Maka, a Nigerian fashion and beauty e-commerce platform, has received a $2.65 million pre-seed funding round. Investors like 4DX Ventures, Janngo Capital, Palm Drive Capital, angel investor Jonathan Shipman, founder of EVP, and executives from delivery platform Wolt are supporting Maka to improve the fashion and beauty shopping experience in Africa.

Founded in 2021 by Diana Owusu-Kyereko, Maka is a social commerce platform simplifying fashion and beauty product purchases in Africa. They offer live try-on hauls, reviews, and user-generated content to enhance the shopping process.

Owusu-Kyereko started Maka after discovering that shopping in Africa was a challenge. Many preferred platforms like ASOS and Instagram due to issues with traditional markets and cross-border shopping. Trust and convenience were problems with online buying, especially during COVID.

Maka’s goal is to build trust in the buying process and help creators monetize their influence. Using video content, they connect users with trusted creators, creating a more personalized shopping experience. The platform encourages customers to share video reviews, creating a community feel and trust.

Maka’s user-generated content model allows various creators to make videos about their purchases. They also have a rewards system to encourage users to engage with the community.

Since its launch, Maka has seen high engagement, with over 500,000 downloads and 2,000+ reviews created using its user-generated content model.

With the funding, Maka plans to grow its team, enhance its technology, and expand its reach in Ghana and Nigeria. The platform aims to transform fashion and beauty e-commerce in Africa, providing a more inclusive, personalized, and trustworthy shopping experience for consumers while offering creators new ways to earn.