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§ Private Profile · Lagos, Nigeria
Mobile app helping children with curated content and screen-time practices.
MAKA operates an e-commerce platform dedicated to fashion and beauty across Africa. The platform utilizes live try-on hauls, authentic reviews, and user-generated content from both creators and customers. This approach enables users to discover personalized product recommendations and facilitates social commerce interactions, shifting towards a robust user-generated content model to enhance product discovery.
Founded in 2021 by CEO Diana Owusu-Kyereko, MAKA emerged from the insight into the growing e-commerce penetration and the potential of social commerce within Africa's dynamic digital landscape. Owusu-Kyereko identified a need for a more interactive and community-driven approach to online shopping, especially in the fashion and beauty sectors across the continent.
MAKA caters to a broad customer base seeking fashion and beauty products, primarily targeting consumers across the African continent with a specific focus on the creator economy. The company's vision is to leverage social interaction and digital tools to connect a wider audience with tailored product experiences, blurring the lines between social engagement and online retail.
MAKA has raised $5.0M across 2 funding rounds.
MAKA has raised $5.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
MAKA has raised $5.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
MAKA's investors include Michigan Rise, Ann Arbor SPARK, Detroit Venture Partners, Invest Detroit, Dug Song, Spark Capital, Union Heritage Ventures, 4DX Ventures, Fatoumata Bâ, 10100, First Round Capital, Pareto Holdings.
# MAKA: A Live Commerce Platform for Creators
MAKA is a live-streaming commerce platform that enables creators to broadcast and sell products directly to their audiences[1]. Founded in 2021 and based in Lagos, Nigeria, the company operates at the intersection of social commerce and e-commerce, serving the fashion and beauty industry[1].
The platform addresses a critical gap in creator monetization: while social media has democratized content creation, direct sales channels remain fragmented. MAKA solves this by providing an integrated marketplace where creators can host live streams with built-in selling capabilities—overlays, audience engagement tools, and content editing features—allowing viewers to purchase through live broadcasts, on-demand videos, or a traditional online catalog[1]. This positions MAKA within the broader live commerce movement, a trend gaining significant traction in emerging markets where mobile-first audiences and creator economies are rapidly expanding.
MAKA emerged in 2021 during a period of explosive growth in African creator economies and live commerce adoption[1]. The company's Lagos-based founding reflects a strategic decision to build in a market with a young, digitally native population and growing e-commerce adoption. While specific founder backgrounds are not detailed in available sources, the timing of MAKA's launch coincided with increased venture capital interest in African tech startups and the global acceleration of live shopping as a commerce channel—a trend accelerated by pandemic-driven digital transformation and the success of platforms like TikTok Shop and Shopify's live commerce integrations.
MAKA rides the live commerce wave, a trend reshaping retail globally. While live shopping gained prominence in Asia (particularly China), Western markets are rapidly adopting the model through platforms like TikTok Shop, Instagram Shopping, and YouTube Shopping. MAKA's positioning in Africa represents an important geographic expansion of this trend into emerging markets with high mobile penetration and creator-friendly demographics.
The timing is significant: African e-commerce is projected to grow substantially, and creator economies are maturing faster than traditional retail infrastructure. MAKA benefits from this structural shift—where creators become micro-merchants and audiences expect seamless shopping experiences integrated into entertainment. The platform also influences the broader ecosystem by demonstrating that live commerce can work outside traditional Western markets, potentially attracting both creator talent and investor attention to African tech innovation.
MAKA's trajectory will likely depend on three factors: creator acquisition and retention, average transaction values, and expansion beyond fashion and beauty. As live commerce becomes table stakes for social platforms, MAKA's survival hinges on building defensible creator loyalty and potentially expanding into adjacent categories or geographies.
The company sits at an inflection point where live commerce is transitioning from novelty to normalized retail channel. If MAKA can establish itself as the go-to platform for African creators seeking monetization, it could become a regional anchor in the creator economy—much as Shopify did for e-commerce entrepreneurs. Conversely, competition from global platforms localizing their live commerce offerings could pressure margins and creator attention. The next phase will reveal whether MAKA's regional focus becomes a moat or a limitation.
MAKA has raised $5.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $2.0M Pre-Seed in March 2026.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 4, 2026 | $2M Pre Seed | Michigan Rise | ANN Arbor SPARK, Detroit Venture Partners, Invest Detroit, DUG Song, Spark Capital, Union Heritage Ventures | Announced |
| Dec 1, 2023 | $3M Seed | 4DX Ventures, Fatoumata BÂ | 10100, First Round Capital, Pareto Holdings, Plum Alley Investments, True Ventures, Y Combinator, Jonathan Shipman, Palm Drive Capital | Announced |