Nigeria-based startup, Kwik, has announced the raise of $2 million in Series A funding led by XBTO Ventures to add more services to its existing last-mile delivery services.

The startup which is also based in France was launched in Lagos in 2019 with last-mile delivery service offered to B2B merchants and from social vendors to e-commerce platforms.

According to thee startup founder and CEO, Romain Poirot-Lellig, Kwik will use the funding in this new round to add a financial solution to its existing offerings. Other investors in this round include Humla Ventures, Nabuboto, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot and Pulse Africa founder Leonard Stiegeler.

Having established in Nigeria, the startup sets itself up  for competition from known names like GoKada who also have a remarkable presence with its last-mile delivery offering in many parts of Nigeria. However, Kwik has also had a remarkable run since it was established in 2019. The startups has also launched in Nigeri’s capital territory, Abuja, where it also boasts of more than 100,000 merchants who use the platform – both on web and its mobile application – to run a number of logistical, commercial and financial needs of their businesses.  And according to Romain, there are more than 75% weekly active users on the app.

With the fund raised, the startup wantf to make do on what the founder had earlier said about its product when he disclosed that Kwik wants to “bring the informal economy into the formal economy,” by focusing on last-mile delivery, e-commerce (warehousing and fulfilment) and the proposed financial services it is about to add.

Speaking about the startup offerings, Romain said: “Our goal is for Kwik to become the prime app choice for African social vendors and traditional merchants going digital. Integrating delivery, payment and e-commerce tools seamlessly in one easy-to-use mobile app is a catchy proposition. This financing round will enable us to expand across all three key verticals and select geographic areas. We are purely a software company. We create a community and a matchmaking playground. We ensure that we enforce the rules of the playground, both on the merchants’ side and on the partners’ side. The financing part is the last part we’re building. For the moment, we connect riders and financing institutions that are willing to finance bikes. On top of that, we’re going to launch a B2B lending marketplace by the end of the year to enable merchants to get financing.” 

Investors King also gathered that the startup is aiming to use the funds to acquire more customers and expand its reach beyond Lagos and Abuja with plans already on the way for Ibadan, Kano, Port Harcourt and Kaduna.

Poirot-Lellig also disclosed that the company plans to increase the number of merchants on its platform to 800,000 by the end of 2022.

Africa-focused tech community startup, Meaningful Gigs, has secured $6M in new funding to expand its market base and offerings for African designers and service providers.

Meaningful Gigs has provided a community for African designers to meet the needs of local and international enterprises by linking them with gigs via its technology-based platform.

The startup was founded by Ronnie Kwesi Coleman and is based in Washington D.C with trusted backing from multinational companies like Coca-Cola, Vans, Audi, e.t.c. According to the startup, the fund raised will be used to expand its offering to more African designers to reach more multinational companies on its platform.

With an aggressive marketing campaign, Ronnie revealed that the company wants to also reach a number of companies to tap into the rich untapped market of the freelancing-gig economy. According to him, the target is to reach over a hundred enterprises to add to the existing 40 of which 17 are multinational enterprises.

Speaking about the seed funding, he disclosed: “We are thinking about how we can let more dimensional traders all over the continent know that we exist, so that we can help them make five to seven times more what they are making locally. We are creating more referral programs through our platform to help scale throughout the continent.”

Investors King gathered that this seed round was led by Stage 2 Capital with participation from Rethink Education, Authentic Ventures, Reach Capital, Marla Blow, Zvi Band, and Michele Perry.

The gig industry is one that accounts for blasting figures that are not documented in many instances. For example, in Africa where many people leverage such platforms, gigs are closed internally on the platforms and people get their earnings without any obligation of tax recording which is solely due to the nature of the industry.

Over the years, a number of innovative platforms have also sprung up with the same offering that helps people close deals and earns money by providing meaningful services. And according to varying reports, the gig economy is one that has had an upward trajectory since it began.

In 2020 when the pandemic peaked, the gig industry experienced a huge spurt that was accelerated by the pandemic – and with no signs of slowing down. The sector’s growth is expected to reach $455 billion in 2023 which is double the value in 2018 and a 17% CAGR.

Undoubtedly, as gig opportunities increase, so do the platforms linking workers with remote opportunities.

Speaking about investing in Meaningful Gigs, Mandy Cole, Stage 2 Capital partner disclosed: “With the shortage of highly skilled talent and the increasing need for diverse thinking, especially in creative, marketing and product, Meaningful Gigs is solving a huge problem by connecting talented African designers with companies to deliver best-in-class design. We’ve been impressed with the Meaningful Gigs team’s focus in providing the best design experience for their clients while providing amazing tools for their designers; we’re excited to support their journey to become the destination for diverse design talent.”

Africa-focused Fintech Solutions Platform, Spleet, has raised $625,000 in an oversubscribed pre-seed round led by MetaProp VC.

The startup was founded in 2018 by Tola Adesanmi. Spleet is especially concerned with building a future where home renting is less stressful and much easier. The startup has established a financial solution that automatically serves as a middle man between landlords and tenants.

Landlords can now use the platform to verify and vet tenants as well as automate rent collections, while individuals and home hunters can search for comfortable living spaces with flexible payment options with less stress and hassle.

Spleet is all so remarkable as it is backed by serial entrepreneur and tech tycoon, Iyin Aboyeji’s Venture Capital firm, Future Africa.

According to the founder, this funding round would be used to build the platform’s newest rent financing product -the ‘Rent Now Pay Later’ and other products he described as facilitators of seamless residential rental processes. Tola also disclosed that the rent financing product is a much-needed solution for tenants due to the soaring cost of buying a home, and the 1-2 years upfront payment that many landlords in Nigeria request from tenants – especially in Lagos.

Speaking about this new product, Tola said: “After launching a marketplace in 2019, we realised that the issues in our rental market were beyond what our marketplace could solve. Affordability is one of the biggest pain points for tenants. Most tenants earn income monthly and can therefore not afford the 1-2 years burden of paying their rent in advance. We decided to change this by building a financing solution, “Rent Now, Pay Later”, to help tenants get homes with as little as 1-2 months’ rent worth of savings. We are currently in beta testing our rent now, pay later product with a select number of tenants, and we are happy with the results. We will extend this to a wider market of tenants and potential tenants in the coming months,”

The Real Estate sector is one that is thriving traditionally in Nigeria and the infusion of technology to this sector is one that hasn’t readily been accepted by many stakeholders. However, Spleet has been positioned to show all the benefits there is for both tenants and landlords to leverage from the platform.