Maka, an African fashion and beauty e-commerce platform, has successfully secured a $2.65 million pre-seed funding round. The investment was led by Pan-African venture capital firms 4DX Ventures and Janngo Capital. Other notable investors include Palm Drive Capital, angel investor Jonathan Shipman, founder of EVP, and executives from delivery platform Wolt.
Key Takeaway
Maka, an African e-commerce platform, has raised $2.65 million in funding to enhance the fashion and beauty shopping experience in Africa through its innovative social commerce approach.
Empowering Consumers and Creators
Founded in 2021 by Diana Owusu-Kyereko, Maka is an interactive social commerce platform that aims to simplify the process of purchasing fashion and beauty products in Africa. The platform utilizes live try-on hauls, reviews, and user-generated content to help users discover products that align with their personal style.
Addressing Consumer Challenges
Prior to launching Maka, Owusu-Kyereko held leadership positions at Jumia Ghana and Jumia Kenya. Her inspiration for Maka stemmed from the challenges she faced during the pandemic when she struggled to find inclusive fashion inspiration in Ghana. Recognizing the need for a more seamless and trustworthy shopping experience, she conducted extensive market surveys in Ghana and Nigeria, uncovering the prevalent difficulties consumers encountered while shopping for fashion and beauty products.
Revolutionizing the E-commerce Landscape
Maka’s innovative platform addresses two critical issues: building trust in the buying process and providing creators with opportunities to monetize their influence. By leveraging video content, Maka connects users with trusted creators, offering a more personalized and trustworthy shopping experience. The platform also allows customers to share video reviews of their purchases, fostering a sense of community and trust within the Maka platform.
Expanding Opportunities for Creators
Maka’s user-generated content model empowers a wide range of creators, enabling them to produce video content based on their purchases. The platform also features a rewards system, incentivizing users to upload video reviews and engage with the community. As a result, Maka has seen significant user engagement, with over 500,000 downloads and more than 2,000 reviews created since the launch of its user-generated content model.
Future Growth and Development
With the newly secured funding, Maka plans to expand its team, enhance its technology, and deepen its presence in Ghana and Nigeria. The platform is poised to further revolutionize the fashion and beauty e-commerce landscape in Africa, offering a more inclusive, personalized, and trustworthy shopping experience for consumers while providing creators with new avenues for monetization.
Speaking on the investment, Fatoumata Bâ, founder and executive chair of Janngo Capital, expressed confidence in Maka’s vision and its potential to drive significant growth and impact across Africa. The intersection of e-commerce, creative, and cultural industries presents a vast opportunity for Maka to make a lasting impact on the continent’s economy and job market.
