Woliz, a Moroccan technology platform aimed at digitizing and enhancing proximity commerce, has successfully closed a $2.2 million pre-seed funding round. The investment was made by Sanlam Morocco, marking a significant move for the insurance giant into the country’s burgeoning startup ecosystem.
Sanlam’s First Direct Startup Investment
This collaboration marks Sanlam Morocco’s first-ever direct investment into a startup, signaling a strong strategic pivot towards the proximity commerce sector. The company views this segment as a fundamental part of daily life for Moroccans and aims to support its modernization and financial inclusion, thereby stimulating a vital part of the local economy. This move aligns with Sanlam’s long-standing open innovation approach, which has involved developing partnerships with startups on innovative products and services.
Yahya Chraibi, CEO of Sanlam Morocco, commented on the investment, stating, “By investing in Woliz, we are making a practical commitment to a Moroccan technology platform that is changing the reality of proximity commerce. Our goal is to support its modernization, promote its financial inclusion, and stimulate local innovation, while preparing, in the medium term, to expand this model to other African markets.”
An Integrated Platform for a Fragmented Sector
The platform developed by Woliz utilizes an integrated approach combining artificial intelligence, process automation, and data valorization. Its goal is to structure a unified ecosystem that places local merchants at its core, connecting them with manufacturers, distributors, financial inclusion players, public institutions, telecom operators, and end consumers.
This funding will enable Woliz to sustainably strengthen its technological and organizational infrastructure and support the solution’s on-the-ground deployment. The objective is to methodically manage the transformation of proximity commerce by establishing a durable model for shared value creation.
Kamal El Hardouzi, founder of Woliz, explained the company’s vision, “Proximity commerce is the densest economic structure in Morocco, but at the same time, one of the least benefiting from technological tools. Our ambition with Woliz is to transform this fragmented fabric into an interconnected, intelligent, and value-creating system for the variouscomponents of the ecosystem. This collaboration gives us the necessary means to deploy a sustainable field technology infrastructure, capable of reconciling technology, financial inclusion, and practical reality. From Morocco, we are laying the foundations of a model intended for expansion into other African markets.”
A Moroccan Model for African Expansion
With this pre-seed round, Woliz is taking a decisive step in structuring proximity commerce as a self-contained digital framework. The ultimate ambition is to develop a practical model, originating from Morocco, that can sustainably unite sector players, enhance merchant autonomy, and pave the way for a gradual rollout of the solution in other markets across the continent.
About Woliz
Woliz is a Moroccan technology startup dedicated to digitizing and modernizing the proximity commerce ecosystem. Through its integrated platform leveraging AI and automation, Woliz aims to create a connected and intelligent network that links local merchants with a wide range of stakeholders, from manufacturers to end consumers, fostering efficiency and financial inclusion.
About Sanlam Morocco
Sanlam Morocco is a major player in the insurance and financial services sector in Morocco. The company is part of the Sanlam Group, a leading pan-African financial services group. This investment in Woliz represents its first direct foray into the startup world, aligning with its strategy of open innovation and support for local economic development.
Source: iktissadkom
