Leta Raises $3M for African Supply Chain Optimization Platform

Kenyan supply chain and logistics tech startup Leta announced the close of a $3 million pre-seed equity round in a Wednesday (Nov. 23) press release.

Participants in the round include 4Di Capital, Chandaria Capital, Chui Ventures, PANI, Samurai Incubate and Verdant Frontiers Fintech.

Founded in 2021, Leta uses route and load optimization technology to streamline African supply chains.

Other features of the platform include fuel and distance tracking, enabling better analytics and oversight. Users can also integrate the software with their warehouse management, enterprise resource planning and point-of-sale systems such as SAGE, SAP and Shopify, the firm said.

Leta added that it has optimized over 500,000 deliveries in five countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Zambia. That equates to over 20,000 tons of goods delivered with over 2000 vehicles, the release noted.

“We are proud to be building the backend of supply chain and logistics in Africa, saving our customers 20%-30% on their logistics costs,” Nick Joshi, the founder and CEO of Leta, said.

“Much like the U.S. and Europe, the supply chain and logistics industry in Africa is highly fragmented and lacks efficiency. However, in Africa, the supply chain & logistics costs are typically 60-70% higher, which is then passed to the end consumer,” he added. “With Leta, we plan to offer a robust and easy-to-use solution for moving goods while doing it much more efficiently.”

Leta works with companies transporting food and beverages, agricultural, manufacturing, construction, pharmaceuticals and other goods. Some of its clients include Twiga Foods, Chandaria Industries, Simbisa Brands and ShopZetu.

Coordinating the various units involved in a typical supply chain can be challenging, especially when trying to do it in the most cost- and fuel-efficient way.

Tech startups in the EU are rising to that challenge, developing solutions to help freight companies, retailers and warehouse operators streamline their operations, per a PYMNTS report in July.

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