SUKHIBA, an innovative conversational commerce and CRM platform, has completed a $1.55 million seed extension round led by EQ2 Ventures.
Other top-tier investors participating in the round include Accion Venture Lab, Musha Ventures, Quona Capital, and existing investors CRE Ventures.
Unlike other platforms designed for developed markets that rely on email infrastructure and tailored for developed markets, SUKHIBA was built for the unique needs of emerging markets.
It focuses on the predominant use of WhatsApp as an operating system and customizes its services of sales, marketing, customer service, payments and more around the WhatsApp infrastructure.
Traditionally, manufacturers and distributors supplying small and medium enterprises (SMEs) rely on physical visits and scattered WhatsApp messages to drive order generation and oversee logistics, often resulting in stockouts and lost sales.
SUKHIBA’s seamless, WhatsApp-based communication platform integrates inventory ordering, payments, trade credit, delivery, and customer relationships. By enabling manufacturers and distributors to push shopping carts to wholesalers and retailers, SUKHIBA reduces order delays and time spent managing inventory.
This helps SMEs maintain stock levels and also increases their sales, improving overall productivity and efficiency.
SUKHIBA has achieved commendable growth since 2023 and today operates in eight markets across Africa and India, working with top-tier manufacturers, distributors, leading retail chains, and D2C brands.
More than 35,000 SMEs are already purchasing products and services through its merchant partners. SUKHIBA can scale seamlessly by integrating various payment companies and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, such as SAP, ERPNext, Shopify, WooCommerce etc.
The newly secured funds will be key in accelerating SUKHIBA’s expansion across Africa and other emerging markets.
The company’s vision is supported by marquee customers and investors, reflecting confidence in its potential to become the default CRM and sales force automation tool for emerging markets.
Ananth Gudipati, co-founder and CEO of SUKHIBA, said: “SUKHIBA is designed to bridge the gap between brands, manufacturers, distributors, and their customers in emerging markets by leveraging the ubiquitous nature of WhatsApp. This seed extension marks a significant milestone for us, enabling us to scale our operations and enhance our SaaS platform to better serve our growing customer base of manufacturers, distributors and D2C brands.”
Manish Phulwani, associate director at EQ2 Ventures, added: “Our follow-on investment in SUKHIBA is a strong vote of confidence, having witnessed the team’s consistent execution since the early days. Their exceptional product mindset is rare, positioning them to lead the transition of business and consumer transactions to WhatsApp across emerging markets. We look forward to continuing this journey with the team.”
According to Amee Parbhoo, managing partner, Accion Venture Lab: “We see that small retailers in emerging markets are reliant on in-person interactions to manage their day-to-day commerce.
SUKHIBA’s innovative platform can streamline many processes for small and medium enterprises as well as large manufacturers and distributors — from integrating inventory management and payment processing to trade credit, logistics, and customer engagement; all within the familiar interface of WhatsApp, helping improve the client experience and boost productivity.”
