ANKA
ANKA is a pan-African SaaS commerce platform offering an integrated Shop, Pay and Ship stack that enables African artisans and SMBs to sell globally, accept international payments, and ship via preferential DHL rates. It serves 20,000+ sellers across 46 African countries reaching buyers in 170+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersAbidjan
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What ANKA does
ANKA is a multi-channel SaaS commerce platform purpose-built for African entrepreneurs to sell, ship and get paid globally. The company, founded in 2016 in Abidjan and originally branded Afrikrea, operates three integrated products: ANKA Shop, a curated marketplace for 'Made of Africa' products reaching 1M+ monthly visitors and 1.5M social media followers across 170+ buyer countries; ANKA Pay, a payment aggregator consolidating nine providers including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, M-Pesa, OPay and bank transfers with payment-link generation for social commerce; and ANKA Ship, a logistics service leveraging an exclusive DHL partnership to offer international shipping from Africa at rates 40-60% below market standard with integrated customs management. The platform serves 20,000+ shops across 46 African countries, with approximately 4,000 active marketplace shops, and has facilitated $50M+ in cumulative transactions since launch.
The underlying technology is a self-serve SaaS stack combining a storefront builder, a multi-rail payment orchestration layer and a shipping-label API integrated with DHL. Vendors can subscribe independently via quarterly (€60), bi-annual (€100) or annual (€200) plans and onboard themselves; the architecture is also exposed via APIs for WordPress and Shopify merchants, enabling embedded deployment outside the ANKA marketplace. ANKA acts as Merchant of Record on marketplace transactions, applying a blended take rate of approximately 16% (12% commission plus 4% transactional fee), and earns incremental margin on shipping label generation.
The go-to-market motion is primarily product-led and community-led, targeting African artisans and creative entrepreneurs (80% women) including social-media sellers, exporters and dropshippers reaching the African diaspora and African-American consumer base. After being acquired by US-based Global Shop Group in October 2025 following the bankruptcy of French parent MANSAART SASU, ANKA now operates under a Delaware-incorporated parent (GSPlatformCo Inc.) with regional operating entities in Lagos (GSPlatform NG Limited) and Abidjan, and a strategic push into North American distribution channels for African-origin brands.
ANKA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ANKA
- Legal name
- GSPlatformCo Inc.
- Website
- https://anka.africa
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ANKA is a pan-African SaaS commerce platform offering an integrated Shop, Pay and Ship stack that enables African artisans and SMBs to sell globally, accept international payments, and ship via preferential DHL rates. It serves 20,000+ sellers across 46 African countries reaching buyers in 170+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ANKA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cross-border commerce SaaS platform
- NAICS
- Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers (4251)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cross-border Marketplaces (Multi-seller) (CRAFAJAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Localization & Internationalization Services (Language/Currency/Pricing) (CRAFAJAI)
Keywords
Where ANKA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Abidjan
Offices4 records
Markets served
ANKA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription Fees: Recurring subscription fees from vendors using the platform. Plans range from €60 quarterly to €200 annually, providing access to shop management, payment links, and shipping services
- Platform Commission: ANKA charges approximately 12% commission on sales plus 4% transactional fee on total order amount including shipping costs. Vendors receive net revenue after these deductions
- Marketplace Revenue: Revenue generated from the marketplace bringing buyers and sellers together, with ANKA acting as Merchant of Record for all transactions
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Quarterly Plan |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Bi-annual Plan |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Plan |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
ANKA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ANKA is a multi-channel SaaS commerce platform enabling African artisans, creators, and small businesses to sell "Made of Africa" products globally through three integrated services: ANKA Shop (a marketplace with 1M+ monthly visitors), ANKA Pay (a centralized payment aggregator supporting 9 providers including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, and Mobile Money for cross-border transactions), and ANKA Ship (a DHL-partnered international shipping solution offering 40-60% cheaper rates with integrated customs management). The platform operates as Merchant of Record, serving 20,000+ shops across 46 African countries and reaching buyers in 170+ countries.
Product overview
ANKA is a multi-channel SaaS platform for African businesses offering three integrated core services: ANKA Shop (marketplace for 'Made of Africa' products reaching 1M+ monthly visitors), ANKA Pay (payment solution supporting 9 providers including PayPal, M-Pesa, and Visa for receiving international payments), and ANKA Ship (shipping solution with DHL partnerships offering 40-60% savings on international delivery). The platform serves 20,000+ shops across 46 African countries and enables African artisans to sell globally in 170+ countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ANKA Pay: Payment solution enabling African merchants to receive international payments via Mobile Money, Visa, Mastercard, Bank Transfer, PayPal
- ANKA Shop
- ANKA Ship
Products and services
- ANKA Shop (Marketplace) World-leading online marketplace for 'Made of Africa' products spanning fashion, jewelry, beauty, home art and crafts. Reaches 1M+ monthly visitors and 1.5M social media followers, enabling African artisans and creators to sell globally with ANKA acting as Merchant of Record.
- ANKA Pay Centralized payment aggregator enabling African merchants to receive international payments via Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Mobile Money, and bank transfers, with payment links shareable via social media in 20 seconds and withdrawals to bank, PayPal, Payoneer, or Mobile Money with reduced fees. Integrates with WordPress and Shopify via API.
- ANKA Ship International shipping solution from Africa offering 40-60% cheaper rates than market via DHL partnership, with integrated customs management, label generation in 1 minute, 24/7 customer support, and an API for automated shipment creation and tracking.
- ANKA SaaS Platform Multi-channel Software-as-a-Service platform unifying ANKA Shop, ANKA Pay and ANKA Ship into a single omnichannel commerce backend, allowing African vendors to manage sales across marketplace, personal storefronts, messaging and social media channels. Offered via tiered subscriptions.
Quantifiable outcome
- 40-60% cheaper shipping rates from Africa compared to standard market prices
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use ANKA
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
ANKA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
Feature5 records
ANKA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Global Shop GroupflagshipUS-based Global Shop Group acquired ANKA in October 2025 following MANSAART's bankruptcy filing. Deal aims to preserve ANKA's brand while integrating infrastructure to expand African-origin brands globally. Leadership moved to New York but retains African operations.
- DHLcoreExclusive partnership providing preferential shipping rates 40-60% cheaper than standard market. ANKA generates shipping labels integrated with DHL services and manages customs documentation. Pickup scheduling available for sellers.
- PayPalcorePayment provider integrated into ANKA Pay, enabling sellers to receive PayPal payments and withdraw funds. One of 9 centralized payment providers on the platform.
- M-PesacoreMobile money provider integrated into ANKA Pay for East African markets, enabling withdrawals to M-Pesa accounts in Kenya and other supported countries.
- StripecorePayment processor referenced in Terms of Service for handling card transactions and dispute management on the platform.
- VisacoreCard payment processing for international transactions, enabling global buyers to pay via credit/debit cards.
- MastercardcoreCard payment processing integrated for global buyer transactions on ANKA platform.
Scale indicators17 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ANKA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Soko: Ethical fashion marketplace connecting African artisans with global consumers. Direct peer in the curated African artisan + fashion marketplace space with similar target audience of diaspora buyers seeking authentic African products.
- Konga: Nigerian e-commerce marketplace with integrated payments (KongaPay) and logistics services. Comparable as a pan-African e-commerce platform with bundled commerce infrastructure targeting African sellers and consumers.
- Etsy: Global marketplace for handmade, vintage, and artisan goods with SMB sellers reaching international buyers. Direct comparable as a curated marketplace serving individual creators selling unique products globally, with similar take-rate economics and seller tools.
- MallforAfrica: Cross-border e-commerce platform enabling African consumers to purchase from US/UK retailers. Highly comparable mission (cross-border Africa commerce) with similar challenges around African logistics, payments, and customs infrastructure.
- Jumia: Pan-African e-commerce marketplace operating across multiple African countries with integrated payments and logistics. Most direct large-scale comparable for ANKA's marketplace + payments + delivery model, though broader in product categories beyond fashion/artisans.
Emerging players
- Flutterwave: African cross-border payments infrastructure enabling businesses to send/receive payments globally. Comparable specifically to ANKA Pay's payment aggregation value proposition for African merchants needing international payment access.
- Paystack: Nigerian payment processor acquired by Stripe providing African businesses with payment acceptance infrastructure. Comparable to ANKA Pay's mission of enabling African merchants to accept payments, with Paystack being more consumer-facing while ANKA focuses on cross-border.
- TradeDepot: B2B commerce platform for African retailers and consumer goods distribution. Comparable as Africa-focused commerce infrastructure addressing fragmented distribution and payment challenges, though serving B2B rather than artisan marketplace.
- Faire: Wholesale marketplace connecting independent brands and retailers with curated product discovery and integrated logistics. Comparable marketplace model with SMB sellers and integrated commerce tools, though serving B2B wholesale rather than B2C.
Broad incumbents
- Shopify: Global e-commerce platform serving SMBs with storefront, payments, and shipping integrations. Broad incumbent that ANKA integrates with via APIs; comparable as an e-commerce platform infrastructure layer though without Africa-specific payment/shipping advantages.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ANKA social profiles
Digital presenceANKA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ANKA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
ANKA subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
ANKA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds11 records
Investors17 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ANKA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ANKA
What does ANKA do?
ANKA is a multi-channel SaaS commerce platform enabling African artisans, creators, and small businesses to sell "Made of Africa" products globally through three integrated services: ANKA Shop (a marketplace with 1M+ monthly visitors), ANKA Pay (a centralized payment aggregator supporting 9 providers including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, and Mobile Money for cross-border transactions), and ANKA Ship (a DHL-partnered international shipping solution offering 40-60% cheaper rates with integrated customs management). The platform operates as Merchant of Record, serving 20,000+ shops across 46 African countries and reaching buyers in 170+ countries.
Is ANKA a public or private company?
ANKA is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was ANKA founded?
ANKA was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ANKA based?
ANKA is headquartered in Abidjan.
How does ANKA make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription Fees are the primary driver. The others are platform Commission and marketplace Revenue.
Who are ANKA's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Soko, Konga, Etsy, MallforAfrica and Jumia. Emerging players are Flutterwave, Paystack, TradeDepot and Faire. Shopify is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does ANKA have an API?
Yes. ANKA offers APIs for ANKA Pay and Shipping solutions that enable integration with WordPress, Shopify, and other platforms. The shipping API allows vendors to quickly generate shipping labels and automate shipments. Payment links can be created and shared via social media platforms. API integration is available for vendors who subscribe to ANKA services. Developer documentation is at ankaafrica.zohodesk.com/portal/en/kb/anka-africa.
What industry is ANKA in?
ANKA's product category is Cross-border commerce SaaS platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAJAA, Cross-border Marketplaces (Multi-seller), with a secondary code of CRAFAJAI, Localization & Internationalization Services (Language/Currency/Pricing). Its NAICS code is 4251.