Gunderson Dettmer Represented Wasoko in a Merger of Africa’s Largest Network of Informal Retailers

Gunderson Dettmer represented Kenya-headquartered client Wasoko, an e-commerce platform intended to connect buyers and sellers across Africa, in its merger-of-equals with MaxAB. The merged entity will form the largest network of B2B informal retailers to more than 65 million consumers and more than 450,000 merchants on the continent.

Wasoko and MaxAB previously offered e-payments, credit financing, and digital services to mom-and-pop shops, creating new revenue streams. In their merged entity, these services will be managed by separate business units through a unified app, alongside their core commerce offerings.

In the announcement of the merger, founder and CEO of Wasoko and co-CEO of the combined entity Daniel Yu said, "Through our integrated technology stack, our expanded Pan-African reach uniquely positions us to offer the best products and services from across Africa at maximum accessibility and affordability, supercharging our growth beyond what either company could achieve independently."

The Gunderson Dettmer team was led by corporate partner Bradley Krack, corporate associate Ibrahim Elshamy and M&A associate Anthony Ramirez and included corporate associates Amy Luong and Natalie Kerr, tax group partner Mark Foster, executive compensation partner Michael Richman and associate Sofia Rattes.

Companies
Wasoko
MaxAB