nFuse secures $2M to enable small retailers to place orders through WhatsApp.

      Two ex-Coca-Cola operators established a messaging-first ordering platform after observing the repeated failures of B2B eCommerce efforts in fragmented markets. The platform reports a 70% retailer adoption rate and order processing costs that are as much as 20 times lower than those of traditional digital channels.

      The Bulgarian B2B ordering startup nFuse has secured $2 million from Eleven Ventures and LAUNCHub in a funding round aimed at facilitating expansion across the CESEE, Latin American, and Southeast Asian markets, areas familiar to its founders, who have nearly three decades of combined experience at Coca-Cola.

      The platform enables small retailers to place orders through WhatsApp, Viber, or SMS, using text, voice messages, or photos of empty shelves, without the need to download an app or learn a new interface.

      Stoyan Ivanov, who dedicated nearly 20 years to Coca-Cola, including a role as New Ventures Director for Europe, and Stefan Radov, who spent a decade there in various roles across distribution, sales, and market entry operations, launched the company.

      They both noticed a consistent trend: FMCG companies poured resources into B2B eCommerce portals, yet adoption in fragmented trade hovered around 15%, with implementation taking up to 18 months, while millions of small independent retailers, kiosks, and shops largely neglected these platforms.

      The key insight driving nFuse was behavioral rather than technical. Retailers in emerging markets were already using messaging apps to manage their businesses, sending photos of empty shelves or voice messages to sales representatives for quicker ordering than inputting information into a portal. Rather than working against this channel, nFuse was designed with it in mind.

      When a retailer takes a photo of an empty shelf, that image instantly becomes a confirmed order. Ivanov articulates the core issue: the platforms were designed for the analytics and data that headquarters desired, not for the individual at the counter who needs to restock beer before the weekend.

      The outcomes reported by the company are notable compared to the industry standard. nFuse claims 70% retailer adoption, significantly higher than the approximately 15% typical of B2B ordering apps in fragmented trade, and asserts that its per-order processing cost of about $1 is up to 20 times less than that of orders processed through traditional digital platforms.

      According to the company’s website, clients can launch their operations in just 30 days. Fragmented trade, which encompasses the network of independent retailers that dominate commerce in emerging markets, represents over $5 trillion in global value. In regions such as CESEE, Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, these outlets account for the majority of FMCG sales.

      Both Eleven Ventures and LAUNCHub are Sofia-based venture funds known for their investments in B2B software across Central and Eastern Europe. The funding will assist in nFuse’s expansion into its target markets as the company seeks to penetrate regions where messaging-based commerce is already a common practice rather than an exception.