Kamioun, a Tunisian ecommerce startup that connects Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) manufacturers to retailers, has secured $400,000 in an investment round led by pan-African investment fund Janngo Capital, with the participation of Anava Seed Fund (Flat6labs fund), Dakar Network Angels, existing and new business angels.
Kamioun intends to use the funds to expand its product distribution, improve operations and solution, add people, and accelerate expansion in order to reach more shops and convert them to active users.
Why The Investors Invested
Kamioun has generated considerable traction since it was launched in 2020. The startup has tripled its income and doubled its client base in a year with over 1000 customers, demonstrating the product’s fit for the market with limited resources.
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The founder and CEO, Fares Belghith, also has experience working in the ecommerce industry across Africa. Belghith previously led Jumia’s operations in Kenya and Nigeria and served as Carrefour Tunisia’s e-commerce director. And so speaking from his experience, he is convinced that the shift from traditional logistics to e-commerce logistics will allow family stores to reclaim their place as the heart of the neighborhood and directly enter the twenty-first century, because the logistics sector will most likely be fully digitalized within ten years.
Fatoumata Ba, the Founder and Executive Chairman of Janngo Capital, is persuaded of the Retail Tech sector’s immense development potential in North Africa.
“Small independent stores account for 80% of consumer purchases in Tunisia and the Maghreb region, representing a market worth $ 9 billion in Tunisia and around $50 billion across the region. This is why we are sure of the Retail Tech sector’s immense growth potential in North Africa. Kamioun has proved its potential to provide a “one-stop shop” for small merchants and makers of consumer goods, allowing them to increase sales, expand product availability, and lower expenses,” said.
“Despite the pandemic’s prolonged impact, Kamioun has accelerated digital trends and underscored the necessity of digital solutions and business models. For FMCG manufacturers and small food retailers, this B2B platform is a true option. This industry requires Kamioun’s product, which will address many of the issues that small retailers face. Before beginning to take a serious interest in the Maghreb region, Kamioun will be ready and technologically mature as a result of this funding round. Being a part of Kamioun’s future success is very exciting for us,” Walid Triki, managing director of Anava Seed Fund, said about the investment in Kamioun.
A Look At What Kamioun Does
Launched in 2020, Kamioun was founded by Fares Belghith with the goal of reducing inefficiencies and waste in the retail supply chain as a result of a lack of transparency, optimization, and pricing volatility. Essentially, Kamioun is a mobile B2B platform that allows retailers to obtain goods from a broad network of reputable manufacturers at competitive pricing. On the platform, deliveries are made for free. Kamioun manufacturers have access to a large network of retailers as well as very comprehensive business intelligence reports about the FMCG market particularly .
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Kamioun says it is the first to use an end-to-end e-commerce logistics solution, allowing it to better control delivery schedules, customer support, and shipment quality. This, according to the company, sets it apart from its regional competitors.
Local businesses are already adopting the technology, and the company says it aims to expand internationally starting from North Africa next year. In the coming months, it plans to acquire additional funding to expand into new cities and markets.
“Our first point of contact is with the retailer’s supply chain, ensuring that their restocking process is best-in-class and eventually assisting them with other elements of their business (such as inventory management, sales…). However, because merchants are the largest network of everything in the region, they have the ability to serve as a gathering point for residents and businesses. They may be the mandates for a lot of companies who are having trouble reaching out to their customers.
Citizens could pay their bills in the neighborhood store, pick up (or put) their orders online, or do their banking there, if the unbanked 60% of Tunisians wanted to. Family businesses are the best at knowing their communities, and we believe they can help online enterprises gain trust and acceptance,” Belghith said.
Belghith said working in numerous emerging markets and, in particular, living in Kenya (the country where M-Pesa originated) taught him that it is not always viable to replicate anything that works in an emerging market. Emerging markets are known for their huge number of neighborhood grocers, as well as a general lack of trust in business transactions, which makes innovation challenging.
“We see small businesses as a generator of innovation and trust, delivering real-time connection and services to their customers,” he said in a statement.
Kamioun ecommerce Kamioun ecommerce
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer