Noki Noki, a Congolese-based logistics company specializing in food delivery and grocery shopping , has secured $3 million in seed funding aimed to expand it’s services in its existing six Central African markets and establish a strong presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Launched in 2021 by Jonathan Yanghat, Noki Noki provides logistic solutions including Noki Food for meal delivery, Noki Drive for supermarket shopping, and Noki Pay, an integrated payment interface for its delivery products. The company, which serves over 10,000 users, claims it recorded over 1 billion CFA francs ($167 million) in transactions in 2023.”
Speaking about the new funding, Jonathan Yanghat, co-founder and CEO of Noki Noki, said, “We started the journey with a few motorcycles and a clear ambition: to revolutionize delivery and e-commerce on the continent. This funding brings us closer to our goal of becoming a reference in last-mile delivery in Africa.”
The funding round was led by Uma Ventures, a VC firm that backs Early Stage Venture, Late Stage Venture, Seed, Venture in Africa. This investment highlights the continued confidence in Congolese startups, which have become significant contributors to venture capital growth in the region.
In 2023 alone, Congolese startups attracted $62 million in venture capital funding, making the country a leader in Central Africa’s startup ecosystem.
Vinay Vaswani, founder of Uma Ventures, expressed confidence in Noki Noki’s potential: “Jonathan Yanghat and his team have demonstrated a keen understanding of the sector’s needs and an ability to thrive as market leaders. Their vision coincides with our strategy of building tech-enabled infrastructure, which is why we are proud to accompany them in their growth.”
Noki Noki operates in a competitive market alongside other logistics startups like Wikko, Vanoma, and Sualoo. The Central African last-mile delivery market is growing at an annual rate of 8.45% and is projected to generate $2.35 billion by 2030, according to Straits Research.
The new funding will enable Noki Noki to scale its operations across its current six markets and solidify its presence in new areas, particularly in the DRC. This expansion is crucial for the startup to capitalize on the burgeoning e-commerce and delivery sectors in Central Africa.