Badili

What Badili does

Badili is a Kenya-based smartphone recommerce company that buys, certifies, refurbishes, and resells used smartphones to Kenyan consumers through both an e-commerce storefront (badili.ke, built on Shopify) and a network of more than 37 physical retail and service locations. Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Nairobi, the company carries a multi-brand catalog spanning Apple iPhones, Samsung Galaxy devices, Tecno, Infinix, and Google, organized into Affordable (under KSh 10,000), Mid-Range (KSh 10,000-50,000), and Premium (above KSh 50,000) tiers at 40-70% discounts versus new retail prices. Every device goes through a proprietary 32+ point quality certification process and is sold with a 12-month warranty and a 7-day replacement guarantee; the company also operates a buy-back / trade-in platform (sell.badili.ke) that supplies its refurbishment pipeline.

The business model rests on three revenue streams: direct sales of refurbished handsets (the dominant stream), buy-back transactions that source inventory at below-wholesale cost, and flexible installment payment plans that improve affordability for price-sensitive buyers. Distribution is hybrid — nationwide e-commerce delivery plus 37+ physical stores — and the company holds what it describes as mutual OEM partnerships with Samsung and Apple for certified refurbishment of their devices. Customer segments are primarily Kenyan budget-conscious individual consumers, with secondary appeal to eco-conscious buyers and existing smartphone owners seeking to trade up.

Badili has raised approximately $4.5 million across three disclosed rounds: a $2.1M pre-seed in May 2022 led by Orbit Ventures and SOSV (with Artha Group, AR/VR Africa, Buko Ventures, Grenfell Holdings, Inflection Point Ventures, Niche Capital, Uncovered Fund, and Venture Catalysts), a $2M round in January 2024 led by E3 Capital (with Full Circle Africa, Grenfell Holdings, Real Time Accelerator Fund, and Renew Capital), and a $400,000 round in March 2025 led by Proparco. The company employs 101-250 staff, reported approximately $2M in annual revenue as of December 2022, and has publicly stated expansion plans into Uganda, Tanzania, and West Africa, though Kenya remains the sole operating geography in the data set. Leadership is led by founder and CEO Rishabh Lawania.

Name

Badili

Legal name

Badili Kenya

Website

https://badili.ke

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Badili is a Kenya-based smartphone recommerce company that buys, certifies, and resells used Apple, Samsung, Tecno, Infinix, and Google smartphones through 37+ retail stores and an e-commerce platform, targeting price-conscious Kenyan consumers with 40-70% discounts and a 12-month warranty.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refurbished Smartphones

NAICS

Used Merchandise Retailers (459510), Electronics and Appliance Retailers (4492)

SIC

Retail-Radio, Tv & Consumer Electronics Stores (5731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRACALAG

Refurbished, Used & Recommerce Smartphones

Consumer Products & Retail/Consumer Electronics & Appliances Retail/Smartphones & Feature Phones

SECONDARYCRACALAI

Mobile Device Repair & Aftermarket Services (Repair, Parts, Insurance/Warranty)

Consumer Products & Retail/Consumer Electronics & Appliances Retail/Smartphones & Feature Phones

SECONDARYBPALAIAG

Mobile Device (Smartphone/Tablet) Trade-in & Recycling

Business & Public Services/Waste Management & Remediation Services/Electronic Waste (E-waste) Recycling & IT Asset Disposition (ITAD)

Keywords

• Refurbished smartphones
• Smartphone recommerce
• Used mobile devices
• Phone trade-in services
• Certified pre-owned phones

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Refurbished Smartphone Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling certified refurbished smartphones directly to consumers through e-commerce and physical retail locations. One-time purchase model with pricing based on device model, condition grade, and storage capacity.
2. Phone Trade-in/Buy-back: Customers sell their used smartphones to Badili, which are then refurbished and resold. This provides inventory acquisition and creates a circular economy revenue loop.
3. Installment/Financing: Flexible payment options allowing customers to pay in installments for refurbished devices, generating additional revenue through payment plan arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Badili is a Kenya-based smartphone recommerce company that buys back used smartphones, refurbishes them through a proprietary 32+ quality-check certification process, and resells certified pre-owned devices to consumers through its e-commerce platform (badili.ke) and 37+ physical retail locations across Kenya. The company sells multi-brand refurbished smartphones (Apple, Samsung, Tecno, Infinix, Google) at 40-70% discounts versus new retail prices, bundled with a 12-month warranty and 7-day replacement guarantee.

Product overview

Badili is a Kenya-based smartphone recommerce platform that operates as a multi-brand refurbished smartphone marketplace. The company sells certified refurbished devices across multiple product tiers (Premium, Mid-Range, Affordable) through its Shopify e-commerce platform at badili.ke. The product portfolio includes Apple iPhones (iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, 12) and Samsung Galaxy devices (A71 5G, A32 5G, S22 5G, S20 5G, S20 Plus 5G), along with phone accessories and after-sale services including warranty and trade-in (buy-back) programs. All devices undergo 32+ quality checks and come with a 12-month warranty. Badili has over 37 locations in Kenya and partnerships with major OEMs including Samsung and Apple.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Apple iPhone 11 - Refurbished Certified refurbished Apple iPhone 11 with 6.1-inch Liquid Retina HD display, A13 Bionic chip, and dual 12MP cameras; sold to Kenyan consumers with 32+ quality checks, 12-month warranty, and up to 60% savings versus new retail pricing.
• Apple iPhone 11 Pro - Refurbished Certified refurbished Apple iPhone 11 Pro with 5.8-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, A13 Bionic chip, triple 12MP camera system, and IP68 water resistance; backed by Badili's 12-month warranty and quality certification.
• Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max - Refurbished Certified refurbished Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max with 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, A13 Bionic chip, triple 12MP cameras, and 3969mAh battery; sold with up to 40% savings versus new and full 12-month warranty.
• Apple iPhone 12 - Refurbished Certified refurbished Apple iPhone 12 with 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, A14 Bionic chip, 5G connectivity, dual 12MP cameras, and MagSafe wireless charging; sold to consumers with Badili's certification and warranty coverage.
• Samsung Galaxy A71 5G - Refurbished Refurbished Samsung Galaxy A71 5G with 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor, and a 64MP quad camera system; sold with Badili's 12-month warranty and certification.
• Samsung Galaxy A32 5G - Refurbished Refurbished Samsung Galaxy A32 5G with MediaTek Dimensity 720 5G processor, 6.5-inch TFT display, 5000mAh battery, and 48MP quad camera; covered by Badili's 12-month warranty.
• Samsung Galaxy S22 5G - Refurbished Refurbished Samsung Galaxy S22 5G with 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz display, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, 50MP triple camera, and 5G connectivity; sold at up to 40% savings versus new with full warranty coverage.
• Samsung Galaxy S20 5G - Refurbished Refurbished Samsung Galaxy S20 5G with 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz display, 64MP telephoto camera, and 8K video recording; sold at up to 70% savings versus new pricing.
• Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus 5G - Refurbished Refurbished Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus 5G with 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, Exynos 990 / Snapdragon 865 processor, and a quad camera system; sold with a 1-year warranty.
• Phone Accessories Phone accessories including cases, chargers, cables, and other peripherals sold to complement Badili's refurbished smartphones.
• After-Sale Warranty Services After-sale warranty service covering all refurbished devices with a 12-month warranty and a 7-day replacement guarantee, plus warranty registration for buy-back phones.
• Phone Trade-In (Buy-Back) Service Buy-back / trade-in service that lets customers sell their used smartphones to Badili, generating inventory for refurbishment and resale; includes warranty registration for traded-in devices.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40-70% savings compared to new retail prices
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SamsungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor OEM partnership for sourcing and selling Samsung refurbished smartphones. Badili offers certified refurbished Samsung devices including Galaxy A Series and S Series.
• ApplecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor OEM partnership for sourcing and selling Apple iPhone refurbished devices. Badili offers certified refurbished iPhones including iPhone 11, 12, and Pro models.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Back Market: Global leader in certified refurbished electronics marketplace. Operates a marketplace model with quality certification, warranty, and trade-in across smartphones and other electronics—directly comparable to Badili's model though at much greater scale and primarily in Western markets.
• Jumia: Pan-African e-commerce marketplace that lists refurbished electronics including smartphones. While not a recommerce specialist, Jumia's scale, logistics network, and existing Kenyan customer base make it a credible competitive threat to Badili's e-commerce channel.
• Kilimall: Kenya-focused e-commerce platform selling new and used electronics including smartphones. Competes for the same price-sensitive Kenyan consumer and could expand into certified refurbished offerings to challenge Badili.

Direct peers

• Cashify: India-based recommerce platform for used smartphones with integrated buy-back and refurbishment operations. Closely mirrors Badili's circular economy model, multi-brand inventory, and price-tiered offering, though operating in a different geography.
• Refurbed: European refurbished electronics marketplace with certified devices, warranty, and trade-in programs. Highly comparable business model to Badili including quality grading and 12-month warranty; serves as a useful comp for international expansion benchmarking.
• Swappi: Kenya-based phone trade-in and recommerce startup. Directly competes with Badili in the Kenyan used smartphone market with overlapping buy-back and refurbished device offerings.
• reBuy: German recommerce platform buying and reselling used electronics including smartphones. Comparable circular economy model with quality grading, warranty, and trade-in feeding refurbishment inventory.
• PhonePlace Kenya: Kenyan online retailer of new and pre-owned smartphones with nationwide delivery. Closely comparable target customer segment (Kenyan smartphone buyers) and product mix to Badili, though with less emphasis on certified refurbishment and warranty.

Others

• Aptoide: While primarily an Android app store, Aptoide has explored recommerce partnerships in emerging markets. Listed as an adjacent ecosystem player rather than direct competitor.

Regional players

• Game Africa: Mass-market African retailer (Massmart/Walmart group) selling consumer electronics including smartphones across Southern and East Africa. A potential retail-channel competitor if it expands into refurbished devices or trade-in programs in Kenya.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/badili_africa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/badili-commerce

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 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 Badili