Moroccan retail-tech startup Woliz has raised $2.2 million in a pre-seed funding round to accelerate the development of its AI-powered, fintech-enabled platform.
Founded by Kamal El Hardouzi, Woliz is digitising neighbourhood retail by placing small merchants at the centre of a unified ecosystem that connects commerce, finance, telecoms, institutions, and consumers. The platform is designed to give independent shop owners access to tools typically reserved for large retail chains.
Woliz enables merchants to order stock digitally, automatically track sales, and verify income, while helping them build a financial footprint and improve access to credit from financial institutions. By structuring informal retail activity, the startup aims to bring millions of small shops into the formal digital economy.
The funding round was led by Sanlam Maroc, the Moroccan subsidiary of financial services group Sanlam. The capital will be used to expand Woliz’s team, accelerate product development, and scale merchant onboarding across multiple Moroccan cities.
The company also plans to extend its model to other African markets facing similar challenges in retail digitisation and financial inclusion.
“Morocco is the foundation. Africa is the natural extension,” the company said in a statement.
