Jendaya secures £1M in pre-seed funding to connect African and global brands to high-end consumers
Jendaya, a one-year-old e-commerce start-up, has raised £1 million ($1.2 million) in pre-seed funding and has launched to centralize cross-border commerce between African and global luxury brands.
The platform is connecting African and African diaspora luxury brands with high-end consumers worldwide and African shoppers to global brands, all with an ethos that supports slow fashion, artisan craft, made-to-order luxury goods, and emerging talent.
The startup has seen the most traction from the U.K., Nigeria, Ghana, and the U.S. markets and has processed about 300 orders since its launch, with an average order value per shopping cart of $350.
Jendaya hosts a roster of brands, including Brooklyn-based minimalist accessories brand Marty Moto and Kenyan brand Adele Dejak, and ships designer offerings from Africa, Asia, the U.K., the U.S., and Europe to customers globally.
The CEO, Ayotunde Rufai, hopes to double the number of brands on the platform this year and promote more African luxury designers globally, while also expanding Jendaya's B2B offerings which have already generated about $100,000 in revenue.
