Maka, the fashion and beauty e-commerce platform, has successfully raised $2.65 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Pan-African venture capital firms 4DX Ventures and Janngo Capital. Other notable investors include Palm Drive Capital, Jonathan Shipman (angel investor, EVP founder, and Twitch founding member), and executives from the delivery platform Wolt.
Founded by Diana Owusu-Kyereko in 2021, Maka operates as an interactive social commerce platform, utilizing live try-on hauls, reviews, and user-generated content to help users discover products tailored to their styles. Before starting Maka, Owusu-Kyereko served as the CEO of Jumia Ghana and the CCO of Jumia Kenya. The inspiration for Maka arose during the pandemic when she faced challenges finding inclusive fashion inspiration in Ghana due to travel restrictions.
Maka targets African millennials and Gen Zers in an e-commerce market that has rapidly expanded from 13% in 2017 to 28% in 2021, reaching 334 million users. The platform addresses key challenges, such as the trust issue in the buying process and creators’ difficulty monetizing their influence.
Maka utilizes video content to connect users with trusted creators to build trust. The platform encourages user-generated content, allowing customers to share video reviews of their purchases. This approach fosters a sense of community and trust within the Maka platform. Additionally, Maka has implemented a rewards system, incentivizing users to upload video reviews with cash rewards and points that can be converted into shopping credits on the platform.
Since its inception, Maka claims to have garnered over 500,000 downloads. With the funding, the company plans to expand its team, enhance its technology, and deepen its presence in Ghana and Nigeria.
Source: Techcrunch
