The Social Platform Rabawa Raises Funding to Scale Operations

Nigerian social and video commerce platform Rabawa has raised US$163,000 in funding to help it scale its operations. Rabawa was established in 2021 to create a platform that allows resellers to leverage social media for curating, promoting, and selling products from manufacturers and distributors to end-users. It gives resellers access to a virtual shop and thousands of products from trusted suppliers.

Olayinka Akinkunmi, Rabawa’s chief operating officer (COO)
Olayinka Akinkunmi, chief operating officer (COO) at Rabawa

With over 5,000 resellers and 1,000 suppliers are currently registered on the platform, and the startup now plans to scale even more quickly after raising funding from US-based VC firm Aptive Capital.

Read also:Airtel Leaves Ghana, Sells Business To Ghanaian Government

The US$163,000 in capital will be utilised to boost Rabawa in its aim of becoming a key player in Africa’s e-commerce space by utilising social and video commerce.

“With the pace at which Rabawa has grown within one month in Nigeria, we will be able to deploy social and video commerce to other African markets,” said Olayinka Akinkunmi, the company’s chief operating officer (COO).

Aptive Capital managing partner Paul Brandon Gilpin said his company wanted to identify impressive talents and business models.

“We are very impressed with Rabawa’s deep knowledge of the market and their planned approach to solve the challenges of unemployment, poor product availability, high cost of logistics, access to market issues, and poverty across Africa,” he said.

Read also:MTN Nigeria Poised for Fintech Leadership

Aptive Capital has so far invested in eight African startups, including in the likes of OneKiosk, SkyfireDigital, MimiMoney, Statesman, and Slabdeck.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry