tappi, an end-to-end digital commerce SaaS solution tailored for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), has successfully raised $1.5 million. The funding was led by Mercy Corps Ventures and Chui Ventures, with participation from prominent investors such as Digital Currency Group, SOSV, Resilience17, growX ventures, Orbit Startups, and Reflect Ventures, as well as angel investors and advisors from tech giants like Google, Salesforce, and Zendesk. Tappi aims to simplify the digitalization process for SMEs, allowing them to create and manage online business profiles effortlessly, engage with customers, and accept payments.
SMEs play a vital role in the African economy, contributing approximately 50% to the continent’s GDP and employing over 80% of the workforce. However, these businesses face numerous challenges, particularly in adapting to the digital age. Founded in 2022 by Kenfield Griffith (CEO) and Louis Majanja, Tappi addresses this gap by helping small businesses digitize their operations, and creating SEO-optimized websites within minutes of profile creation on the Tappi app. Over the past few months, tappi has successfully indexed 5,000 business pages on Google, enhancing visibility for these enterprises.
Kenfield Griffith emphasized the company’s mission, stating, “Our goal is to help businesses achieve visibility.” tappi not only facilitates website creation but also assists businesses in collecting customer reviews through these platforms.
One distinctive feature of tappi is its partnership with mobile network operators, currently limited to MTN. This collaboration enables small business owners to purchase ads using airtime, addressing common hurdles when paying for ads with credit cards. Tappi offers a specialized data bundle comprising an ad credit, a data bundle, and a voice bundle. The platform also provides an AI feature that generates business ad descriptions, catering to businesses needing more resources to craft compelling ad copies.
While Tappi is yet to be profitable, Griffith is optimistic about the startup’s path to profitability. The company generates revenue through customer subscriptions ranging from $2 to $100. Griffith highlighted significant growth in subscribers within the $2–$19 range, with a noteworthy 19% month-over-month increase in business ads and business data bundle subscriptions.
Expressing gratitude for the support from investors, Griffith stated, “We are eager to empower SMEs across Africa by providing them with a trusted identity online to find customers.” Looking ahead, Tappi plans to explore strategic partnerships for its next growth phase, emphasizing its commitment to unlocking the untapped potential within Africa’s informal SME markets, especially in overlooked service industries such as food services, fashion, agriculture, and health and beauty.
