Africa's e-commerce scene is booming, with tech startups developing innovative solutions to streamline operations for merchants.

Maad, a Senegalese startup, has developed a business-to-business e-commerce solution that enables small retailers to source consumer goods directly from affiliated suppliers. The startup, with bases in Dakar, Senegal, and San Francisco, USA, was established in 2020 by Sidy Niang and Jessica Long. On Tuesday, May 14, it announced the successful completion of a $3.2 million funding round aimed at diversifying its services and bolstering its growth in Senegal.

Jessica Long explained their decision to handle all logistics in-house, stating, “We decided to bring all of logistics…the reason that we do that is just it's a low margin business. We think that this is the way to provide good service and to meet the reliability needs of clients. I don't think that we would be able to offer a similar service if we relied on a third-party provider.”

The startup’s mobile application, available on iOS and Android, has already been downloaded more than 10,000 times from PlayStore. After downloading, users create an account and gain access to a variety of services, including ordering. The startup estimates that 75% of orders are placed through the app, with the remainder coming from the call center and field agents. Maad also offers a delivery service that helps to optimize order prices.

As for the various brands featured on the startup’s mobile platform, they “can track live presence and market share data. They can also deploy promotion and merchandising services in targeted neighborhoods to increase sales of key products.”

In addition to facilitating orders, the startup offers various services such as “buy now, pay later,” which allows retailers to access stock on credit. Maad currently boasts over 6,500 active retailers and 80 suppliers.

Adoni Conrad Quenum