Sora Technology, a Japanese startup using AI and drones to tackle infectious diseases, has closed a second tranche of its late seed funding by raising an extra $2.5 million to scale its malaria-elimination efforts across the African continent.
The new funding round attracted three fresh investors, which are Daiwa House Group Investment Limited Partnership, Central Japan Innovative Research Fund I, and UNERI Capital Fund Series I, who are joining previous backers such as Nissay Capital and SMBC Venture Capital.
Yosuke Kaneko, founder and CEO of SORA Technology, stated that the new capital will be used to enhance AI-powered disease prediction tools, expand the team, and strengthen partnerships with governments and international health organisations.
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Beyond public health, Sora has plans to adapt its technology for environmental monitoring, mining, and precision agriculture across the continent as it deepens its presence ahead of a future Series A financing.
This latest investment brings the company’s total capital raised to roughly $7.3 million, following its earlier $4.8 million seed round announced in March 2025.
Sora Malaria Control, Sora’s flagship initiative, combines satellite imagery, AI models, and drone technology to predict disease outbreaks, map mosquito breeding sites, and deploy targeted vector control interventions.
Although founded in Japan in 2018, the company has focused its efforts on Africa, where malaria remains a major public health challenge. Sora is already active in more than 10 African countries, including Ghana, Sierra Leone, Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Kenya, and Mozambique.
Folake Balogun
Folake Balogun is a renowned tech journalist who offers insightful and critical analysis of the African rapidly growing digital economy, particularly within Nigeria. She closely monitors the health of the African startup ecosystem by covering significant venture capital trends, investment deals, and the challenges faced by emerging firms. Known for her deep dives into the fintech sector, she covers the evolution of digital payments, dynamics of major financial innovations and also extends to emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the future of connectivity by providing context to their economic and social impact.
