Founded and launched by CEO Joanna Bichsel in July 2016, Kasha sells menstrual care products, contraceptives, pharmaceuticals, and a range of beauty products, and delivers to customers confidentially.
The startup allows customers to place orders for products via its website, a mobile app, an SMS shortcode, or a phone call. It does not require a smartphone or internet connection and is focused on female empowerment and self-care.
Kasha is a mobile store built specifically for women in Africa, offering health and personal care products such as facial creams, sanitary pads, and contraceptives. Using Kasha, a woman can confidentially order products using any type of mobile phone and receive direct delivery.
They are a social business, working to serve women at all socioeconomic levels sustainably. We believe that it is a human right to access critical products for women’s basic female needs.
Since 2016, Kasha has helped address women’s lack of access to health and personal care products by delivering a unique, discreet, and user-friendly purchasing experience to the customers it serves.
Through its e-commerce platform, Kasha has reconfigured the supply chain, delivery channel, and customer experience to meet demand. Kasha’s business-to-customer line of business directly sells products to customers in rural and urban locations across East Africa, especially low-income communities.
Kasha empowers over 400 local women to enter hard-to-reach communities to provide information and assist customers in purchasing products. The company’s business model is optimized to reach low-income communities.
Additionally, Kasha has delivered over 1 million product units to over 130,000 unique customers, of which 63% are low-income customers in Rwanda and Kenya.
How it Works
The lack of access to and unaffordability of women’s health and wellness products that are persistent causes of poor health outcomes for women in Africa coupled with the social stigma surrounding personal care have made it difficult if not impossible for many to obtain the goods and services critical to their health and wellness.
Kasha has built a recognized, trusted brand in East Africa. The company empowers its mostly female customer base and network of sales agents by selling health and pharmaceutical products to smaller retailers and also reaches consumer customers directly to the last mile. Kasha’s innovative mass-market consumer-facing platform also disseminates information about women’s health and wellness.
Amongst its peers, Kasha uniquely offers online and offline services across all income levels. In some parts of Kenya, Kasha’s robust delivery ecosystem has made it the only digital rural delivery provider of any kind.
Kasha Global
Kasha Global brings the power of FemTech to mass market retail in East Africa through a centralized digital platform for the sale and last-mile distribution of quality affordable health and personal care products.
On top of that, Kasha sells health, hygiene, and pharma products in bulk and directly to consumers, delivering to the last mile through Kasha Agents in low-income and rural communities. Kasha’s digital and last-mile platform democratizes access to women’s health.
Founders
Joanna Bichsel
Joanna Bichsel is the Co-Founder, CEO at Kasha.
Additionally, Joanna Bichsel studied at Queen’s University.
Christoph Bichsel
Christoph Bichsel is a Technical Co-Founder & CTO at Kasha.
He attended the University of Washington.
Amanda Arch
Amanda Arch is the Chief Operating Officer at Unlock Aid.
She was previously the Co-Founder, Head of Marketing and Finance at Kasha.
Amanda Arch attended the University of Washington – Michael G. Foster School of Business.
Investors & Funding Rounds
FinnFund and Beyond Capital Ventures
Kasha has secured a US$1 million investment from Finnfund to expand further across Africa.
Kasha expanded to Kenya and has now raised funding from Finnfund, a Finnish development financier and professional impact investor for further growth.
So far it has served over 55,000 clients and delivered close to 600,000 products across its two markets, and it now plans to expand into new markets. The investment is part of a larger Series A round that Kasha hopes to have concluded by the end of Q2.
Additionally, the Newly launched women-led impact venture capital firm, Beyond Capital Ventures is leading Kasha’s Series A2 Bridge funding round with a $300,000 investment.
Main Competitors
Ozon: This is a multi-category e-commerce platform that helps customers find product offerings from sellers of all sizes.
Temple & Webster: It is an online retailer of homewares and furniture, delivering an elegant, entertaining and informative shopping experience.
Hermitage Lighting Gallery: This has been Middle Tennessee’s largest selection of lighting fixtures.
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Ingress Healthcare: Story, Founders, Investors & Funding Rounds.
Helium Health: Story, Founders, Investors & Funding Rounds.
Grindstone Accelerator: Story, Founders, Investors & Funding Rounds.