Watch the story
Featured on Chams Media (*Daring Abroad*) — Japan + JKUAT lab footage, 54K+ views (June 2025).
Starts at the black cotton soil innovation segment (~2:27). Full 22-minute feature below.
One sentence: Invest in the company that turns Kenya's black cotton soil from costly waste into on-site buildable material — backed by Japan know-how, JKUAT validation, and a public proof story already seen by tens of thousands.
The problem
Black cotton soil (BCS) is normally dug out and thrown away on Kenyan construction sites. It swells when wet, shrinks when dry, and drives up foundation cost, delays, and waste haulage.
On a typical building, BCS ground conditions can push foundation cost from ~10–20% of build to up to ~30% — before disposal and replacement materials.
The solution — BCS-OSA
OSA (Olango & Sakata Associates) — Tokyo-based, Kenya-focused — adapts Japanese Tataki-style soil solidification and develops it in Kenya, with Kenyan materials and labour.
We convert BCS into useful construction elements:
- Interior / non-load-bearing walling blocks
- Pavements and civil finishes
- Stabilized hardcore once solidified
Delivery model: on-site test → site-specific recipe → train the contractor → supervise quality. We transfer capability — not another product catalogue.
"We want to take seeds from Japan and develop them in Kenya." — Dick Olango, Chams Media
Why invest now
| Proof point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Public validation | Chams Media national feature (Japan + JKUAT lab) |
| Academic partner | Joint work with JKUAT — samples, compression testing |
| Japan tech pedigree | Co-founder Sakata Izumi (OSA Japan); decades of Japan–Kenya architecture links |
| Local materials | BCS + co-located murram + lime/cementitious binders — lower cost and carbon |
| Next milestone | Lab/research → exhibition → first paid pilot projects |
Market (order of magnitude)
- Kenya construction: multi-billion USD sector; housing deficit ~2M units
- Service revenue baseline (Capstone): ~$90k Y1 → ~$280k Y4; break-even ~3 projects
- Lean start frame: ~$100k — refresh with pilot data before term sheet
The ask — seed capital
Raising seed capital to:
- Lock commercial rights / entity & partner terms
- Finish certification + showcase package from JKUAT work
- Fund first 1–3 supervised pilot sites with developers or housing clients
- 12–18 months runway to repeatable paid delivery
Use of funds: legal/IP · field kits & QA · pilot delivery · business development with QS/developers · working capital
Investor gets: equity in the Kenya BCS operating vehicle · climate/circular construction thesis · Japan–Kenya tech bridge · milestone governance
Founders
Dick Olango — Kenya-born licensed architect (Japan), 25+ years in Japan, MD CBRE GWS Japan, co-founder OSA (Tokyo & Nairobi). Prior JKUAT teaching assignment (1994). Mombusho Scholar.
Sakata Izumi — Co-founder OSA Japan; architect and research lead on soil solidification and Japan–Kenya technology transfer.
Contact — investor inquiries
For confidential investor discussions:
Dick Olango
d.olango@osa-rainbow.com
WhatsApp: +81 90 6490 6309
LinkedIn
Important: BCS-OSA is a separate venture from Olango Capital advisory services. This page is for informational purposes regarding a private seed investment opportunity in construction technology — not an offer or solicitation of securities to the public. Olango Capital is not a licensed securities dealer. Any investment would be subject to due diligence, legal documentation, and applicable regulations in relevant jurisdictions.