East Africa’s Fast-growing eCommerce Startup, Kasha, Gets $1m Funding from US Corporation

One of Africa’s fast-growing eCommerce companies, Kasha Global, Inc., has received US$1 million funding from the International Development Finance Corporation (IDFC).

Founded by an ex-Microsoft engineer, Joanna Bichsel, Kasha is an omnichannel platform selling women’s wellness and beauty products.

With a presence in Rwanda and Kenya, Kasha is making it easy for urban and rural women in East Africa to have access to personal care products, using custom technology that makes it possible to shop with a basic mobile phone that does not necessarily require internet access.

In a recent interview with Business Elites Africa, Bichsel said she started Kasha because most tech businesses are started by men and largely tailor solutions to men, leaving women marginalized, considering their unique needs.

She said, “I don’t think there’s yet a realization that most tech is built by men and for men, and that a woman’s unique experience is often not recognized or catered for. As a woman, I know what it’s like to go into a store or pharmacy to get a regular product for my body that shouldn’t cause any eyes on me, but the reality is that many products for women’s bodies at all life stages are stigmatized. The situation is even worse in small towns, villages and in rural areas where everyone knows each other and the community talks.

“As a software engineer and someone with a background in building technology solutions, I could see ways we could improve the customer experience for women to get the quality health and self-care products they need and want, confidentially and conveniently”.

ALSO READ: 5 Prolific Business Coaches Every Entrepreneur Should Follow on Social Media

Kasha is the latest African tech company to receive funding from a foreign organization. With the financial backing from the IDFC , the company would double down on cementing its grip on the eCommerce space in East Africa and in building a better customer experience for women.

The IDFC finances businesses across a diverse range of sectors in the developing world. In the last quarter alone, the Corporation reportedly invested over US$3.6 billion in more than 30 deals in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and other emerging markets.