After a four-month delay, Wasoko, a Kenyan B2B e-commerce platform, has completed an all-stock merger with Egypt’s MaxAB. The merged entity will have a new name, which the company declined to share, citing a rebranding process which will soon begin.
Daniel Yu and Belal El-Megharbel, the co-founders and CEOs of Wasoko and MaxAB, will jointly lead the merged entity as co-CEOs. They will also serve alongside existing investors, including Silver Lake and Tiger Global, on the company’s board of directors.
Wasoko and MaxAB contributed nearly equal stakes to the combined entity, Yu told TechCabal on a call, dismissing earlier claims that MaxAB has a controlling interest.
“MaxAB and Wasoko have a pretty close to 50-50 shareholding,” Yu said.
The merger, seen as an attempt to create a category king in the contested B2B e-commerce sector, signals investor willingness to see consolidation. Wasoko (last valued at $625 million) and MaxAB had raised over $230 million from investors like Tiger Global, Impact Engine, and the University of Chicago.
TechCabal reported in December 2023 that the deal is structured as an equity consideration, which means existing shareholders will receive shares in the new company. First announced in December 2023, the deal was expected to be finalised in April 2024. Wasoko declined to provide specifics about the delay due to the merger’s “sensitive” nature.
The new entity will capitalise on MaxAB’s position as a leading B2B beverage supplier to a network of small retailers throughout North Africa.
While Cairo will serve as the headquarters, there are no plans for job cuts since Wasoko made 100 duplicated roles redundant in December 2023.
The new entity will initially operate in five countries—Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Egypt, and Morocco. Wasoko was in Zambia, Uganda, and Zanzibar but closed shop in those markets in March 2024. The new entity will have 450,000 merchants serving 65 million consumers.
The integration of Wasoko and MaxAB’s tech and operations was completed in 60 days, the company claimed. Former Wasoko employees told TechCabal in January 2024 that MaxAB’s systems were preferred, as MaxAB had also brought its staff from Egypt for the integration exercise.
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