Sokowatch
We are a B2B ecommerce platform that transforms access to essential goods for more than fifteen thousand formal and informal merchants across East Africa.
A next-generation, B2B ecommerce platform with integrated financial services and logistics, Sokowatch was launched in 2016. The startup helps formal and informal retailers more easily access and purchase essential goods and have them delivered to their stores. Through the platform, merchants can source and order products via an app or SMS and arrange free, same-day delivery. They can also access credit and other financial services typically not available to informal businesses via the startup’s financial service provider partners. “We eliminate the middleman and make it quick and easy for merchants to order the stock they need and provide it at low prices. The goal is to make small stores more efficient and more sustainable,” says CEO Daniel Yu.
![](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.prismic.io%2Fstartupguide%2Ffa58031d-c9b9-4670-8468-4827bc23cdd9_IMG_8538-%25281%2529.jpg%3Fauto%3Dcompress%2Cformat&w=3840&q=75)
— Photo by Sokowatch Inc.
Sokowatch monetizes by sourcing goods from manufacturing partners in bulk and selling to merchants at market prices, as well as earning fees on credit lines secured through the platform. It is used by more than fifteen thousand merchants across the nine biggest cities in East Africa and has secured $20 million in investments to fund expansion. “We are looking at expanding across the whole of sub-Saharan Africa,” Daniel says.
Funding Story
Sokowatch has secured $20 million in equity from venture capital firms including Quona and 4DX Ventures. The bulk of this came from its $14 million Series A round, raised in January 2020.
Milestones
- Expanding into cities in Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda.
- Hitting the fifteen-thousand-retailer mark.
- Integrating a financial services offering within the Sokowatch platform.
- Raising our Series A funding.