The construction industry is one of the world’s largest economic sectors, yet it remains among the least digitised, especially the Africa’s construction market.
From fragmented supplier networks and inconsistent product catalogues to manual quotation processes and lengthy procurement cycles, sourcing building materials is still a cumbersome experience for manufacturers, distributors, contractors, consultants, retailers and buyers alike.
Kenyan startup Eyby believes it has found a solution. Through a centralised AI-powered digital marketplace, the company is modernising how building products are discovered, compared and sourced, while laying the technological foundation for a more transparent and efficient construction supply chain across Africa.
Founded in 2025 by Hemal Doshil, Eyby enables manufacturers to digitise their product catalogues, distributors to broaden their online reach, and buyers to search, compare, source and request quotations for thousands of building products from a single trusted platform.
Although the company remains in private beta, it already represents approximately US$5 million in monthly Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) flowing through participating distributors, highlighting strong early demand for its digital procurement ecosystem.
What is Eyby and What Does It Do?
Eyby is a specialised digital marketplace built exclusively for the building products industry. Rather than serving as another generic e-commerce platform, it connects every major participant within the construction supply chain, including manufacturers, distributors, contractors, architects, engineers, consultants, retailers and end buyers.
The platform allows manufacturers to present their products through standardised digital catalogues while giving distributors greater visibility online.
Buyers, on the other hand, can easily search for products, compare technical specifications and request quotations without navigating multiple suppliers or relying on manual communication channels.
Even while operating in private beta, the platform has already demonstrated significant traction.
It currently hosts approximately 25,000 products across 11,000 categories, supports more than 4,000 monthly users, and facilitates around 300 quotation requests every month, illustrating growing confidence in its digital procurement model.
Addressing an Outdated Construction Supply Chain
Eyby was created after its founding team recognised longstanding inefficiencies within the building materials industry.
According to founder Hemal Doshil, while digital transformation has accelerated across many industries, construction procurement has largely remained unchanged.
“While many industries have embraced digital transformation, the building products sector continues to run on disconnected catalogues, manual quotation processes and fragmented distributor networks,” Doshil said.
He explained that manufacturers often invest heavily in developing innovative products but have limited control over how those products are displayed and marketed across different distribution channels.
At the same time, buyers frequently spend valuable time searching for products, comparing technical specifications and identifying reliable suppliers before making purchasing decisions.
“Manufacturers invest heavily in developing products, yet often have little control over how those products are presented across different sales channels. Buyers, meanwhile, lose considerable time searching for products, comparing technical specifications and identifying trusted suppliers,” he added.
By centralising these processes into a single marketplace, Eyby aims to reduce procurement delays while improving transparency throughout the construction ecosystem.
Building a Common Digital Language for Construction Products
One of the startup’s biggest engineering challenges has been organising product information from hundreds of manufacturers into a consistent format.
Construction products are often listed differently by various suppliers, with inconsistent descriptions, duplicated information, missing specifications and varying naming conventions.
This inconsistency makes product comparison difficult for buyers while also limiting how effectively search engines can understand and recommend products.
To overcome this challenge, Eyby developed what it describes as a structured building-product knowledge graph.
The system standardises technical specifications, product attributes, categories and relationships across thousands of products, effectively creating a common digital language for the building products industry.
“One of the most significant challenges in building Eyby has been standardising fragmented product data across thousands of SKUs from hundreds of manufacturers and brands,” Doshil explained.
He added that product information across the industry is often “inconsistent, incomplete, duplicated or structured differently across suppliers,” making accurate product comparisons difficult.
AI Powers Smarter Product Discovery and Procurement
The knowledge graph serves as the technological backbone of Eyby’s artificial intelligence capabilities.
Instead of relying solely on keyword searches, the platform understands product relationships, enabling users to discover relevant products more efficiently while comparing technical specifications across different brands.
According to Doshil, this capability gives the company an important competitive advantage.
“Eyby’s building-product knowledge graph powers AI-driven discovery, product equivalency recommendations and technical comparisons,” he said.
He further described the technology as the company’s greatest competitive strength.
“It powers superior search, AI-driven product discovery, intelligent product equivalency recommendations and accurate technical comparisons, delivering a significantly better procurement experience for buyers while improving the digital visibility of manufacturers and distributors.”
These AI-powered features help buyers identify suitable alternatives when preferred products are unavailable, making procurement faster and more informed.
A Long-Term Growth Strategy Without External Investors
Unlike many technology startups that prioritise rapid fundraising, Eyby has been fully bootstrapped since its inception. The company is backed by Metsec Cables, a Kenyan manufacturer employing more than 200 people.
According to Eyby, this support allows the startup to remain strategically independent while focusing on building sustainable technology rather than pursuing short-term financial returns.
That long-term philosophy also shapes its business model. Instead of immediately charging commissions on transactions, Eyby intends to prioritise ecosystem growth before generating revenue through premium subscriptions, digital advertising and value-added services for manufacturers and distributors.
“Rather than chasing short-term transaction commissions, Eyby is prioritising ecosystem growth and adoption, with a long-term model built around premium subscriptions, advertising, and value-added digital services that deliver measurable value,” Doshil said.
Expansion Plans Across Africa and Beyond
Eyby’s immediate focus remains Kenya, where it continues onboarding manufacturers, distributors and professional buyers.
However, the platform has been designed with international expansion in mind. The company intends to gradually enter additional African markets before eventually serving customers globally.
Doshil believes the timing is favourable, as construction supply chains increasingly embrace digital technologies while buyers demand greater transparency, structured product information and more efficient procurement tools.
“Construction supply chains are digitising, and buyers increasingly demand transparency, structured product information and better procurement tools,” he said.
He added that Eyby’s ambition extends beyond operating another online marketplace.
“Eyby’s bet is that the industry needs more than just another online marketplace, and that by combining a robust product knowledge graph with a trusted digital marketplace, it is laying the digital infrastructure needed to modernise how building products are discovered, compared and sourced across Africa and, ultimately, the global built environment.”
Talking Points
Eyby’s approach reflects a thoughtful attempt to modernise one of Africa’s most fragmented and underserved industries by addressing inefficiencies that have long slowed construction procurement.
Rather than positioning itself as just another online marketplace, the startup is building digital infrastructure that standardises product information, improves product discovery and simplifies interactions between manufacturers, distributors and buyers.
Its investment in a structured product knowledge graph and AI-driven search capabilities demonstrates a focus on solving fundamental data-quality challenges that have traditionally limited transparency and informed purchasing decisions in the building products sector.
Equally notable is its decision to prioritise ecosystem growth over short-term transaction revenue, suggesting a long-term strategy centred on creating sustainable value for industry participants.
While the platform’s early traction, including thousands of listed products and significant monthly GMV, signifies promising market acceptance, its long-term success will ultimately depend on sustaining user adoption, maintaining accurate product data at scale, and successfully replicating its model across diverse African markets with varying regulatory, commercial and supply-chain dynamics.
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