fresh-produce-20210629
8. [CB Insights] HelloChoice company profile | https://www.cbinsights.com/company/hellochoice
9. [OneFarm, 2026] OneFarm Share platform description | https://onefarm.org.za/onefarm-share/
10. [African Development Bank Group] African Agtech Market Report | https://www.afdb.org/en/documents/african-economic-outlook-2022
11. [Disrupt Africa, 2022] Khula raises $1.7M pre-Series A | https://disruptafrica.com/2022/03/khula-raises-1-7m-pre-series-a/
12. [TechCrunch, 2022] Nile raises $5.1M seed | https://techcrunch.com/2022/11/15/nile-agri-commerce-platform-raises-5-1m-seed/
13. [TechCabal, 2023] TonnUp raises $1.5M pre-seed | https://techcabal.com/2023/10/18/tonnup-raises-1-5m-pre-seed/
14. [ITWeb, 2020] SwiftVEE backed by Savant Ventures | https://www.itweb.co.za/content/GxwQD7gA5qkqkLPW