Sky.Garden, a Kenyan E-commerce startup, has secured a $4 million Series A investment led by The SANAD Fund for MSME. The round was joined by Aavishkaar, the Uncovered Fund, and other angel investors. Sky.Garden currently serves more than 15,000 sellers and is poised to expand to new geographies.
Launched in 2017, Sky.Garden caters especially to smaller sellers and at-home entrepreneurs, an important economic sector that is otherwise underserved by larger e-commerce platforms dominated by major retailers.
The online marketplace enables businesses to expand their outreach beyond physical premises and connect to customers across Kenya – providing opportunities not only to increase sales but also to remain flexible in an uncertain environment such as the coronavirus pandemic.
Sky.Garden’s proprietary tech enables business owners to customize their own web storefront and engage in online inventory management, payments, and logistics without extensive training.
Supported by the investment, Sky.Garden now aims to expand its services beyond Kenya into neighboring countries, with its sights set on the MENA region, notably Egypt.
Sky.Garden CEO Martin Majlund said, “Sky.Garden’s sole focus is to provide African sellers with best-in-class technology to sell their products online. This investment round will allow us to accelerate doing what we do best. I’m looking forward to an exciting new chapter with these great partners pioneering e-commerce with the African entrepreneur in mind.”
SANAD Board Chairperson Dr. Daniela Beckmann said, “SANAD has long promoted the power of technology for financial inclusion and business growth, and the pandemic has underscored the importance of digital solutions in ensuring flexible, sustainable operations for entrepreneurs.
“We are very pleased to be joining forces with Sky.Garden, an impactful company expanding access to the benefits of e-commerce to the locally owned businesses that drive the engine of the economy and are at the core of SANAD’s mission. With the investment, we will also enable technology transfer for the benefit of entrepreneurs in the MENA region.”
