BoxCommerce case study, portfolio partnerships, and other fund news from January 2024.

In our latest spotlight for the newsletter, we delve into the transformative journey of BoxCommerce , a pioneering platform that's reshaping the e-commerce landscape for emerging markets. This case study, previously shared on LinkedIn, offers an in-depth look at the unique challenges and solutions in regions like Nigeria, Kenya, and Indonesia, where consumer trust, logistical hurdles, and payment barriers have historically impeded online commerce growth.

The Challenge: Consumers in these markets face issues ranging from trust deficits in online transactions to high costs and technical challenges for merchants wanting to establish an online presence. Meanwhile, merchants grapple with logistical inefficiencies, high commission fees by marketplaces, and the lack of control over their online sales channels.

BoxCommerce's Solution: Positioned as the "Shopify for the African market," BoxCommerce emerges as a beacon of innovation, offering an integrated platform for merchants to create online stores, manage end-to-end processes, and engage with customers through social commerce. This solution not only addresses trust and efficiency issues but also empowers merchants with tools for built-in marketing, global logistics partnerships, and versatile payment methods catering to the African and Southeast Asian markets.

Our Journey and Impact with BoxCommerce: Our engagement with BoxCommerce began in 2020, recognizing its potential to dramatically increase merchants' sales and operational efficiency. The platform's market-tailored approach and commitment to improving the merchant experience have resulted in exponential growth, significantly outpacing competitors like Shopify in key markets. Our support extends beyond capital investment, offering strategic partnerships and operational support to ensure BoxCommerce's continued expansion and success.

The Future of E-Commerce in Emerging Markets: The article also explores the broader trends shaping e-commerce in these regions, including the rise of social commerce, live shopping, and the pivotal role of mobile payments. BoxCommerce's alignment with these trends ensures it remains at the forefront of the e-commerce evolution, providing merchants with the tools they need to succeed in a digital-first marketplace.

For a more comprehensive understanding of BoxCommerce's impact and the future of e-commerce in emerging markets, we invite you to read the full case study through the original article. This insightful exploration underscores the importance of innovation and adaptability in meeting the dynamic needs of consumers and merchants alike in the digital age.

Read the full article here.

DLD Conference

Our partner Bunmi Akinyemiju spoke on leveraging entrepreneurship for economic development at the DLD Conference event, alongside Lexi Novitske, CFA from Norrsken22, and Dirk Van Quaquebeke from BEENEXT, moderated by Thomas Crampton. For an in-depth view of this engaging discussion, check out the full panel here.

The Colorintech Founders Program

Our principal here at Greenhouse Capital, Damilola Aderinto will be speaking to founders at The Colorintech Founders Programme. Watch this space for the poster, further details, and snippets from the event.

AWS meets with portfolio support leads

At a recent gathering hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS), Portfolio Support Leads from various regional venture capital firms convened for an evening of networking and discussions centered around the support AWS can offer to our portfolio companies. This event saw participation from a wide array of investment firms, including Voltron Capital, Ventures Platform Fund, Rising Tide Africa, P1 Ventures, Techstars, LoftyInc Capital, V8 Capital Partners, Beta Ventures LLC, Oui Capital, Co-creation Hub (CcHUB), Consonance Capital Partners, First Check Ventures and others. Greenhouse Capital was represented by Uloma Herrington (Head, Legal Services) as GHC looks to explore and discuss potential collaboration efforts with AWS to benefit our portfolio?companies. The focus was on the comprehensive technical services AWS could provide, ranging from cost optimization and cloud spend savings through AWS credits to engaging workshops and mixers for CTOs. These offerings are designed to address the prevalent challenges within the tech talent ecosystem, supporting our portfolio companies in their technology development endeavors.

ICYMI

• Africa 2023 investment report by Briter Bridges
• Effective marketing for VC firms
• A Comparative Analysis of Venture Studio and Venture Builder Models in Africa

Pezesha

Pezesha announces a partnership with Uzapoint, a leading mobile and web Point of Sale (POS) software provider, aimed at providing access to finance for micro and small businesses across Africa.

Qore

Exciting news as Qore and Ebanqo, two startups in our portfolio companies have partnered. Ebanqo will provide an omnichannel AI customer engagement platform to empower financial institutions with chatbots that are aimed at revolutionizing customer engagement across all messaging channels effectively and conveniently.

Uqudo

Congratulations to the Uqudo team as Oliver Obitayo Joins the Uqudo board of Advisors.

Uqudo launches an upgraded tamper detection product, you can say goodbye to 1. ?? Fake documents 2. ?? Tampered ID photos 3. ?? Data inconsistencies

Yellow Card

Yellow Card has partnered with Coinbase, the leading U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, to expand and simplify access to USDC and digital assets in Africa.