Online entrepreneurship in Egypt gets a boost as Wuilt rakes in $2 million to aid local traders in establishing free online stores.
Wuilt Pivots to Free Platform, Attracts 20,000 Merchants
Cairo-based ecommerce platform Wuilt has undergone a significant transformation, pivoting to offer its platform completely free in Egypt since April 2025. This shift has attracted over 20,000 merchants to join the platform since the pivot.
The new monetization strategy for Wuilt focuses on value-added services such as Wuilt Shipments, Wuilt Pay, and Wuilt Wallet. This transition from recurring SaaS subscription revenue to transaction-based earnings aims to maximise merchant acquisition and adoption.
Wuilt's CEO, Ahmed Rostom, stated that the pivot was to make growth possible for everyone else. The free-to-use model is part of the company's ambition to become infrastructure for small businesses and social sellers across emerging markets, starting with the MENA region.
In addition to its expansion in Egypt, Wuilt plans to launch its free platform in the UAE by Q4 2025, followed by the GCC countries and Turkey in Q1 2026. The company is also developing AI-powered features to help merchants manage and grow their businesses.
Meanwhile, in the Egyptian food delivery sector, Elmenus founder has stepped down, and Walid El-Saadany, a former rival executive, has been appointed as the new CEO. El-Saadany's appointment follows a $2 million pre-Series A funding round raised by Egyptian startup Suplyd.
The funding round was led by Flat6Labs and MTF VC, with participation from Hub71, JIMCO (Abdul Latif Jameel's VC arm), Purity Tech, and strategic angel investors. It's worth noting that Flat6Labs has restructured under a new group called F6 Group.
As the digital commerce landscape continues to evolve, these developments underscore the growing importance of ecommerce enablement platforms in emerging markets. With its focus on small businesses and social sellers, Wuilt is poised to play a significant role in this transformation.
[1] Source: TechCrunch [2] Source: MENAbytes [3] Source: Wamda [4] Source: Disrupt Africa
- Wuilt's new strategy includes implementing value-added services such as Wuilt Shipments, Wuilt Pay, and Wuilt Wallet, aiming to shift from recurring SaaS subscription revenue to transaction-based earnings, leveraging technology for merchant growth.
- In alignment with its vision to become infrastructure for small businesses and social sellers, Wuilt is developing AI-powered features to help merchants manage and grow their businesses, underscoring the company's commitment to finance and technology.
