Sukhiba, the Kenyan startup known for its innovative use of WhatsApp in business communications, has officially rebranded to Flowcart. The rebrand marks a pivotal evolution in the company’s journey—from a chat-based customer support tool to a fully integrated, AI-driven conversational commerce and CRM platform designed for the mobile-first, messaging-centric future of retail.
Founded in 2021 by Ananth Raj Gudipati and Abhinav Reddy, Sukhiba was initially built to help medium and large enterprises leverage WhatsApp for customer engagement. The platform enabled businesses to manage sales, marketing, customer service, and payments—all within the familiar chat interface of WhatsApp.
Over time, the platform’s capabilities expanded significantly, prompting the need for a new identity that better reflects its broader mission. Now operating as Flowcart, the company positions itself as a revenue-focused platform that transforms every customer conversation into a potential conversion.
“We built Sukhiba with a clear goal: to enable commerce on WhatsApp,” said Ananth Gudipati, CEO and co-founder of Flowcart. “As we grew, we realised that driving revenue requires more than just chat. Businesses need smarter automation, seamless customer journeys, and tools that turn every conversation into a conversion. Flowcart is the evolution of that vision. It is more refined, more powerful, and built for the future of commerce in chat.”
Flowcart is already trusted by over 300 leading brands across sectors such as beauty, telecom, retail, and FMCG. Notable clients include L’Oréal, Safaricom-Masoko, Spar Supermarket Oman, UNCOVER, and Grain Industries Limited. Following a successful $1.55 million seed extension round in 2023, the company is now expanding beyond its core markets of Kenya and South Africa into Nigeria, India, and the UAE—regions where WhatsApp usage is high and mobile-first commerce is booming.
Flowcart’s rebrand is more than cosmetic—it reflects a strategic pivot toward AI-powered automation, personalized customer journeys, and data-driven insights. The platform is now tailored specifically for direct-to-consumer (D2C) and retail brands, offering tools that help businesses:
- Automate sales and support workflows
- Personalize marketing campaigns
- Accept payments directly within chat
- Track customer behavior and engagement
- Integrate seamlessly with existing CRMs and e-commerce platforms
Flowcart’s transformation underscores a broader trend in global commerce: the shift from traditional e-commerce to conversational commerce, where messaging apps become the primary interface for discovery, engagement, and transactions. By aligning itself with this trend, Flowcart is not only redefining how African businesses interact with customers but also positioning itself as a global leader in the next generation of commerce infrastructure.
