Flo by Saada, a Kenyan social commerce startup based by Gerishon Mwaniki, has been acquired by Elloe, a conversational e-commerce startup, for an undisclosed payment. The newly acquired social commerce startup permits SMEs to construct conversational commerce options and course of funds by way of USSD, voice, WhatsApp Enterprise, and programmable SMS.
“Flo by Saada was constructed with a mission to assist companies reply to the rising use of instantaneous messaging as essentially the most most popular mode of communication, each for connecting with household and mates and for receiving instant, private, and attentive experiences from manufacturers,” Gerishon stated in a press launch shared with TechCabal. “We’re excited to be becoming a member of the Elloe crew. Combining our market-leading applied sciences presents a chance to create new, superb buyer experiences.”
Flo by Saada’s shopper listing contains Telkom Kenya, Quick Bus, Oxfam, and different firms within the retail, leisure, hospitality, and journey industries. Flo by Saada’s crew will be part of Elloe’s product and engineering group based mostly in Kenya as Elloe incorporates the expertise to enrich its present portfolio of messaging providers with a packaged, AI-driven providing.
Talking on the acquisition, Elloe’s CEO and founder Owen Sakawa advised TechCabal by way of mail: “Elloe has at all times prioritised social commerce, and we’re excited to increase our capabilities by forming significant partnerships with Flo by Saada. By connecting enterprises and shoppers on a world scale, we can mix the capabilities of Elloe and Flo by Saada.”
He added that “[Elloe’s] investments on this class are crucial to Flo by Saada’s skill to remain on the forefront of offering manufacturers with essentially the most progressive methods to attach with followers and shoppers worldwide. Our purpose with this collaboration is to turn out to be the go-to accomplice for manufacturers and shoppers alike, in addition to to ascertain ourselves as leaders within the quickly evolving social commerce house, which can solely develop in recognition. Our one-of-a-kind platform, a conversational AI infrastructure, permits prospects to introduce chatbots efficiently and clear up issues at scale.”
This acquisition follows a wave of latest important partnerships, acquisitions, and mergers within the African tech ecosystem.