Tech-enabled courier platform that enables seamless and affordable parcel exports from Africa, TUNL, has secured $1 million in pre-seed funds to solve e-commerce exports for African businesses.
The pre-seed round comprised several investors which include, Founders Factory Africa, Digital Africa Ventures, E4E Africa, and Jozi Angels.
TUNL announced that the funding will fuel its expansion in its primary market, South Africa, and lay the groundwork for its launch in other key African and emerging markets.
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Co-founder & CEO of TUNL Matthew Davey said the company will now focus on using its seed funding to improve sales and the onboarding process for new merchants. Notably, the company has streamlined the onboarding experience, primarily relying on customer support assistance to a more self-service approach.
The startup wants to ensure that every business, large or small, can have an equal chance to convert overseas sales by reducing the cost of shipping as much as possible.
TUNL offers affordable and seamless parcel shipping from South Africa to the US, EU, UK, and Australia. It charges 50% less than express courier rates, with full tracking and insurance, and a delivery time of 7-10 days. The startup consolidates e-commerce orders at origin and injects them into optimal final-mile carrier networks in destination countries.
On the TUNL platform, merchants offer customers various shipping options during checkout. This includes an “economy” courier option with the shipping cost starting as low as $10 from South Africa to the USA with a slightly longer delivery time (around 10 to 14 days).
Alternatively, customers can opt for faster shipping options within a week, with either FedEx or UPS at a much more reasonable cost than they can get individually. These options enhance flexibility and potentially improve conversion rates (the exact prices vary based on destination and weight, according to the CEO.
Currently, barriers to exporting are costing African businesses $50 billion annually in missed opportunities. Cross-border shipping from Africa is expensive, slow, and largely undigitised.
In a bid to address these challenges, TUNL is passionate about bringing world-class South African products to customers worldwide and providing exceptional service to make international shipping seamless for all.
The company has experienced impressive growth, with a 35% month-on-month increase since its launch. Over 700 merchants are now part of its “shipping club,” and the platform has facilitated the shipment of over 8,000 international parcels in 2023.
TUNL’s vision is to turn African businesses into global businesses through better export logistics, and empower merchants to tap into larger consumer markets overseas.