eCommerce | Tanzania
Itibari provides a holistic ecommerce platform for Tanzania's informal retail sector
What they do:
Itibari is a B2B retail-tech platform serving informal retailers in Tanzania. Through a mobile app, retailers can order FMCG stock, manage inventory, and access credit, all in one place.
As an official Coca-Cola and Kilombero Sugar distributor, Itibari has built real supply-chain credibility fast. The platform is now expanding into a full Retailer Super App— adding BNPL, embedded finance, bookkeeping, and a POS solution by 2027.
Why we Invested:
The African B2B FMCG distribution sector has undergone dramatic consolidation in 2023-2024, eliminating most major competitors and creating clear market leadership opportunities for efficient operators.
Itibari represents an opportunity to back a next-generation winner in African FMCG distribution during a sector consolidation that has eliminated weaker competitors and created a clear path for efficient operators to dominate. Itibari is a lean, asset-light B2B retail-tech startup serving Tanzanian mom-and-pop shops with integrated FMCG distribution.
The Founder:
John Shio is a seasoned operator with deep roots in East Africa's B2B distribution landscape. His years at Wasoko — one of Africa's leading B2B e-commerce platforms — gave him an encyclopaedic understanding of informal retail supply chains and the practical realities of serving micro-retailers at scale: last-mile logistics, cash reconciliation, supplier relationships, and the daily grind of execution in a complex, fragmented market. He has channelled that expertise into every layer of Itibari — growing the retailer base and GMV at 300% year-on-year, while maintaining a 100% daily cash and inventory reconciliation rate and a 0% pilferage rate across all warehouse operations.
Active in:
Tanzania
