Jumba operates a web-based marketplace and local sales teams that help retailers and real estate developers source construction materials and handle logistics and invoicing. The startup negotiates discounted prices with manufacturers, runs in-house logistics to reduce costs, and offers short-term financing through bank partners with plans to provide longer-term credit for developers. Launched less than a year before this article, Jumba had reached three-times quarterly growth by the end of last year and covers 60% of Kenya’s 47 counties. Its customers access products via the platform while sales associates support sourcing in different counties, especially beyond Nairobi where manufacturing is centralized. The company aims to verticalize construction supply in Kenya, scale within the country to address demand, and eventually explore expansion after deeper market penetration. Jumba’s mission includes helping bridge Kenya’s housing deficit by improving distribution, access, and cash flow in the construction sector. Jumba is a B2B construction-technology marketplace that lets hardware store operators order and restock construction materials online, negotiates prices with manufacturers, and allows resellers to pay on delivery. Launched in April, the startup aims to be the primary source of construction materials in Kenya and to expand beyond major cities as it grows. The company is expanding product assortments according to regional demand and is onboarding manufacturers and hardware stores outside Nairobi to grow its supplier and reseller pools. Jumba is considering a buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) product for top-performing resellers, to be built on order history, while already offering payment-on-delivery. The founding team includes CEO Kagure Wamunyu and CTO Miano Njoka; Wamunyu is a civil engineer and real-estate entrepreneur with prior experience helping Uber roll out in Kenya and participating in Kobo360’s expansion. The startup hired Peace Osangir as CFO to lead finance and risk, and has raised funding to fine-tune its technology and accelerate city-level expansion.

Total raised

$6M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

Feb 2023