Susa Ventures leads $5M seed round to scale Powered By People

Susa Ventures led a $5 million seed round alongside Flexport Fund, Golden Ventures and JVentures that will enable global makers wholesale marketplace Powered by People (PBP) to scale its operations. Kenya-based PBP connects independent brands and makers in 47 countries to retailers in North America.

PBP solves two challenges for makers: access to export markets and access to financing for production and inventory.

PBP was founded in 2021 by Ella Peinovich-Griffith and Hedvig Alexander and has quickly become a trusted source for retailers like West Elm, Pottery Barn, The Citizenry and 100s of independent shops. The multinational marketplace is a trading hub for 200+ brands to showcase their products to a global audience.

Makers on the platform gain access to new retailers; purchase order and invoice financing; export logistics services; and digital tools for inventory management and production management. While retailers benefit from a simplified buying process, a curated selection of diverse goods and logistics support.

Peinovich-Griffith gained experience and insight in the makers market through her SOKO handmade jewelry brand in Kenya that exported to the US. At SOKO, Ella employed thousands of makers in East Africa and built many of the tools for her own company which informs the digital business tools that PBP now offers to all makers on its platform.

The platform has now grown into an integrated team, strategically located in the US, Canada, Kenya, India, Mexico, Turkey and the UK. PBP uses innovative tech and financial solutions to allow retail buyers to seamlessly and confidently purchase these distinct goods.

By removing the friction from what is too often a time-consuming, complicated process, PBP takes care of the laborious hassles so buyers and makers don’t have to.

Read more: Kenyan fintech startup secures $1.5-million in seed funding