Kenya’s fast-growing conversational commerce startup, Sukhiba has rebranded as Flowcart to reflect its evolution from a WhatsApp-based chat support tool into a full-fledged AI-driven commerce platform.
Founded in 2021 by Ananth Raj Gudipati and Abhinav Reddy, the company helps businesses streamline sales, marketing, customer service, and payments directly on WhatsApp.
After securing a $1.55 million seed extension round in 2023, Flowcart is scaling beyond its Kenyan and South African roots to Nigeria, India, and the UAE, tapping into regions where WhatsApp dominates digital engagement.
Already serving over 300 leading brands, including L’Oréal, Safaricom-Masoko, and Spar Oman, the startup aims to transform everyday customer chats into revenue streams.
“Driving revenue requires more than just chat,” said co-founder and CEO Ananth Gudipati. “Flowcart is built for the future of commerce in chat.”
From Chat Support to Commerce Powerhouse
Originally launched as Sukhiba in 2021, the platform was designed to let businesses support customers through WhatsApp.
But as adoption surged, its founders realized companies needed more than basic communication, they required smarter automation, structured customer journeys, and integrated payment systems.
The rebrand to Flowcart signifies this shift into a more robust and revenue-focused model, with AI at its core.
Funding and Expansion
Flowcart’s growth has been powered by investment. In 2023, the startup raised $1.55 million in a seed extension round, aimed at expanding operations across Africa and into international markets.
With Nigeria, India, and the UAE in its sights, Flowcart is targeting markets where WhatsApp usage exceeds 70 percent among smartphone users and where mobile-first shopping is rapidly becoming the norm.
The WhatsApp Advantage
With over 2 billion active users globally (Statista, 2024), WhatsApp has become a natural hub for conversational commerce.
In Africa, penetration is particularly strong, with studies showing over 80 percent of internet users rely on the platform for daily communication and transactions.
By embedding commerce tools directly into chats, Flowcart positions itself as a key enabler of the continent’s growing direct-to-consumer (D2C) retail movement.
Voices Behind the Move
Flowcart’s leadership emphasizes the importance of reimagining WhatsApp beyond a chat app.
“We built Sukhiba with a clear goal: to enable commerce on WhatsApp,” said CEO Ananth Gudipati. “As we grew, we realised that businesses need more than chat. They need tools that turn every conversation into a conversion.”
Already, companies like L’Oréal and Safaricom-Masoko have adopted the platform to boost customer retention, accelerate sales, and streamline digital service delivery.
Does This Matters?
Experts believe that Sukhiba’s rebrand to Flowcart matters because it marks a strategic shift in Africa’s digital commerce, turning WhatsApp from a simple chat tool into an AI-powered sales engine.
With over 2 billion users globally and 80% penetration in Africa, WhatsApp is the continent’s most active marketplace, and Flowcart’s automation, payments, and customer journey tools let businesses, from SMEs to global brands, convert conversations into revenue.
By expanding into Nigeria, India, and the UAE, Flowcart taps into markets where mobile-first shopping is booming, boosting digital inclusion, cross-border scalability, and SME competitiveness, while signaling the growing maturity of Africa’s startup ecosystem.
Talking Points
Flowcart’s rebrand from Sukhiba presents a promising business opportunity as it taps into WhatsApp’s massive user base, over 2 billion globally and 80% penetration among African internet users, to transform everyday chats into sales through AI-driven automation, payments, and customer journey tools.
By expanding into Nigeria, India, and the UAE, Flowcart positions itself at the heart of the mobile-first commerce boom, offering SMEs and large enterprises alike a cost-effective way to compete in digital retail.
While the potential for growth is significant, especially in driving digital inclusion and scalable cross-border trade, the venture faces critical challenges including dependency on WhatsApp’s ecosystem, data privacy concerns, and stiff competition from global and regional players.
Nonetheless, Flowcart’s pivot aligns with the global surge in conversational commerce, making it a business opportunity worthy of serious exploration.
