Startups Directory

Merama is a holding company that acquires majority stakes in high-growth, direct-to-consumer e-commerce brands across Latin America and the U.S., while allowing founders to retain ownership and operational control. The company provides acquired brands with working capital, e-commerce expertise, and proprietary technology tools to accelerate growth and expansion. Having evolved from an e-commerce aggregator model, Merama now operates as a more focused holding company managing a curated portfolio of six major brands rather than dozens. The company has raised over $430M in equity and debt financing since its December 2020 founding.

Wasoko is a B2B e-commerce marketplace that connects large manufacturers (P&G, Unilever, Nestlé) with over 450,000 small retail shops and kiosks across East Africa. Shop owners order essential goods like rice, soap, and household items via a mobile app, receiving same-day delivery at bulk discounts. The platform also embeds Buy Now Pay Later financing with 99%+ repayment rates, functioning as both a distributor and informal financial services provider for underserved retailers.

CommerceIQ is an AI-powered retail ecommerce management platform that helps consumer brands optimize sales across major online marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Instacart. It unifies digital shelf optimization, retail media advertising, and supply chain management through machine learning and automation to drive profitable market share growth. The platform serves over 2,200 brands globally, including Nestle, Colgate, and Whirlpool, delivering measurable results like 40% incremental sales increases and 32% reduction in out-of-stock rates.

TradeDepot is a B2B e-commerce and embedded finance platform connecting FMCG brands to over 100,000 small retailers across Nigeria. The platform offers digital commerce, buy-now-pay-later inventory financing, integrated logistics, and data analytics. It uniquely combines a hyper-local marketplace model with embedded credit to help micro-retailers expand purchasing power while reducing supplier delivery costs by up to 25%.