MAKA, an African fashion e-commerce platform, has raised $2.65 million in a pre-seed round to simplify and enhance the purchase of fashion and beauty products in Africa.
The funding round includes investors such as Palm Drive Capital, Angel investor Jonathan Shipman, founder of EVP and Twitch founding member, and executives from delivery platform Wolt.
According to the company which was founded with the mission to empower users to discover their unique style and foster representation, MAKA aims to reintroduce trust in the African fashion and beauty industry.
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Speaking on Maka’s remarkable platform, Co-founder and CEO of MAKA, Diana Owusu Kyereko said the platform not only empowers users but also liberates them to confidently explore and make purchases from verified and trusted brands.
In her words,
“Young consumers today face a shared dilemma-they crave authenticity and the freedom to set their trends, but they are influenced by real people, and they seek choice and individuality without being misled.
“Our focus remains clear, and we’re committed to providing our users with an authentic space to explore their unique style while empowering creators to showcase their content and connect with new audiences. We want to foster meaningful connections between creators and customers.”
Founded by Diana Owusu-Kyereko, who was the ex-CEO of Jumia Ghana and ex-CCO of Jumia Kenya in 2021, MAKA is a social e-commerce platform that enables users to discover products that fit their style through live try-on hauls, reviews, and user-generated content.
The company leverages technology to empower both consumers and creators, thus cementing their position at the forefront of the junction between e-commerce, creative, and cultural industries across Africa.
MAKA addresses the problems creators have monetizing their influence and trust issues that arise during the transaction process. The platform uses interactive video to foster trust between users and content creators.
Notably, the platform offers a review option, allowing customers who make purchases to share their feedback through video reviews, usually between 30 and 60 seconds long. These reviews provide valuable insights for other users, influencing their buying decisions.
On MAKA all reviews are placed by verified shoppers. This means that any review users see is placed by a customer who bought that item on MAKA.
Since its launch, the social commerce platform has reportedly garnered more than 500,000 downloads through its initial strategy of interacting with creators through live sessions.
Nevertheless, since launching its user-generated content model two months ago, the startup has generated over 2,000 reviews.
At MAKA, the startup remains committed and focused on bringing its customers the best online shopping experience, and have incorporated video to bring them as much detail as possible about their products.