Chpter, a Kenyan software startup powering social commerce, has expanded to 11 more African countries through a partnership with fintech giant Flutterwave.
The move adds Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Malawi, and Zambia to its existing footprint in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.
Why it matters
The expansion signals Chpter’s ambition to scale its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model across Africa — a region where digital tools for small businesses are still fragmented.
Through Flutterwave’s payment infrastructure, Chpter merchants in the new markets can accept payments via mobile money, cards, and bank transfers in local currencies or USD.
The bigger picture
Chpter is pushing an AI-first strategy, restructuring its team and introducing AI-powered sales and customer service agents.
About 45% of its customer interactions are now handled by AI — a figure the company expects to grow to over 80%.
- “To give you a sense of the momentum, it took us 14 months to acquire our first 1,000 merchants. This year alone, we’ve acquired 1,500 more in under 4 months,” said co-founder and president Tesh Mbaabu.
- CEO Mark Kiarie noted that 60% of inbound traffic for Chpter merchants now comes through WhatsApp and Instagram.
Zoom out
Chpter recently launched Pluto, a WhatsApp API suite for businesses to build full customer journeys on the platform.
As a Meta Business Partner, the company offers features like in-chat checkout, marketing tools, and a unified dashboard for managing conversations across platforms.
Between the lines
Chpter is testing whether SaaS can scale in Africa if pricing and product design are localized. It operates a subscription model ranging from $50 to $550 per month, depending on business size, and generates additional revenue through paid messaging and AI interactions.
Funding
In September 2024, Chpter raised $1.2 million in pre-seed funding led by Pani, the investment firm co-founded by former Cellulant CEO Ken Njoroge.
Other investors include Techstars, Norrsken, Renew Capital, and several angels. The startup has also gone through accelerators by Norrsken and Safaricom.
Source: TechCabal
