Merchlist.co, a new digital platform from Rensource, Nigeria’s renewable energy firm has launched to help small and medium-sized retailers get discovered quickly while enabling servicing and fulfillment of customer orders online.
Merchlist.co aims to help SMEs connect to their buyers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The platform allows customers to purchase directly from SMEs, and to discover service providers, their contact details and delivery methods, among others.
“Energy has always been our core business but in light of the pandemic, we see the opportunity to help small businesses who are the backbone of our economy survive by gaining access to consumers online,” said Anu Adasolum, Chief Operating Officer at Rensource.
The launch of Merchlist will ensure that small businesses stay in business and everyday consumers can continue to access essential goods. Merchlist aims to connect as many small businesses as possible to the millions of internet users in Nigeria– simply, easily and quickly.
Merchlist is in beta stage and only accepting a limited number of orders per day and is working with partners such as Grocery Bazaar, Grand Square, Rx Pharmacy, Food Jaar, and The Meat Shop with plans to roll out in additional markets across Nigeria.
The firm has also launched Donations by Merchlist, a fund to support its merchant families during this period to provide food, essentials and medical supplies to these families through partner NGOs, Lagos Food Bank, Foundation for the Support of the Less Privileged and Dream from the Slum.
In January, Rensource Energy raised $3m from Proparco, with the support of the European Union under the Africa Renewable Energy Scale-Up facility (ARE Scale-Up) to develop, build and operate over 100 minigrids with a combined power capacity exceeding 35MW over the next five years and to provide clean and affordable electricity to 250,000 SMEs.
In December 2019, the firm raised a $20 million Series A round co-led by CRE Venture Capital and the Omidyar network with participation from Inspired Evolution, Proparco, EDPR, I&P, Sin Capital, and Yuzura Honda.
It has also received undisclosed amounts from Paris-based NEoT Offgrid Africa and several other rounds for expansion.