Tushop, a Kenyan social commerce startup that enables Nairobi residents to purchase groceries more affordably with free delivery, has raised US$3 million in pre-seed capital to expand its team and platform and expand across the country.
4DX Ventures led the pre-seed round, which also included JAM Fund, Breyer Capital, Chandaria Capital, TO Ventures, Golden Palm Investments, FirstCheck Africa, and DFS Lab. Wasoko, a Kenyan retail technology startup, has also joined.
Additional angel investors participated in the oversubscribed round, including Olugbenga “GB” Agboola (CEO of Flutterwave), Raja Kaul (President of the Sundial Group), Eli Pollak (CEO of Apollo Agriculture), and Ida Mannoh (Chipper Cash director of growth).
Tushop was founded in 2021 with the goal of making grocery shopping more economical and convenient for Kenyans, and eventually all Africans. Community group purchasing saves consumers up to 60% on groceries as compared to shopping at supermarkets, dukas, or “mama mbogas,” while also providing the convenience of free delivery.
“Tushop is unique in this market because we understand our clients – we are them! We’ve grown up with the issue of overpriced food on the one hand, and the need for additional “side hustles” on the other, as a result of chronically low salaries,” said Cathy Chepkemboi, founder and CEO of Tushop.
The funds will be used to increase Tushop’s personnel, invest in technology to make its platform as user-friendly as possible, and expand the service further across Nairobi before expanding to other regions in Kenya.
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