Kukua, a Nairobi-based educational entertainment company and the creators of “Super Sema,” the first African animated superhero franchise, has raised Ksh. 702 million in its latest round of investment.
The funding round was led by Tencent, together with Italy-based VC Alchimia. Other investors include EchoVC, firstminute Capital and Auxxo Female Catalyst.
According to Kukua, the investment will support its goal to continue building an IP-centric kids’ “edutainment” universe with new Super Sema original content, licensing, merchandise and publishing offerings.
The company was founded by Lucrezia Bisignani in 2018, but it wasn’t until three years later that the team put out the first version of Super Sema. The idea to create an animated superhero franchise for kids, especially those in Africa, was because there was a lack of such shows.
Despite the demand for such content, securing funding for Kukua’s first project wasn’t easy as investors were unconvinced of its global appeal. This was until “Black Panther” was released to commercial and critical acclaim in 2018, and its success helped similar projects like Kukua secure investments. The company raised $2.5 million seed from Africa-focused venture capital firm EchoVC and other investors that year.
YouTube picked up Super Sema’s first season, acquired its distribution rights and launched the series on its YouTube Originals channel in March 2021. It was a constant hit. Since its launch, Super Sema’s YouTube Channel has attracted more than 40 million views. The show — executive produced by Lupita Nyong’o — received an NAACP Image Awards nomination for Outstanding Animated Series this January. The Oscar-winning actress is also a shareholder in the company. Other members of the Super Sema team include COO Vanessa Ford, CFO Giovanni Bisignani and four-times BAFTA winner Claudia Lloyd (producer and creative director).
The show’s second season was greenlit by YouTube Originals and has premiered this month. Super Sema’s target audience is between the ages of 4 to 8, and being on YouTube Originals, 60% of its audience comes from the U.S. The U.K. and Kenya round up the top three countries where Super Sema is most watched. In addition to being on YouTube Originals, Super Sema also airs on major linear TV networks in Africa, like Citizen TV in Kenya and SABC in South Africa. Bisignani said the company is getting more rights to air the show on more TV stations across the continent.