What Soko does

Soko is a vertically-integrated ethical jewelry brand and manufacturing platform founded in 2012 that connects independent Kenyan artisans to a global consumer marketplace. The company operates a proprietary virtual-factory mobile application that lets distributed artisans receive orders and digital payments directly, replacing informal cash-based manufacturing with standardized production while preserving multigenerational handcraft techniques. Soko runs an in-house 24k gold-plating laboratory at its Nairobi headquarters, giving it vertical control over the finishing process for its premium gold-plated brass pieces and supporting tighter unit economics. The company is explicitly women-led and Black-owned, and the brand narrative is anchored on ethical sourcing (90% globally recycled brass, Fair Trade Kazuri ceramic beads from a Kenyan women's collective, reclaimed Ankole horn/bone from food-industry byproduct, and sustainably sourced teak). Artisans working with Soko reportedly earn nearly 5X the average for an artisan workshop.

Soko's commercial offering spans 319 active SKUs across 30+ branded collections — including flagship DASH, wellness-positioned TULIZA (fidget/mental-health jewelry), and seasonal lines such as Jepesi, Imba, Cala, Njia, Tiriko, Anga, Bahari, Uzi, Fuma, Wood, and Glass Dash — priced from $49 to $386. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer through a Shopify-powered storefront (shopsoko.com) that ships to 100+ countries from a California fulfillment center, supplemented by a wholesale program and a flagship retail partnership with Zales for the exclusive Zales x SOKO collection. Payment options include Klarna buy-now-pay-later, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay, Amazon Pay, and major credit cards; gift cards and an affiliate program add incremental revenue and marketing surfaces.

The business model is asset-light on the demand side (DTC e-commerce, no owned retail) but asset-heavier on the supply side (Nairobi HQ, gold-plating lab, coordinated artisan network). Strategic positioning is differentiated by the impact story rather than technology — the underlying stack is mobile workflow and Shopify commerce rather than AI, with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities. Recent strategic emphasis has been on category expansion (wellness, wood, glass), wholesale/retail channel development (Zales, Kingpins Amsterdam 2025), and operational vertical integration (Nairobi gold-plating).

Name

Soko

Legal name

SOKO

Website

https://shopsoko.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Soko is a women-led, Black-owned ethical jewelry brand and manufacturing platform founded in 2012 that uses a proprietary mobile application to connect independent Kenyan artisans to a global consumer marketplace. It sells handcrafted jewelry direct-to-consumer in 100+ countries and through a flagship Zales retail partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fashion Jewelry

NAICS

Jewelry Retailers (458310), Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing (33991)

SIC

Jewelry, Silverware & Plated Ware (3910), Costume Jewelry & Novelties (3960), Retail-Jewelry Stores (5944)

akta.pro primary industry

Designer/Artisan Fashion Jewelry (Independent Brands) (CRAKABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ethical/Sustainable Fine Jewelry (Responsible Sourcing/Traceability) (CRAKAAAM), Handmade/Craft Fashion Jewelry (Beaded/Wire/Woven) (CRAKABAD), Personalized Jewelry (Engraving, Initials, Nameplates, Birthstones) (CRAKAHAG)

Keywords

• Ethical jewelry
• Handcrafted jewelry
• Artisan jewelry
• Sustainable accessories
• Recycled brass jewelry

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Jewelry Product Sales: One-time purchase model for jewelry products including rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and accessories. Products are priced from $49 to $386 with various materials including 24k gold-plated brass, silver (chrome-plated brass), and mixed materials including wood, horn, bone, and recycled glass.
2. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards available for purchase as an additional revenue stream.
3. Wholesale: Wholesale program available for retailers interested in selling SOKO products.
4. Personalized/Custom Products: Made-to-order personalized jewelry products, shipped from Nairobi, Kenya, allowing 9-15 business days for production.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SOKO designs, manufactures, and sells handcrafted ethical jewelry (earrings, rings, necklaces, bracelets, charms, and accessories) made by independent Kenyan artisans. The company operates a proprietary mobile-based virtual factory platform that connects its distributed artisan network directly to a global direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront, while also offering wholesale distribution, personalization, and gift cards.

Product overview

SOKO is an ethical jewelry brand and tech-powered manufacturing platform that connects Kenyan artisans with the global marketplace. The company operates a single unified e-commerce platform (shopsoko.com) offering handcrafted jewelry products including earrings, rings, necklaces, bracelets, charms, and accessories across multiple branded collections. Core product materials include 24K gold-plated recycled brass (produced in-house at Nairobi gold-plating lab), chrome-plated silver (recycled brass), sustainably sourced teak wood, reclaimed horn & bone from East African cattle, and Kazuri Fair Trade ceramic beads. The product portfolio comprises flagship collections like DASH (bold modern classics), wellness-focused TULIZA (spinner mental health jewelry), and seasonal/inspirational collections (JEPESI, IMBA, CALA, NJIA, TIRIKO, ANGA, BAHARI, UZI, FUMA, WOOD, and GLASS DASH). The company also offers personalization services, wholesale and affiliate programs, gift cards, and international shipping to 100+ countries through its Shopify-powered platform with multiple payment integrations including Klarna (buy now pay later), PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay, and major credit cards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SOKO Earrings Handcrafted ethical earrings including hoops, huggies, studs, drop & dangle, statement, ear cuffs, threaders, and jacket styles. Made by Kenyan artisans using recycled brass with 24K gold plating or chrome plating.
• SOKO Rings Artisan-crafted rings including band rings, signet rings, stacking rings, and statement rings. Crafted from recycled brass with options in 24K gold plating, silver (chrome-plated), wood, horn, and bone materials.
• SOKO Necklaces Handcrafted necklaces including chains, charm pendants, chokers, lariats, statement necklaces, and layered styles. Made from recycled brass with 24K gold plating or chrome plating, featuring Kazuri ceramic beads.
• SOKO Bracelets Sculptural bracelets including bangles, cuffs, statement bracelets, stacking bracelets, and chain bracelets. Handcrafted by Kenyan artisans in recycled brass with 24K gold plating.
• SOKO Charms Personalized charm necklaces including customizable delicate necklaces, medallion pendants, and chain link pieces designed to hold meaning and modern elegance.
• SOKO Accessories Hair accessories including horn hair pins crafted from reclaimed Ankole Longhorn cattle horn sourced from Kenya's Rift Valley, a byproduct of the food industry.
• DASH Collection Soko's flagship and best-selling collection featuring bold, modern handcrafted designs in recycled brass with 24K gold plating. Timeless classics including hoops, cuffs, chokers, threaders, layered necklaces, and ear cuffs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Artisans earn nearly 5X more than average artisan workshop earnings

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• Kingpins AmsterdamminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2025SOKO exhibited at Kingpins Amsterdam alongside major denim and textile companies including Lenzing, Hyosung TNC, Cone Denim, and Artistic Milliners. Kingpins is a premier industry exhibition for textile innovations and sustainable practices.
• KazuricoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKazuri is a Fair Trade women's collective in Kenya that produces handmade, hand-painted beads and ceramics. They make ceramic beads from clay dug by hand from Mount Kenya, crafted one piece at a time. SOKO incorporates Kazuri beads into select jewelry pieces, directly supporting their fair trade work.
• ZalesflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorZales partnered with SOKO for exclusive collections, creating the Zales x SOKO brand collaboration. This partnership brought SOKO's ethical jewelry to Zales' retail locations and online store, significantly expanding brand reach to mainstream jewelry consumers.
• UN Trust FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOKO partnered with the UN Trust Fund to create the Soko + UN Trust Fund Bracelet and Necklace collection, supporting the fund's initiatives while offering customers products that contribute to a cause.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Etsy: Etsy is a broad incumbent marketplace hosting thousands of independent artisan jewelry makers — relevant as a channel and competitive context for SOKO's handmade/independent-brand positioning, particularly for personalized and one-of-a-kind pieces.
• Tiffany & Co. Tiffany & Co. is a broad incumbent in the global fine jewelry retail category and a Zales-tier distribution partner analogue. Its premium positioning and wholesale reach (now under LVMH) represent both a competitive benchmark and a potential enterprise partner for SOKO-style artisan collections.

Direct peers

• ABLE: ABLE is a direct peer as a women-led ethical fashion brand that manufactures in developing economies with explicit commitments to living wages, comparable to SOKO's artisan-impact story and ethically sourced materials positioning.
• Mejuri: Mejuri is a direct DTC competitor in the contemporary fine jewelry space, targeting fashion-conscious women with direct-to-consumer pricing, frequent collection drops, and personalization — overlapping significantly with SOKO's core customer and gifting occasions.
• Noonday Collection: Noonday Collection is a direct competitor in the ethical, artisan-empowerment jewelry model — connecting artisans in the developing world to a US/Anglo consumer base through a similar impact-driven brand narrative, ambassador/affiliate model, and curated jewelry collections.
• Starfish Project: Starfish Project is a direct peer operating an artisan-restoration jewelry model with similar ethical sourcing and survivor-employment narrative, targeting overlapping gift-buyer and ethical-consumer segments in the US jewelry market.
• Aurate: Aurate is a direct DTC peer in the ethical fine jewelry space, emphasizing transparency, responsibly sourced gold, and direct-to-consumer pricing — closely aligned with SOKO's gold-plated brass pricing strategy and female millennial/Gen Z customer.
• Monica Vinader: Monica Vinader is a direct competitor in the modern, responsibly sourced fine jewelry DTC category, offering demi-fine and gold-plated pieces at similar price tiers to SOKO with comparable sustainability messaging and personalization services.
• Pura Vida Bracelets: Pura Vida Bracelets is a direct peer in the ethical artisan jewelry DTC category, using a similar artisan-impact brand narrative, charity-cause partnerships, and lower-priced bracelet-focused offerings to capture the same conscious-consumer gift market.

Emerging players

• Ana Luisa: Ana Luisa is an emerging DTC fine jewelry brand focused on recycled gold and sustainable practices at accessible price points — overlapping with SOKO on sustainability messaging and recycled-metal positioning, but competing primarily with demi-fine solid-gold pieces.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/shopsoko
• Xx.com/Shop_Soko
• Facebookfacebook.com/ShopSoko
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soko

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds10 records

Investors7 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Soko