Craftmerce, a B2B platform for African brands, has launched in Nigeria. The firm was founded by Cynthia Asije (CEO) and Sarah Odiavbara (CTO) to provide a marketplace for African businesses looking to reach a wider international audience.
Asije whose first business Adire Lounge was in 2015, said that she was inspired to establish Craftmerce after she encountered the challenge of marketing Adire to international retailers. Her solution to this problem is Craftmerce which is making it seamless for African businesses to connect to a larger market.
The aim of the startup is to help African makers gain access to international retailers while also connecting international retailers with exceptional African products that are made via a small batch production process, sustainably to stock their store.
Craftmerce is backed by Be Ondeck Accelerator to facilitate its growth and scale its product. It has also partnered with the global logistics company, DHL, to ensure easy carriage of brands products
Currently, Craftmerce has onboarded a handful of brands from across Africa and has a network of retailers in the US, UK, Canada and Europe.
On its future plans, the founders stated that new features will be rolled out after the launch. Some of these features include: Buy Now Pay Later and advanced credit.
