Mastercard has announced its investment into Kasha Global, a women-led startup, to enable women in emerging markets get access to essential health and personal care products along with the information required to support everyday hygiene needs.
Kasha is a female-focused e-commerce platform that allows women across rural and urban locations the freedom to make confidential personal care orders. Leveraging its online and offline channels, Kasha’s users can utilize the full products catalog available.
With basic mobile phones, users can search for healthcare products, order them, and have their purchases delivered discretely by local micro-entrepreneurs, thus helping local store owners boost their business.
Currently, the company is based in Rwanda and Kenya with plans to grow and scale across East Africa and beyond.
“Kasha’s goal is to ensure women in emerging markets get the products, information and services they need for their health, self-care and well-being,” said, Joanna Bichsel, Kasha’s Founder and CEO.
“I am thrilled that we are continuing our collaboration with Mastercard and that we not only have a committed investor with shared values, but also an innovative partner as we continue to take Kasha’s development and growth to the next level”, she added.
Since Kasha joined Mastercard’s award-winning startup engagement program, StartPath, in 2019, both partners have worked together, integrating Mastercard’s digital payment acceptance across Kasha’s e-commerce platform.
Recently, they embarked on a mission to deliver hygiene, and protection products to families across Kenya in efforts to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
Mastercard’s activities with Kasha are in line with the company’s goal to help transition 1 billion people and 50 million micro and small businesses into the digital economy by 2025, with a direct focus on providing 25 million women entrepreneurs with solutions to help them grow sustainable businesses.
With this new investment, Kasha will be able to expand its current platform offering, reaching more women, communities and small businesses than before, and build’s on Mastercard’s efforts to bolster support for micro-entrepreneur and women-owned small business in Africa through the Mastercard Track Micro Credit Program, known in Kenya as “Jaza Duka” (fill up your store in Swahili).
By combining Mastercard and Kasha’s capabilities, in collaboration with global consumer goods and banking partners, both parties seek to positively impact historically underserved communities across Africa and beyond.
Commenting on this, Raghav Prasad, Division President, Sub Saharan Africa, Mastercard said, “Through our activities with Kasha we are leveraging Mastercard’s innovations, expertise, and partnerships to help drive the empowerment of women and small businesses.
This partnership is a major step in our journey to support the fundamental needs of women and drive growth across African communities.”
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