Jabu
“Can a B2B African fintech digitise and financially unlock the continent's vast cash economy by embedding smart hardware and payment software at the point of merchant cash handling?”
Founded in 2020 as a Namibian B2B e-commerce last-mile distribution startup, Jabu connected informal retailers to FMCG suppliers and raised $18M+ from Tiger Global, Y Combinator, and FJ Labs. By 2023–2024 the company executed a significant pivot away from marketplace/logistics toward cash-digitisation fintech, rebranding its payments layer as JabuPay and launching hardware (smart safes) and software (digital wallets, card terminals, mobile money rails) to help merchants across Southern Africa convert physical cash to digital funds in real time. The strategic thesis shifted from 'be the Amazon of African informal trade' to 'be the financial infrastructure layer that digitises cash in cash-dominant African economies.'