Kenyan logistics startup Bwala Africa has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from experienced Silicon Valley investor Justin Caldbeck as it expands into Uganda.
Launched in January of last year, Bwala Africa is a last mile logistics marketplace marketplace that helps brands deliver their merchandise to consumers.
It raised KES24 million (US$238,000) in debt financing last September, and has now added to that with investment from Caldbeck, who has invested in a host of marketplaces and consumer products in the United States (US), including Grubhub, Snapchat, Stitchfix, Taskrabbit, Bellhops, Dia and Co, Uber, and Opendoor. He will be joining Bwala Africa as a Board Member.
“Bwala will be Justin’s first African investment. It is a great honour and opportunity to bring his vast experience and knowledge to our board and be a part of our pan-African expansion journey. We do look forward to working with Justin, learning and growing the Bwala SaaS last mile technology across various African markets,” said Kennedy Nyabwala, Bwala Africa’s founder and chief executive officer (CEO).
He said Bwala, is in talks with VCs to raise US$5 million for regional expansion, had also launched in Kampala, Uganda, signing up fleet partners and retail outlets. The startup is also working on building a KES100 million (US$992,000) state-of-the-art warehouse in Kenya, which will open in August and help the company serve more clients in Nairobi and as well as Mombasa and Kisumu.
