Nigerian e-commerce startup Shoptreo has raised an undisclosed round of funding from early-stage investor Rebel Seed Capital to accelerate its mission of digitising Africa’s informal production clusters.
Operating at the intersection of technology and grassroots manufacturing, Shoptreo enables artisans — particularly from the Aba Artisanal Leather Cluster — to sell globally through digital storefronts, integrated logistics, and financial tools. The startup is unlocking value in underserved markets by bridging the gap between local craftsmanship and global demand.
With the new investment, Shoptreo aims to scale product development, onboard hundreds of new artisans, and expand its reach into logistics and fintech integration. This funding marks a major step toward taking Made-in-Aba products to the world and shaping the future of African commerce.
In a LinkedIn announcement, Uche Aniche, founder of the VC firm Rebel Seed Capital Investment, which led this founding round, shared :
Truly thrilled to finally be able to announce Rebel Seed Capital investment in Aba-based Shoptreo – making it our second cheque. Here’s a bit of backstory:
Aba is not just a place. It’s a force. A factory of grit, of dreams stitched in leather and sweat.
In 2017, I became obsessed with unlocking value in the Aba Artisanal Leather Cluster. That obsession led me to host hashtag#StartupSouth3 in Aba, followed by the Aba Tour, and later the Proudly Made in Aba Hackathon in partnership with TBWA Nigeria and sponsored by Ford Foundation, which gave out a total of $100,000 in cash prizes.
We saw brilliance.
We saw industry.
But we also saw challenges:
Standardisation: Products were top quality, but producers lacked confidence. Artisans often copied foreign brands instead of building their own.
Visibility: Many still saw Aba-made goods as “inferior”—yet paid a premium for the same items repackaged abroad.
Digitalisation: There was little access to tools that could scale their businesses or bring them global customers.
If Shoptreo had existed in 2018, I’m convinced they would’ve taken home the $50k top prize.
Today, through Rebel Seed Capital, I’m proud to announce our investment in Shoptreo, a startup solving these same problems we identified years ago.
At the helm are George Uteh and Emmanuel Jacobs —young, driven, full of execution power, with the kind of hunger we bet on. They’re not just building a platform. They’re building a bridge between Aba’s genius and the world,” Aniche wrote.
By giving artisans digital storefronts, integrated logistics, payment, and inventory tools to effectively meet global demand, Shoptreo is bringing value to underserved production ecosystems and informal markets, such as the Aba Artisanal Leather Cluster, one of Africa’s largest hubs for handcrafted leather goods.
Read Also: https://techsudor.com/hizo-secures-100k-in-funding-to-scale-intra-african-remittance/
