Egypt-based venture capital firm DisrupTech Ventures has announced a strategic investment in Chari, a Y Combinator-backed fintech and e-commerce startup. The move marks DisrupTech’s first investment in Morocco and its second in Africa outside of Egypt, signaling a significant step in its Pan-African expansion strategy. The investment is part of Chari’s Series A extension round, and the deal includes a board seat for DisrupTech to help guide the startup’s fintech-driven growth.
Bridging E-commerce and Fintech for Informal Retail
Founded in 2020 by Ismael Belkhayat and Sophia Alj, Chari operates a B2B platform that digitizes the traditionally fragmented informal retail sector. While its mobile app allows small retailers to order fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) with quick delivery, its core mission extends into embedded finance.
Leveraging its payment institution license from Bank Al-Maghrib, Morocco’s central bank, Chari is transforming thousands of neighbourhood shops into financial access points. This enables merchants to offer services like digital payments, micro-insurance, and working capital loans, effectively serving as financial hubs for their local communities and driving inclusion for previously unbanked consumers.
A Strategic Pan-African Vision
For DisrupTech Ventures, the investment aligns perfectly with its mandate to support transformative fintech models across the continent. The firm is focused on backing solutions that build inclusive financial infrastructure from the ground up.
“Our investment in Chari is a milestone for DisrupTech,” said Mohamed Okasha, Managing Partner at DisrupTech Ventures. “Chari is redefining how financial services are delivered at the grassroots level. By empowering small shops to act as financial gateways, Chari is creating the foundation for a new, inclusive fintech infrastructure in Morocco. This is exactly the kind of transformative model we seek to support across Africa.”
Accelerating Financial Inclusion
With over 20,000 retailers already on its platform, Chari is scaling rapidly and aims to become the leading platform for both commerce and financial services in Francophone Africa. The new capital and strategic partnership with DisrupTech are set to accelerate this mission.
“We are delighted to welcome DisrupTech Ventures as a partner on our journey,” said Ismael Belkhayat, CEO and Co-Founder of Chari. “With DisrupTech’s backing, we are accelerating our mission to turn every corner shop into a financial access point. Together, we will continue to build technologies that drive financial inclusion and economic growth across Africa.”
About Chari
Chari is a Morocco-based YC-backed fintech and e-commerce platform founded in 2020 by Ismael and Sophia Belkhayat. Holding a payment institution license from the Central Bank of Morocco, Chari enables retailers to access embedded financial services including payments, micro-insurance, and working capital, while also offering a digital marketplace for consumer goods. Chari is committed to digitizing informal retail and advancing financial inclusion across Francophone Africa.
About DisrupTech Ventures
DisrupTech Ventures is a Cairo-based early-stage venture capital fund dedicated to backing bold founders redefining fintech and digital infrastructure in Egypt and beyond. Since its founding in 2021, DisrupTech has built a portfolio of more than 25 startups across payments, embedded finance, lending, and insurtech, with support from leading global LPs including IFC, Proparco, Avanz, MSMEDA, and Axian.
Source: Wamda
