Ramani

What Ramani does

Ramani is a Tanzania-headquartered SaaS company that provides supply chain management software for Africa's consumer packaged goods (CPG) distribution network. Founded in April 2019 by Iain Usiri (CEO), Kibet Martin (COO), and Calvin Usiri (CTO), the company targets micro-distribution centers (MDCs) and the major brands that supply them, offering point-of-sale, inventory management, sales force automation, warehouse management, and a WhatsApp-based procurement platform that allows MDCs to place orders without leaving a familiar messaging environment. Ramani also operates an AI Camera Network that uses computer vision to detect inventory changes in warehouses in near real time, and acquired a lending license from the Central Bank of Tanzania to extend embedded micro-credit and inventory financing to MDCs using proprietary sales data for credit underwriting.

The platform comprises modular Android applications (Ramani SFA, Ramani Warehouse, Ramani Stock Audit) for field operations, a web dashboard for brand-side visibility, a native WhatsApp procurement interface, the AI Camera Network, and the Inventory Financing module. Ramani employs 80+ people across engineering, product, design, finance, and credit risk functions, operating from its headquarters in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The company has reported $72 million in annualized GMV processed through its platform across 100+ connected MDCs.

Ramani monetizes through SaaS subscriptions charged to MDCs, interest income on micro-credit extended to network members, and transaction fees on procurement facilitated through its WhatsApp platform. Brand-side enterprise agreements with companies including Coca-Cola, Dangote, Vivo Energy, Serengeti Breweries, Mega Beverages, Hill Water, Tanga Fresh, Oryx, Bakhresa Group, and Puma provide a second revenue vector anchored on supply chain visibility and distribution network digitization. The company was accepted into Y Combinator in January 2020 and closed a $32 million Series A in August 2022 led by Flexcap Ventures and Jared Schreiber.

Name

Ramani

Legal name

Ramani.io Company

Website

https://ramani.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ramani is a Tanzania-based SaaS platform that provides point-of-sale, inventory management, and WhatsApp-based procurement software for Africa's micro-distribution centers. It serves CPG brands including Coca-Cola, Dangote, and Vivo Energy seeking distribution visibility, and offers embedded micro-credit services to network MDCs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Supply Chain Management Software

NAICS

Sales Financing (52222)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

MDM Platforms (Customer/Product/Supplier/Location) (HDAEADAA)

Keywords

• Supply chain management software
• Micro-distribution platforms
• Consumer goods distribution
• Mobile point-of-sale systems
• Inventory financing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dar Es Salaam

HQ country

Tanzania

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SaaS Software Subscriptions: Ramani charges micro-distribution centers for access to their POS, inventory management, and procurement software platform. The software is offered as a service with recurring subscription fees.
2. Micro-Credit and Financing: Ramani provides working capital loans to MDCs through their lending license from the Central Bank of Tanzania. Revenue is generated through interest on micro-credit loans extended to network members.
3. Transaction Facilitation: Ramani facilitates procurement transactions between MDCs and suppliers/brands, potentially earning transaction fees on orders placed through their WhatsApp and procurement platform.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ramani provides a cloud-based supply chain management SaaS platform for Africa's micro-distribution centers (MDCs), offering point-of-sale, inventory management, and procurement tools accessible via Android mobile apps and WhatsApp. The platform also includes embedded micro-credit services backed by a Central Bank of Tanzania lending license, enabling working capital financing for MDCs based on real-time sales data.

Product overview

Ramani is a supply chain management platform providing an integrated ecosystem of software products for Africa's micro-distribution centers. The company offers a unified platform architecture consisting of multiple interconnected modules: Ramani SFA (handheld POS and sales force automation), Ramani Warehouse (inventory management), Ramani Stock Audit, Ramani Procurement (WhatsApp-based ordering), the Ramani Dashboard (web-based reporting), and Ramani Inventory Financing (micro-credit services). These products connect brands, micro-distribution centers, and merchants through a shared data infrastructure, enabling real-time visibility across the supply chain while embedding financial services for business growth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ramani SFA (Sales Force Automation) Android application for micro-distribution centers to manage sales teams, track sales performance, and record transactions with handheld POS functionality including receipt and report printing.
• Ramani Warehouse Android application for recording stock movements in and out of warehouses, tracking deliveries from suppliers, stock leaving to market, and returns, with user signatures captured.
• Ramani Stock Audit Android application for conducting random stock audits, gathering distributor and warehouse information, selected items, quantities, and capturing images of items in PDF, PNG, or JPEG formats.
• Ramani Procurement WhatsApp-based ordering platform enabling micro-distribution centers to order, track, and receive product inventory directly through WhatsApp, streamlining supplier order management.
• Ramani Dashboard Web-based dashboard providing brands real-time sales visibility and inventory levels across their entire micro-distribution network, with consolidated reporting and data analytics.
• Ramani Inventory Financing Micro-credit and lending service for micro-distribution centers, utilizing sales data to determine business cash flow. Company acquired lending license from Central Bank of Tanzania.
• Ramani WhatsApp Platform Multi-platform ordering experience leveraging WhatsApp for procurement operations, allowing merchants to interact with the system in a familiar messaging environment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Network members grow revenues by at least 20%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability4 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Coca-Cola NyanzacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Major CPG brand partnership in 2022 to digitize Coca-Cola's distribution network in East Africa through Ramani's platform.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Twiga Foods: Kenya-based B2B distribution platform that connects small retailers to CPG suppliers via mobile ordering and logistics. Closely comparable to Ramani's model of digitizing micro-distribution centers and onboarding enterprise brands in East Africa.
• Wasoko (formerly Sokowatch): Pan-African B2B e-commerce platform serving informal retailers with procurement, logistics, and embedded fintech. Directly comparable to Ramani across target customer (SMB retailers/MDCs), product (mobile procurement, inventory financing), and enterprise brand relationships.
• MarketForce: Kenya-headquartered B2B platform offering RejaReja (merchant procurement) and Zofi Pay (embedded fintech) to informal retailers across Africa. Overlaps Ramani in mobile-first SMB procurement, distribution-network digitization, and embedded credit.
• TradeDepot: Nigeria-based B2B distribution platform serving informal retailers with inventory financing and a SaaS suite. Closely comparable to Ramani's combined SaaS + inventory-financing model aimed at CPG distribution in Africa.

Emerging players

• MaxAB: Egypt-headquartered B2B distribution and embedded-fintech platform for food-and-grocery retailers across MENA. Compares to Ramani in merchant procurement and credit offerings, though operating primarily outside sub-Saharan Africa.
• Chari.ma: Morocco-based B2B e-commerce and fintech platform serving small grocery stores with procurement and credit. Overlaps Ramani in MDC/SMB digitization and embedded financing, but focused on the Maghreb.
• Sky.Garden: Kenya-based B2B e-commerce platform connecting retailers to FMCG suppliers with mobile ordering. Comparable in target customer and product, though without Ramani's lending license or AI camera capability.

Others

• Branch International: Pan-African digital lender providing micro-credit to consumers and SMBs via mobile. Comparable to Ramani's lending vertical in customer profile (underbanked African users) and underwriting approach (mobile-data driven), though Branch is consumer-focused rather than B2B-distribution-anchored.
• Tala: Kenya- and Tanzania-operating mobile lending app extending credit to underbanked consumers and small merchants. Adjacent peer to Ramani's micro-credit business via similar geography and mobile-first underwriting methodology.
• Sendy: East African logistics and delivery platform serving e-commerce and enterprise shippers. Thematically related as a supply-chain infrastructure layer in the same East African market where Ramani operates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ramani-io

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors12 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 Ramani