Chari, a Moroccan eCommerce startup, has raised $1 million invested from Orange Ventures, Orange’s venture capital investment arm. Grégoire de Padirac, Partner of Orange Ventures Middle East & Africa, joins Chari’s Supervisory Board.
Founded in 2014, Chari is an e-commerce application for local grocery stores in Francophone African countries. It allows them to purchase consumer products and take advantage of payment terms. Chari was founded by Boston Consulting Group’s former strategy consultant, Ismael Belkhayat, and McKinsey’s ex-strategy consultant Sophia Alj in 2020.
“We are delighted to have been among the first investors in the Chari adventure, and we look forward to continuing to support the team as it expands into the French-speaking region and the fintech sector. We and Chari believe in the need to digitising local company owners “says Chari’s Grégoire de Padirac.
“Being supported by Orange Ventures since the beginning of our quest is a source of pride for us. The Orange group’s distribution know-how and skills are extremely beneficial to us. We intend to grow into the nations in which Orange operates “According to Ismael Belkhayat, co-founder and CEO of Chari.
