Enterprise E-commerce startup, el-dokan, has secured $500,000 in a pre-series funding round led by EFG EV and Flat6Labs, 500 Global, and Hala Ventures. el-dokan is one of the first startups in the Middle East and North African (MENA) area to offer enterprise e-commerce technology

The e-commerce startup offers APIs for SMEs which allows them to establish customised and personalised e-commerce stores. Unlike other platforms like Shopify and other regional local shop builders whose focus is to address the needs of smaller retailers, el-dokan goes beyond this, leveraging technology.

Co-founder and CEO, Ahmed Maher revealed that its effort to convince investors was due to the startup's position as one of the extremely limited numbers of businesses that focus on developing a specialized system using cutting-edge technologies such as headless, composable e-commerce architecture in the MENA region.

'The majority of retailers have frequently demonstrated their willingness to either upgrade to more flexible and innovative technology or abandon the conventional e-commerce methods. By enabling retailers to increase sales while lowering maintenance costs, the technology developed by el-dokan “changes the equation” and enables our merchants to swiftly and easily create API connections with our partners to assure the greatest levels of operational efficiency.'

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The chief technology officer (CTO) and co-founder of el-dokan, Mohamed Yousry, also stated, “our platform can easily interact with any third-party providers, including payment, shipping, point of sale (POS), and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. After observing the significant influence el-dokan has had on enterprises and organizations in the MENA region and the significant growth we’ve seen in a short amount of time, we’re thrilled that our clients were able to achieve $45 million GMV after switching from other well-known software solutions that don’t address the issues we face today.

Mobily, Procter & Gamble (P&G), Zahran shops, Misr Pharmacies, Apple Premium vendor Switch Plus, as well as supermarket delivery service Appetito, are just a few of the international clients we now serve. And this proves that regionally based digital businesses can compete globally by creating cutting edge solutions that are trusted by major, global brands,” said Yousry.