Rwazi, a data intelligence startup, has secured a $12 million Series A funding round led by Bonfire Ventures to expand its AI-powered platform that delivers real-time consumer insights across global markets.
The startup was born out of a stark realization, while regions like the U.S., UK, and parts of Western Europe had an abundance of consumer and market-level data, vast international markets including India, Brazil, Mexico, China, and Turkey lacked usable, real-time insights into consumer behavior. “There was no real picture on consumption, what consumers wanted, or how their behavior was shifting,” Rutakangwa told TechCrunch.
Initial attempts to rely on data from government trade agencies and consumer reports proved unreliable—often outdated, fragmented, or unverifiable. This led the founders to pioneer a new approach: zero-party data—consumption data voluntarily shared by consumers as part of their everyday routines. Using advanced validation and verification tools, Rwazi captures this data across global markets in real time.
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The result is a powerful AI-driven intelligence system that allows companies to visualize consumer behavior live, predict market trends, and optimize decision-making. This has helped Rwazi’s clients among them global giants like Coca-Cola, Visa, Pampers, and Nestlé cut customer acquisition costs, boost loyalty, and stay competitive in fast-moving markets.
This new round of funding follows a $4 million seed round in 2023 also led by Bonfire Ventures, and includes participation from Santa Barbara Ventures, Newfund, and Alumni Ventures. Rutakangwa emphasized that the raise was “selective,” focused on investors who fully understood the challenges of building data infrastructure for underrepresented markets.
With presence in 190+ countries and clients primarily in the U.S. and Europe, Rwazi plans to use the funds to scale its AI co-pilot, expand engineering talent, and further refine its data infrastructure.
In a space dominated by legacy players like GFK and Ipsos, Rwazi distinguishes itself by offering direct, real-time, non-modeled insights. “Winning today means anticipating shifts, seeing around corners, and making confident moves before the competition even senses a change,” Rutakangwa said.
Founded in 2021 by Joseph Rutakangwa and Eric Sewankambo, Rwazi is redefining how global brands make decisions turning real-time, voluntarily shared consumer data into actionable insight at a global scale. The system captures how people consume and shop both online and offline, at home and away across 190+ countries.
The platform crowdsources data collection through an app, working with on-the-ground consumers who are paid for sharing details about the products they buy. This information comes in handy for global brands that leverage Rwazi’s customer dashboard to access actionable insights
The AI identifies what’s working, where demand is shifting, and how to respond—so teams move faster, waste less, and grow revenue with precision. Its AI processes millions of data points daily to help businesses fine-tune product-market fit, launch smarter campaigns, and move faster in an increasingly noisy and competitive market landscape.
Rwazi is playing big in the data analytics market, which is projected to reach $745.15 billion by 2033, with a CAGR of 10.3%. The increasing integration of AI and machine learning technologies is enhancing data analytics capabilities, allowing businesses to derive more insights from their data.
The rise of big data analytics is crucial, as organizations are generating massive amounts of data that require sophisticated analysis to drive decision-making. With its latest raise, Rwazi hopes to position itself as a market leader and capture a larger share of its expanding market.