Suppliers of consumer products in search of international B2B buyers have a growing trading partner in Sokowatch, an East Africa online marketplace listing products from major manufacturers like Unilever and Proctor & Gamble.

Sokowatch, which launched in Kenya in 2016 as a supply hub for merchants, is planning to expand into additional African markets and broaden its client services after receiving $14 million in Series A funding last month from investment firm Quona Capital, according to a TechCrunch report posted on Quona’s website.

Selling to thousands of merchants

Daniel Yu, CEO, Sokowatch

“Sokowatch allows shops to place orders at any time through SMS or mobile app, with

free same-day delivery of goods to their shop along with customized lines of credit to help them grow,” Daniel Yu, founder and Global CEO of Sokowatch, notes on his LinkedIn page. He adds that Sokowatch works with “tens of thousands of merchants across Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda while partnering with companies such as Unilever and Procter & Gamble.”

The Quona funding brings Sokowatch’s total so far to $16 million, including the $2 million seed round it received in 2018. Since its launch in 2016, Sokowatch has expanded within Kenya and into Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

Now, with its Series A funding, it plans to introduce data-analytics and other services to help its marketplace users better understand supply and demand. “We’re looking to build out the largest B2B ecommerce network across Africa,” Yu told TechCrunch.