Kenyan digital commerce solution Tappi raises $1.5 million in an oversubscribed pre-seed round led by Mercy Corps Ventures and Chui Ventures. Digital Currency Group, SOSV, Resilience17, growX Ventures, Orbit Startups, Reflect Ventures, Google, Salesforce, and Zendesk angel investors and advisors participated in the round.
The investment supports Tappi’s mission to empower African SMBs in digital commerce.
Tappi uses AI and partners with mobile network operators and financial institutions to quickly create online storefronts for over 100 million African SMEs.
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Tappi’s fast growth and innovative solutions
Since its founding in 2022 by CEO Kenfield Griffith and Louis Majanja, Tappi has helped small businesses digitize by creating online profiles or websites. The app lets business owners create SEO-optimized websites in two minutes after providing the necessary information. Google prioritizes business visibility with 5,000 indexed business pages, allowing customer reviews.
Griffith told the Press: “Our goal is to help businesses achieve visibility.”
The MTN-partnered digital commerce solution lets small businesses buy ads with airtime, overcoming credit card payment issues. Tappi simplifies business ad payment with a personalized data bundle of ad credits, data, and voice. With limited resources, businesses struggle to write compelling ad copies. The platform’s AI feature helps.
Despite not being profitable, the e-commerce company will be. This is made possible by $2–$100 customer subscriptions. Adding $2–$19 subscribers and growing 19% month-over-month in business ads and data bundle subscriptions, the digital commerce company is growing.
Kenfield Griffith thanks investors and shares Tappi’s mission to empower SMEs across Africa by creating a trusted online identity for customer acquisition, especially in overlooked service industries like food services, fashion, agriculture, health, and beauty.
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Tappi affects African small businesses
Tappi helped Nairobi’s Little Red boutique become a global fashion player. The boutique quickly went online using Tappi’s easy-to-use interface and powerful tools, reaching customers beyond its physical location. Sales increased, and international recognition increased.
Urban and rural entrepreneurs benefit from digital commerce. A craftsman in a remote Nigerian village sold his handmade goods through Tappi’s extensive network. The platform’s collaboration with mobile network operators made transactions easy, allowing the craftsman to sell his work to a broader audience and boost his income and the local economy.
Tappi helped Cape Town’s fast-growing food delivery service, Yebo Fresh grow even faster. Tappi enterprise tools simplified order processing, improved customer interactions, and found the best delivery routes. It improved business operations and garnered positive user feedback, which created loyal customers and word-of-mouth advertising. The startup’s success shows Tappi’s solutions can be used widely and in many situations.