# MarketForce **Source:** https://geo.sig.ai/brands/marketforce **Vertical:** E-commerce **Subcategory:** General **Tier:** Leader **Website:** marketforce360.com **Last Updated:** 2026-04-14 ## Summary Kenya YC W20 B2B retail marketplace ($84.8M raised, largest E/C Africa Series A 2022) that pivoted in Apr 2024 to Chpter, an AI conversational social commerce platform for African merchants selling through WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok. ## Company Overview MarketForce is a Nairobi, Kenya-based B2B platform that has undergone a significant strategic pivot — originally operating a B2B retail marketplace (RejaReja) and merchant inventory financing platform for Africa's informal retailers, raising $84.8 million in total funding including a $40 million Series A in 2022 (the largest Series A in East and Central Africa at the time) at over $100 million valuation, backed by Y Combinator (W20) with $60 million+ in annualized transaction volume and 40% month-over-month growth, before winding down the B2B e-commerce business in April 2024 and launching Chpter — an AI-powered conversational social commerce platform enabling African merchants to sell through WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok. MarketForce's original B2B retail marketplace model (connecting FMCG manufacturers and distributors with the 1 million+ informal kiosks, dukas, and small shops that serve the last mile in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Nigeria) addressed the supply chain inefficiency of Africa's informal retail: these micro-retailers individually order small quantities from multiple distributors, creating high per-unit distribution costs and inconsistent product availability. The RejaReja app enabled informal retailers to order consolidated stock from multiple brands in a single order with next-day delivery, while the embedded financing (inventory credit for retailers without formal banking access) addressed the working capital constraint that limited small retailers' ability to stock adequately. After the April 2024 wind-down of the B2B marketplace (the unit economics of high-touch last-mile distribution to micro-retailers proved challenging to scale profitably), MarketForce pivoted to Chpter, which focuses on the rapidly growing social commerce market where African consumers increasingly discover and purchase products through WhatsApp Business catalogs and Instagram shopping. In 2025, Chpter (the post-pivot entity) competes in the African social commerce, WhatsApp commerce, and conversational e-commerce market with Carts.guru (conversational commerce, Africa-focused), Bumpa (social commerce for African SMBs, $4M raised), and Meta's WhatsApp Business Catalog (NASDAQ: META, native WhatsApp product selling) for African SMB social commerce platform adoption. The strategic pivot from B2B marketplace to social commerce reflects the same merchant customer base but a more capital-light infrastructure model — enabling the company to leverage its merchant relationships and market knowledge without the working capital requirements of a distribution-heavy B2B marketplace. The Y Combinator W20 backing and the original $84.8M capital base provide the operating runway for the pivot execution. The 2025 strategy under the Chpter brand focuses on WhatsApp Commerce integration for SMB product catalog and order management, building the AI conversation automation for customer service and product recommendations within chat, and expanding to South Africa and West Africa. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is MarketForce? MarketForce is a Kenyan B2B e-commerce and fintech platform founded in 2018 and backed by Y Combinator (W20). Originally focused on providing a B2B retail marketplace (RejaReja) and merchant financing for Africa's informal retailers, the company pivoted in April 2024 to launch Chpter, an AI-powered conversational social commerce platform. ### What products and services does MarketForce offer? MarketForce currently offers Chpter, an AI-powered conversational social commerce platform. Previously, the company provided RejaReja (a B2B retail marketplace that was wound down in April 2024), merchant inventory financing, and BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) services for merchants. ### Who is MarketForce designed for? MarketForce originally targeted Africa's informal retailers, providing them with B2B marketplace access and inventory financing solutions. With the launch of Chpter, the company now focuses on social commerce users through its AI-powered conversational commerce platform. ### When was MarketForce founded? MarketForce was founded in 2018. The company participated in Y Combinator's Winter 2020 (W20) batch. ### Where is MarketForce located? MarketForce is based in Nairobi, Kenya. ### How much funding has MarketForce raised? MarketForce has raised $84.8M in total funding. This includes a $40M Series A round in 2022 at over $100M valuation (the largest Series A in East and Central Africa) and a $2M pre-Series A round in 2021. ### What are MarketForce's key achievements? MarketForce achieved over $60M in annualized transaction volumes with 40% month-on-month growth before pivoting. The company also raised the largest Series A round in East and Central Africa at over $100M valuation in 2022. ### What technology does MarketForce use? MarketForce's current platform, Chpter, utilizes AI-powered conversational commerce technology for social commerce. The company has shifted from traditional B2B e-commerce to AI-driven conversational commerce solutions. ### What is Chpter? Chpter is MarketForce's AI-powered conversational social commerce spinout platform launched in April 2024. It represents the company's pivot from B2B e-commerce to social commerce using AI technology. ### What happened to MarketForce's RejaReja platform? In April 2024, MarketForce wound down its B2B e-commerce business, including the RejaReja retail marketplace. The company pivoted to focus on Chpter, its new AI-powered conversational social commerce platform. ## Tags b2c, marketplace, retailtech, startup --- *Data from geo.sig.ai Brand Intelligence Database. Updated 2026-04-14.*