What Sabi Am does

Sabi (legally O2O Network Limited) is a Nigerian-headquartered B2B digital commerce infrastructure provider serving informal sector merchants across Africa. Founded in October 2020 as a spin-off from Rensource Energy, the company operates an asset-light platform that connects manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, agents and agricultural aggregators in markets where formal retail infrastructure is thin. Its go-to-market combines a mobile application with a network of more than 10,000 offline agents, call centres, merchant partners and supplier centres, enabling distribution of FMCG, electronics and textiles to over 300,000 merchants across Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, with planned expansion into Tanzania, Malawi, DRC and Francophone West Africa.

The platform is organised around three product pillars: Sabi Market, a B2B marketplace with embedded logistics for restocking; TRACE (Technology Rails for African Commodity Exchange), a cross-border operating system handling contracting, KYC, quality assurance, ESG compliance and near real-time logistics tracking for agricultural commodities and minerals; and a Financial Services layer offering inventory finance, export credit, digital wallets, savings accounts and foreign exchange delivered through regulated partner microfinance banks and fintech lenders. An internal credit evaluation system powered by platform transaction data has facilitated over $100M in credit, and a Nigerian Payment Service Solution Provider (PSSP) license enables direct payment processing. Free mini-ERP tools (inventory management, digital invoices, analytics) record over $5B in sales, embedding the platform into merchants' daily operations.

Sabi monetises primarily through a 5-6% marketplace take rate and financing margin on credit facilitation, with a planned subscription model for agents. The company has scaled gross merchandise volume from approximately $200M annualized in late 2021 to over $1B by 2023, at 20%+ month-on-month growth in monthly orders, and has raised more than $60M across seed, bridge, Series A and Series B rounds — most recently a $38M Series B in May 2023 at a $300M post-money valuation. Customers include African cocoa aggregators, Oyo State small farmers, and critical minerals producers, with usage cases spanning restocking, inventory management, financing, cross-border commodity exports and ethical sourcing compliance.

Name

Sabi Am

Legal name

O2O Network Limited

Website

https://sabi.am

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Sabi is a Nigerian B2B digital commerce infrastructure provider serving Africa's informal sector merchants. It operates a marketplace for FMCG goods, a cross-border commodities platform (TRACE), and embedded financial services, reaching over 300,000 merchants and 10,000 agents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

B2B E-commerce Infrastructure

NAICS

Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers (425120), Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers (4251)

akta.pro primary industry

B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms (BPAMAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wholesale/B2B Generalist Marketplaces (CRAFAAAF), Cross-border B2B/Wholesale Trade Marketplaces (CRAFAJAC), Trade Finance & Supply Chain Finance Platforms (FSAGAJAL)

Keywords

• B2B commerce platform
• Marketplace infrastructure
• Supply chain technology
• Embedded financial services
• Commodity traceability platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Lagos

HQ country

Nigeria

HQ region

Africa

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marketplace Transaction Fees: Sabi captures a 5-6% take rate (depending on the product category) from marketplace transactions conducted on its B2B platform between manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers.
2. Financing Margin: Sabi earns a financing margin on credit-related transactions it originates through its network of microfinance banks and fintech lenders. It has facilitated over $100 million in credit through partner financial institutions.
3. Subscription Model (Planned): In Q1 2022, Sabi planned to roll out a subscription model where agents pay a monthly fee to access a reseller model on the platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Sabi Am operates an asset-light B2B digital commerce platform that connects manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers and aggregators across Africa's informal trade sector. Its offerings comprise Sabi Market (B2B marketplace for FMCG, electronics and textiles), TRACE (cross-border commodities operating system with compliance, ESG and logistics tracking), and embedded Financial Services (inventory finance, export credit, savings, digital wallets, FX) delivered through regulated partner institutions.

Product overview

Sabi Am operates as a multi-module B2B commerce platform with three core product pillars: Sabi Market serves as Sub-Saharan Africa's largest B2B marketplace connecting FMCG, electronics and textile merchants; TRACE provides cross-border commodity exchange with ESG compliance and traceability capabilities; and Financial Services offers embedded financing (inventory finance, export credit, digital wallets) through regulated partner institutions. The platform is asset-light, complementing rather than replacing existing distributors and middlemen in African informal trade.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sabi Market: Sub-Saharan Africa's largest B2B marketplace providing seamless access to restocking and logistics for fast-moving consumer goods, electronics and textiles for SME merchants.
• TRACE
• Financial Services

Products and services

• Sabi Market Sub-Saharan Africa's largest B2B marketplace providing wholesale and last-mile merchants seamless access to restocking and logistics for fast-moving consumer goods, electronics and textiles; integrates logistics, buyer/seller verification and embedded finance across the value chain.
• TRACE (Technology Rails for African Commodity Exchange) Cross-border commodities operating system that facilitates contracting, aggregation, quality assurance, near real-time logistics tracking, compliance, and ESG requirements for African commodity exports; includes workflow management, buyer/seller verification, KYC protocols, and customizable financing options.
• Financial Services Embedded financial services for merchants including inventory finance, commodity finance, export credit, savings accounts, digital wallets and foreign exchange, delivered through regulated partner financial institutions and supported by Sabi's internal credit evaluation system.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1 billion annualized GMV with 15,000 monthly orders and 20%+ month-on-month growth
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VumelecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth African partner through which Sabi launched operations in South Africa via a partnership arrangement.
• Nectar Fresh LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNigerian agricultural company partnering with Sabi and Meadow Foods in the Oyo State Aggregation initiative, leading community engagement with farmers in the Opara Forest to ensure access to and development of farmers and their crops.
• Meadow FoodscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal subsidiary of Dutch parent Acrosstrades, playing a pivotal role in project development, management, quality assurance, and technology integration on the ground in the Oyo State Aggregation initiative.
• Vidit Aatrey (Meesho)minorOthersFounder & CEO of Meesho (India's largest social commerce platform) serves on Sabi's advisory group, providing strategic guidance on social commerce and platform growth.
• Ian Black (Shopify)minorOthersManaging Director of Shopify Canada serves on Sabi's advisory group, contributing expertise in retail, commerce platforms and go-to-market strategy.
• Sapna Goyal (Udaan)minorOthersCorporate Development Director at Udaan (leading B2B e-commerce platform in India) serves on Sabi's advisory group, contributing expertise in B2B commerce and strategic investments.
• Bame Pule (Africa Lighthouse Capital)minorOthersFounder of Africa Lighthouse Capital (private equity firm focused on African champions) serves on Sabi's advisory group, contributing expertise in scaling African businesses.

Scale indicators19 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Wasoko: Wasoko (formerly Sokowatch) is a B2B e-commerce platform delivering FMCG and other goods to informal retailers across East Africa. It is Sabi's most direct competitor, sharing the asset-light-ish marketplace model, informal-merchant target segment, and aggressive pan-African expansion thesis.
• MaxAB: MaxAB operates a B2B commerce and distribution platform serving informal retailers in Egypt and North Africa. It mirrors Sabi's marketplace-plus-financing value proposition aimed at fragmented FMCG supply chains in frontier markets.
• TradeDepot: TradeDepot is a Nigeria-headquartered B2B commerce platform connecting consumer goods manufacturers to informal retailers. It competes head-to-head with Sabi in Nigeria, with a similar focus on SME merchant digitization and embedded distribution.
• Twiga Foods: Twiga Foods is a Kenya-based B2B food distribution platform serving informal retailers with FMCG and produce. It shares Sabi's informal-retailer customer base and asset-light B2B marketplace approach, primarily in East Africa.
• Copia Global: Copia Global is an East Africa-focused B2B commerce platform serving lower-income retail customers and micro-entrepreneurs via agent networks. Comparable to Sabi's offline-agent-led model and informal-merchant focus.
• ElasticRun (formerly Bizom): ElasticRun is an India-based B2B commerce and logistics platform serving informal retail with asset-light distribution, embedded finance, and ERP tools—an emerging-market analog to Sabi's playbook and customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Udaan: Udaan is India's largest B2B e-commerce platform connecting manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers. It is closely comparable on platform mechanics; its corporate development leader sits on Sabi's advisory board, signaling direct strategic relevance.
• Jumia: Jumia is the largest pan-African e-commerce platform spanning B2C and increasingly B2B. It is a broad incumbent against which Sabi competes for informal merchant mindshare, and notably Sabi's CEO previously led Jumia's offline sales (JForce) program.

Emerging players

• Meesho: Meesho is India's leading social commerce platform serving tier-2/3 retailers and resellers. Comparable on customer profile (informal/small merchants), platform model, and expansion trajectory; its founder sits on Sabi's advisory board.

Others

• Flutterwave: Flutterwave is a leading African payments infrastructure provider. It is an ecosystem peer, comparable to the payments/PSSP layer of Sabi's stack and a likely partner-or-competitor at the intersection of B2B commerce and embedded finance in Africa.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sabiam_africa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sabiafrica
• Instagraminstagram.com/sabiam_africa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors15 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 Sabi Am