Kenyan fashion e-commerce startup ShopZetu has successfully raised pre-seed funding of US $ 1 million to support its expansion plans beyond Kenya. The funding will be used to fuel the growth of its fashion marketplace and enable the addition of beauty and home décor categories to its platform. The startup aims to meet the growing demands of young, style-conscious women in Africa and become a leading lifestyle platform.
ShopZetu plans to scale regionally in the coming months, focusing on attracting international fashion brands and increasing the number of vendors on its platform from the current 300 to 1,000. To achieve this, the startup intends to trial regional delivery services in Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.
ShopZetu was founded by Marvin Kiragu and Wandia Gichuru. Kiragu and the platform currently host over 20,000 products from more than 300 vendors, including local manufacturers and traders of imported fashion products.
Vendor onboarding is free, and they pay commissions on sales generated through the platform, as well as for additional services like delivery. ShopZetu also offers various subsidised services to vendors, such as content creation, digital marketing, warehousing, last-mile delivery, and returns management.
