RABAT — Moroccan fintech startup Woliz has announced the closing of a $2.2 million pre-seed funding round, led by Sanlam Maroc, marking the insurer’s first-ever investment in a startup through a long-term, institutional private equity approach.
The investment will support the acceleration of Woliz’s AI-powered, fintech-enabled platform, which aims to digitise and structure neighbourhood retail by placing small merchants at the centre of a unified ecosystem connecting commerce, finance, telecoms, institutions, and consumers.
Founded by Kamal El Hardouzi, Woliz focuses on empowering independent shop owners with tools typically available to large retail chains. Its platform enables merchants to order stock digitally, automatically track sales, and verify income, helping them build a financial footprint and improve access to credit from financial institutions.
“Morocco is the foundation. Africa is the natural extension,” the company said, reinforcing its ambition to build a scalable, long-term infrastructure for neighbourhood merchants and the broader retail ecosystem.
The newly raised capital will be used to expand Woliz’s team and accelerate merchant onboarding across multiple Moroccan cities. While no specific timeline has been confirmed, the company plans to eventually scale its model to other African markets facing similar retail and financial infrastructure challenges.
With this milestone, Woliz strengthens its position as a key player in Morocco’s emerging fintech landscape, while Sanlam Maroc signals growing institutional interest in technology-driven solutions supporting financial inclusion and SME digitisation.
