A Ghana-focused automotive technology startup, VOOM, says it has verified 359 spare parts vendors on its digital marketplace as it seeks to modernise the largely informal auto parts trade in West Africa.
The company, which operates an online platform that allows buyers to search for vehicle spare parts by make, model, year and part type, announced that it is also raising a $400,000 pre-seed investment round to support its expansion across the region.
VOOM said its marketplace has facilitated an average of 394 buyer-vendor conversations each month and currently hosts 880 spare parts listings, of which 729 are active.
The startup argues that much of Africa’s automotive aftermarket, which it estimates to be worth $23.2 billion, continues to rely on informal trading, social media platforms and general online classifieds that lack structured product catalogues and vendor verification.
According to the company, vendors on the platform are verified through on-the-ground operations in Greater Accra before being listed.
VOOM was founded by Gabonese-Canadian entrepreneur Jim Stephen, who has a background in enterprise software sales, and Justice Ayiah, who heads the company’s Ghana operations.
The firm says it uses a suite of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to automate tasks including vendor onboarding, product listing creation, customer communication, operational monitoring and business planning. It says the technology enables its two-person team to perform functions typically handled by a much larger operations staff.
The company also announced the publication of its Ghana Demand Brief, a report analysing verified buyer demand for vehicle spare parts in Accra and Kumasi over the past 90 days. It plans to market the data to importers and other businesses operating within the automotive supply chain.
VOOM said it is developing a mobile money payment integration that will support subscription billing and future transaction-based services on the platform.
As part of its growth strategy, the company is seeking to expand beyond Ghana into francophone West African markets, including Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Cameroon and Togo.
To finance that expansion, VOOM is raising a $400,000 pre-seed round through a Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE), with a valuation cap of $2 million. The company said it is part of the Renew Capital EmFi cohort and is incorporated as a Delaware C-Corporation.
The announcement comes as technology companies continue to explore opportunities to digitise Africa’s fragmented automotive aftermarket, where much of the buying and selling of spare parts still takes place through informal channels.
Source: wwwkumasimail.com
