Chpter, an AI-powered conversational commerce platform, recently secured $1.2 million in pre-seed funding to drive the growth of its business. Chpter’s platform helps businesses sell more efficiently on popular social platforms such as WhatsApp, TikTok, and Instagram by automating conversations, marketing, and payments. Making social media sales easier As social commerce continues to grow in Africa—where e-commerce is projected to reach $46 billion by 2025—many businesses face challenges managing customer interactions and conversions, according to Chpter. To address these challenges, Mesongo Sibuti (CTO), Kuria Kevin (CPO), Mark Kiarie (COO) and Tesh Mbaabu (CEO) partnered to build Chpter. Chpter’s
Rachael Twumasi-Corson, the founder of Afrocenchix, is stepping into a new role as the Managing Director of LIHA BeautyLIHA Beauty. This move comes after her successful tenure at Afrocenchix, where she played an instrumental role in securing $1.2 million in seed funding for the natural haircare e-commerce business. A Vision For African Beauty Twumasi-Corson’s decision to join LIHA Beauty wasn’t part of her initial plan after exiting Afrocenchix. However, the opportunity to collaborate with LIHA’s founders, Abi Oyepitan and Liha Okunniwa—two women she holds in high esteem—was too good to pass up.
The Folklore, a platform known for connecting global consumers with African brands and diasporic fashion, has secured a substantial $3.4 million seed funding. This round was spearheaded by Benchstrength Ventures, with contributions from Techstars, Black Tech Nation Ventures, and Slauson and Co. Connecting brands with Major Retailers In 2022, Folklore underwent a transformation. Originally a shopping platform showcasing primarly African brands, it now aims to enhance how emerging brands integrate into the retail landscape. “[Brands] would come to me for advice on how to expand their footprint, how to get a loan or how
American rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs has launched an e-commerce platform Empower Global, allowing consumers to discover and buy products created and sold by Black entrepreneurs. “My mission has always been to empower Black entrepreneurs and create more opportunities for them to access the resources, tools, and support needed to build successful businesses,” said Sean “Diddy” Combs, Chairman of Combs Global, in a press release. Empower Global Empower Global is an immersive e-commerce experience offering products from Black-owned businesses. With a focus on culture and community, Empower Global aims to create
Leading alcohol e-commerce shop, Drizly, has announced the launch of its ‘Sip with Purpose’ program, dedicated to supporting and driving BIPOC-, LGBTQIA-, and woman-owned brands in the alcohol industry. The platform’s ‘Sip with Purpose’ Brand Accelerator Program is now open for applications. The initiative, which will be highly beneficial for underrepresented founders, aims to provide businesses with a $4 million media commitment to raise awareness and drive support for these brands. Drizly, founded in 2012, is one of North America’s largest online alcohol marketplaces. The platform, which offers a variety
Minneapolis-based e-commerce app, GoodCarts, has partnered with Shopify and Operation HOPE to help build Black-owned online businesses through the 1 Million Black Businesses (1MBB) initiative. Black-owned financial, educational platform, Operation HOPE, is a leading global provider of financial dignity education and economic empowerment programs for low-income or moderate-income youth. The organization founded by John Hope Bryant aims to create a whole new approach to community upliftment. Its 1MBB initiative, in partnership with Shopify, will help millions of Black businesses start, grow, and scale over the next decade to ensure the racial
Nigerian B2B e-commerce platform Omnibiz has secured $15 million in pre-series A funding. The funding round, led by Timon Capital, included Ventures Platform, Lofty Inc, Chapel Hill Denham, Chandaria, and Musha Ventures. Omnibiz, founded by Deepankar Rustagi, is a distribution platform that works to create a more revolutionized approach to distribution. The platform aims to completely change how the retail ecosystem in developing markets operates by eliminating the disorganization of traditional trading and digitizing the retail chain. “We believe the smart informal retailer – not shopping malls – is the
