Kenyan e-commerce startup Chpter raises $1.2 million
Chpter, a Kenyan AI-powered conversational commerce platform founded by Marketforce co-founders has secured $1.2 million in their Pre-Seed round.
Founded in 2022 by Tesh Mbaabu, Mesongo Sibuti, Kuria Kevin and Mark Kiarie, Chpter enables businesses to sell more on social platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram.
The company does this by providing an AI-powered conversational commerce platform and automating conversations, marketing and payments all in one place.
Chpter is already live in Kenya and South Africa, powering hundreds of businesses across e-commerce and retail, financial services, education, media and entertainment, travel and hospitality, health and wellness.
“We are thrilled to pioneer the social commerce revolution, starting in Africa, as more and more consumers turn to social channels such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to communicate and purchase from the brands they love,” says Tesh Mbaabu, Co-Founder and CEO at Chpter.
“Specifically, WhatsApp’s role in business communication cannot be overstated. With more than two billion active users, it offers an unparalleled platform for businesses to offer support, engage in sales conversations, and maintain customer relationships.”
“A WhatsApp-led e-commerce experience makes it more inclusive and accessible to the underserved mass market, due to its low data and digital literacy requirements as well as the over 95% usage rate in many emerging markets.” Adds Mark Kiarie, Co-Founder and COO at Chpter
Chpter, says it will use the capital in three key areas: Accelerate product development of its conversational commerce offering, expand its product availability across more countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and enhance its sales and marketing efforts on the back of growing demand from leading brands.
The round was led by Ken Njoroge of PANI, who is the co-founder & Former CEO of Cellulant. With participation and commitments from Plesion Capital, Techstars, Norrsken, Renew Capital, ViKtoria Ventures, and angel investors including NALA Founder and CEO Benjamin Fernandes, and Workpay Cofounders Paul Kimani and Jackson Kibigo.
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