Badili, a recommerce business located in Kenya, has received further financing from Renew Capital.
The number of smartphone connections in Sub-Saharan Africa is predicted to reach over 700 million by 2025, yet adoption rates remain low across the region. Via its recommerce platform, Badili is on a mission to alter this and put a smartphone in the hands of every African.
“We are providing an alternative platform where people can buy used and refurbished smartphones safely and affordably,” says Badili’s CEO Rishabh Lawania. “Most of our devices cost less than half their original price, and all come with a 12-month warranty.”
Rishabh Lawania and Keshu Dubey started Badili in 2021 with the goal of offering a trustworthy platform for buying and selling used cellphones in Kenya. Lawania saw the need for the site after a coworker was arrested for purchasing a stolen phone. Badili demands its vendors to produce ID and photos, as well as sign an affidavit saying that they are the legitimate owners of the equipment, to protect customers. This technique protects purchasers further and helps to guarantee the authenticity of the items.
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“We are thrilled to have Renew Capital Angels as partners in our journey to create a better recommerce experience for everyone in Africa. We want to make it easy, safe and affordable for people to buy and sell pre-owned devices. This investment will help take us one step closer to achieving that goal,” Lawania says.
“Badili is on a mission to create a standardized and affordable parallel economy for consumer electronics across Africa,” says Esther Mwikali, Renew Capital Investment and Project Manager. “Renew Capital Angels are proud to help support this journey.”
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Capital Renew Capital is an impact investing organisation based in Africa that backs creative firms with strong growth potential. Renew Capital, which has offices in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda, handles investments made on behalf of the Renew Capital Angels, a global network of angel investors, foundations, and family offices seeking financial rewards as well as long-term social impact. The Angels have been actively investing in the area since the network’s inception in 2012, pushing millions of dollars into Africa’s middle market.
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert.
As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard