Sukhiba, an innovative conversational commerce and CRM platform based in Kenya, has raised $1.5million in seed funding to expand into Africa and other emerging countries.
Leading the funding round was EQ2 Ventures. Along with returning investor CRE Ventures, other prestigious investors in the round include Accion Venture Lab, Musha Ventures, and Quona Capital.
Sukhiba, a company founded in 2021 by Ananth Raj Gudipati and Abhinav Reddy, is based on WhatsApp and helps medium-sized and large businesses increase sales and client retention by tailoring its services—which include customer support, payments, marketing, and sales—around the WhatsApp platform.
Since 2023, the startup has grown significantly, and it now works in eight regions in Africa and India, collaborating with big retail chains, distributors, manufacturers, and direct-to-consumer brands. Through its merchant partners, more than 35,000 SMEs are now making purchases of goods and services.
“Sukhiba is designed to bridge the gap between brands, manufacturers, distributors, and their customers in emerging markets by leveraging the ubiquitous nature of WhatsApp. This seed extension marks a significant milestone for us, enabling us to scale our operations and enhance our SaaS platform to better serve our growing customer base of manufacturers, distributors, and D2C brands,” said Gudipati.
EQ2 Ventures assistant director Manish Phulwani described his team’s subsequent investment in Sukhiba as a “strong vote of confidence” after observing the team’s steady performance from the beginning.
“They are in a unique position to spearhead the shift in business and consumer interactions to WhatsApp in emerging areas due to their outstanding product approach. We’re excited to go on this adventure with the group,” he remarked.
The recently obtained funding will play a crucial role in propelling Sukhiba’s growth throughout Africa and other developing economies. Prominent clients and investors endorse the company’s goal, demonstrating faith in its ability to establish itself as the go-to CRM and sales force automation platform for developing economies.
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