More
    HomePartner ContentAfrikrea.com Transforms into ANKA Marketplace, Continues Mission to Empower African Entrepreneurs

    Afrikrea.com Transforms into ANKA Marketplace, Continues Mission to Empower African Entrepreneurs

    Published on

    spot_img

    Afrikrea.com, a trailblazing e-commerce platform promoting African culture and fashion globally, has undergone a significant transformation, rebranding itself as ANKA Marketplace. The shift marks a new chapter for the company, reinforcing its commitment to empowering African entrepreneurs on the world stage.

    The transition from Afrikrea to ANKA Marketplace signals more than just a change in name; it represents a strategic evolution towards a broader vision of supporting diverse industries across the continent. Alongside its existing suite of products, ANKA Pay and ANKA Shipping, the marketplace aims to facilitate African vendors in selling their products worldwide.

    Despite the rebrand, the core mission of unleashing African entrepreneurship remains unchanged, with a renewed focus on creative spheres such as fashion, art, and fabrics. The move comes after Afrikrea.com’s closure announcement last week.

    Founded in 2016 by Moulaye Taboure, Kadry Diallo, and Luc B. Perussault Diallo, Afrikrea quickly gained prominence as a platform bridging the gap between African artisans and global consumers. Its innovative approach garnered attention, leading to significant fundraising efforts and expansion plans.

    In 2020, Afrikrea secured a $1 million investment led by the Africa-focused VC fund Saviu.vc, aiming to enhance its marketplace infrastructure and global reach. The platform’s dedication to empowering sellers resulted in over $50 million in sales across 6,000 shops spanning 101 countries.

    May 2021 saw the introduction of ANKA, an all-in-one SaaS solution simplifying e-commerce operations for micro-retailers. The rebrand to ANKA in 2022 reflected a broader vision beyond fashion, coinciding with a $6.2 million pre-Series A round, demonstrating investor confidence.

    Despite securing additional investments totaling $5 million from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Proparco, and the French Public Investment Bank, Afrikrea faced market pressures leading to its closure. The reasons behind this decision remain undisclosed, leaving stakeholders and users bewildered.

    However, the transformation of Afrikrea.com into ANKA Marketplace symbolizes resilience and commitment to its mission. As the platform steps into this new era, it aims to continue fostering African entrepreneurship, celebrating creativity, and connecting global audiences with the continent’s rich cultural heritage.

    With ANKA Marketplace, the journey continues, fueled by a vision of growth, innovation, and empowerment for African entrepreneurs worldwide.

    Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert. As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard.

    Latest articles

    Pan-African Startup AMAKA Studio Raises $2M Seed Funding to Connect Brands with Content Creators

    The round was led by Equitane (formerly known as the Africa Transformation and Industrialization Fund: ATIF), alongside contributions from Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Lab, Silverbacks Holdings, and a network of angel investors.

    Tunisian Edtech Startup GoMyCode Gains University Status Amid AI Threat 

    The timing of GoMyCode’s transition into an accredited university comes as the global education sector faces increasing uncertainty due to advances in artificial intelligence (AI).

    Dubai’s Global Ventures Sets Sights on Expanding African Startup Portfolio with New Fund

    Global Ventures has previously made notable investments in a variety of African startups, including Kenya's Ilara Health, Egypt's Paymob, Nigeria's Moniepoint. Others include Helium Health, Metro Africa Xpress Inc. (MAX), Elmenus…

    SA’s Scale Raises $700K Pre-Seed to Enable African Fintechs Launch and Manage Card Payments

    The $700,000 in pre-seed funding will allow Scale to accelerate its market entry into three African nations, where the company aims to enable fintechs and other businesses to offer payment solutions that are otherwise challenging to deploy.

    More like this

    Pan-African Startup AMAKA Studio Raises $2M Seed Funding to Connect Brands with Content Creators

    The round was led by Equitane (formerly known as the Africa Transformation and Industrialization Fund: ATIF), alongside contributions from Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Lab, Silverbacks Holdings, and a network of angel investors.

    Tunisian Edtech Startup GoMyCode Gains University Status Amid AI Threat 

    The timing of GoMyCode’s transition into an accredited university comes as the global education sector faces increasing uncertainty due to advances in artificial intelligence (AI).

    Dubai’s Global Ventures Sets Sights on Expanding African Startup Portfolio with New Fund

    Global Ventures has previously made notable investments in a variety of African startups, including Kenya's Ilara Health, Egypt's Paymob, Nigeria's Moniepoint. Others include Helium Health, Metro Africa Xpress Inc. (MAX), Elmenus…