Flood

What Flood does

Flood is a SuperApp-as-a-Service platform headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa (with a Singapore registration), founded in 2020. The company embeds commerce, payments, loyalty, and hyperlocal discovery capabilities into the existing mobile applications of telecommunications operators, MVNOs, banks, and neo-banks in emerging markets. Its product surface is built on a multi-tenant architecture combining backend modules (loyalty, payments, commerce, promotions, analytics, merchant tools, and a data engine for ID management, search, security, and recommendations) with frontend components including a customer-facing SuperApp, a DIY merchant dashboard with e-KYB self-onboarding, and an enterprise dashboard for partner operators.

The business model is B2B2C: Flood licenses its white-label super-app layer to large platform partners that already own significant end-user audiences. Revenue is generated across four streams — platform licensing/white-label fees, transaction fees and marketplace commissions, merchant services subscriptions, and advertising/promotional placements. Merchant onboarding is delivered through self-service DIY registration rather than direct sales. As of mid-2025, the company reports $400M in cumulative GMV processed, 8,000+ merchants onboarded within a 3-month window, 14M lifetime transactions, and 28% daily active usage among its user base, with operations spanning South Africa, India, and the Maldives.

Flood has raised approximately $3.5M in total seed funding led by CRE.vc with angel investor participation, secured selection into Vodafone's Tomorrow Street 2024 global innovation cohort, and won the 2024 FinTech Start-Up of the Year award in South Africa. The company is founder-led by André de Wet and operates as an independent private entity with no disclosed parent company, institutional investor beyond CRE.vc, or board composition.

Name

Flood

Legal name

Flood

Website

https://flood.finance

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Flood is a SuperApp-as-a-Service platform that embeds commerce, payments, loyalty, and hyperlocal discovery into telco and bank mobile apps across emerging markets. It white-labels this layer to platform partners and onboards local merchants via self-service tools across South Africa, India, and the Maldives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketplace Platform Software

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Delivery-Enabled Super-Apps with Ride-Hailing (Multi-Vertical Mobility Platforms) (TLAFAIAM)

Keywords

• Super-app platform
• Embedded marketplace
• Merchant onboarding
• Digital payments
• Loyalty rewards

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Platform Licensing/White-label: Flood licenses its super-app-as-a-service platform to telcos and banks, embedding commerce, payments, loyalty, and discovery capabilities into their existing applications in exchange for licensing fees or revenue sharing arrangements.
2. Transaction Fees & Marketplace Commission: Flood generates revenue through transaction fees on payments processed and commissions on marketplace transactions between merchants and consumers through the platform.
3. Merchant Services: Revenue from providing merchant onboarding, dashboard tools, inventory management, and promotional services to SME and retail businesses.
4. Advertising & Promotions: Revenue from hyperlocal partner ads, promotional placements, and sponsored deals within the platform.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Flood operates a SuperApp-as-a-Service platform that embeds commerce, payments, loyalty, and hyperlocal discovery capabilities directly into the existing applications of telcos, banks, MVNOs, and neo-banks. The platform enables SMEs and physical retailers in emerging markets to self-onboard via DIY modules with e-KYB, manage inventory and orders, and reach large partner audiences.

Product overview

Flood is a SuperApp-as-a-Service platform consisting of a core Super-App Platform with integrated modules for commerce, payments, and discovery. The platform is delivered through modular components including the Super-App Platform (core), Marketplace Integration, Local Discovery, Seamless Payments, Payments/Wallets & Loyalty, Merchant Dashboard, SME & Physical Retail Business Suite, Hyperlocal Discovery, Single Sign On, and Enterprise Security. Specialized solutions are provided for Telecom and Banking sectors. The technology stack includes backend modules for Loyalty, Payments, Commerce, Promotions, Analytics, Merchant Tools, and Data Engine, all built on a highly adaptable architecture with front-end apps for SuperApp (customer), Merchants, and Enterprise Dashboard.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SuperApp-as-a-Service Platform An all-in-one plug-and-play super-app layer combining marketplace, payments, loyalty, and hyperlocal discovery that embeds into telco, bank, and large-audience partner applications in emerging markets.
• Telecom Solution Solution that elevates telco self-care apps beyond bill payments into a true super-app with diversified commerce offerings to SMEs and end-customers to increase subscriber LTV.
• Banking Solution Solution that extends customer trust beyond day-to-day banking into a super-app to increase transactions within the ecosystem of end-customers and merchants.

Quantifiable outcome

• $400M in GMV processed through the platform
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Telecommunications Companies (Telcos)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerFlood partners with telcos to embed super-app capabilities into their existing applications, enabling subscriber engagement with local commerce, payments, and discovery features. Telcos monetize their large customer bases while providing enhanced digital services.
• Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerSimilar to telco partnerships, MVNOs embed Flood's platform to offer commerce and discovery features to their customer bases in emerging markets.
• BankscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerFlood integrates with banking applications to extend financial services into commerce experiences, allowing banks to increase transaction volume within their ecosystem of customers and merchants.
• Neo-BankscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDigital-first banks partner with Flood to embed marketplace and local discovery features, differentiating their offerings beyond basic banking services.
• VodafoneflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerVodafone selected Flood for its Tomorrow Street 2024 global innovation cohort, recognizing Flood as a preferred supplier and technology partner. This relationship provides Flood with access to Vodafone's global telecom ecosystem and validation of its technology.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Upstream: Upstream provides a mobile commerce and digital services platform for telecoms in emerging markets, enabling telcos to monetize their subscriber base through apps and storefronts — directly comparable to Flood's telco-embedded super-app layer.
• Meesho: Meesho is an Indian marketplace and SaaS platform enabling small merchants and retailers to go digital — directly comparable in SME-merchant onboarding and marketplace commerce, particularly for Flood's India expansion.

Broad incumbents

• Comviva: Comviva is an established telecom digital-services vendor offering mobile commerce, loyalty, and payments solutions to operators globally — an incumbent that overlaps with Flood's commerce, payments, and loyalty modules for telcos.
• Optiva: Optiva (formerly Redknee) provides BSS, charging, and digital commerce solutions to telcos worldwide — a broader incumbent in the telecom software stack where Flood's embedded commerce layer plugs in.
• Gojek: Gojek is a Southeast Asian multi-vertical super-app combining payments, commerce, and on-demand services — a broader incumbent super-app reference point that illustrates the end-state architecture Flood is building toward in emerging markets.
• Careem (Uber): Careem evolved into a multi-vertical super-app across the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia offering payments, delivery, and merchant services — analogous to the multi-vertical platform play Flood is enabling for telcos and banks.

Regional players

• Yoco: Yoco is a South African fintech providing payments, point-of-sale, and merchant tools to SMEs — a regional comparable in target geography (South Africa) and SME merchant focus, though without the telco-embedded super-app distribution.
• Cellulant: Cellulant operates a payments and digital commerce platform across multiple African markets — a regional comparable addressing cross-border payments and merchant connectivity similar to Flood's multi-market strategy.
• TymeBank: TymeBank is a South African neo-bank building a digital ecosystem inside its banking app — a banking-app-embedded super-app strategy directly analogous to Flood's banking vertical in its home market.
• Kazang (Lesaka Technologies): Kazang/Lesaka provides digital commerce, payments, and merchant acquiring solutions for SMEs across emerging markets — a regional comparable targeting similar use cases of digitalizing informal retailers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 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 Flood