The African social commerce project MAKA had raised $2.65 million in a pre-seed round. The 4DX Ventures and Janngo Capital are leading this round, with leaders from Wolt and Twitch as other investors.
MAKA, which began in 2021, is a platform that meets the needs of Africa’s growing e-commerce market. It offers a unique social commerce model that brings together consumers and fashion bloggers to share style tips, reviews, and live try-on videos of the goods they’re interested in.
Read also: Kenya’s fashion startup ShopZetu, secures $1 million for expansion
What’s planned for the MAKA pre-seed raise in Africa
During the pandemic, CEO Owusu-Kyereko had difficulty finding inclusive fashion ideas. Her friends pointed her to popular websites and influencers. She started MAKA because she saw a need that wasn’t being met and a lack of variety in style suggestions. The app has supposedly gotten over 554k downloads so far.
MAKA is an interactive social commerce platform created in 2021 by Diana Owusu-Kyereko. It lets users find goods that fit their styles through live try-on hauls, reviews, and user-generated content from creators and customers.
According to MAKA, the company wants to restore trust in the African fashion and beauty business by giving users the tools to find their unique style and encouraging representation.
MAKA’s social commerce model is based on makers and customers working together strategically. It targets Africa’s e-commerce market and the growing trend of buying decisions based on recommendations from other people.
MAKA uses cutting-edge technology and is committed to getting involved in the community. The app lets content creators make money from their work and gives users the information they need to make intelligent buying decisions.
Comments from stakeholders
Diana Owusu-Kyereko, co-founder and CEO of MAKA, says that African e-commerce deserves better. She and her team believe that everyone should be able to find their style quickly, feel like they are represented, and be themselves.
According to her, MAKA’s technology and team of experts empower customers to explore and buy from trusted brands.
Millennials want to be authentic and develop their trends, but they also want to be influenced by real people and make their judgements without being duped. We aim to give customers a natural location to explore their style and give artists the tools to showcase their work and meet new people. Creators and customers should connect meaningfully. Diana Owusu-Kyereko.
Fatoumata Ba, Janngo Capital founder and executive chair, is a significant investor. MAKA’s mission of empowering consumers and creators with technology attracted Janngo Capital. MAKA leads Africa’s e-commerce, creative, and cultural industries.
“Together, these three industries are expected to grow by four times by 2050, adding up to $200 billion to the GDP and 184 million jobs.” We’re thrilled to lead this funding round, unleashing unprecedented growth and impact on the continent.
