Cathedis, a Moroccan logistics startup, has received funding from Afrimobility and CDG Invest.
Cathedis, a Casablanca-based logistics startup, has raised USD 735,000 in pre-series A funding from Afrimobility and a bridge round from CDG Invest. Cathedis was founded in 2019 by Imad Mansour Zekri and this is the second round of funding following an initial investment by CDG Invest’s 212 Founders program in 2020.
Cathedis: Digital delivery solutions
Cathedis offers an entirely digital, cloud-based warehousing and delivery solutions to local e-commerce stores. Cathedis’ platform offers companies the tools transform their management of deliveries. Each delivery can be tracked at every stage and the system offers the ability to manage every step, from production of the delivery, to the return of cash and offers real-time monitoring. The system can also handle complaints.
Targeting 3 million shipments per year
Internal teams have designed and deployed an automated sorting center, which has a capacity of 4,000 parcels per hour. The team has relied on local talent to undertake the R&D required to create and maintain the system. According to Cathedis, the goal for 2024 is to successfully manage and maintain a flow of 3 million shipments each year.
“A significant turning point”
According to the company, this second round of funding marks “a new, significant turning point”. Cathedis has grown by more than 300% between 2020 and 2033 and serves over 700 clients, “Afrimobility was persuaded to invest in Cathedis and assist its expansion plan due to its great performance, Moroccan-made innovation, strong potential, and ambitious development strategy. Our investment in this start-up is part of our vision and philosophy of supporting new and disruptive ventures capable of tackling tomorrow’s mobility’s significant challenges,” said Moulay Hafid Amrani, CEO of Afrimobility.
“The renewed confidence of our investor and historical partner CDG Invest, as well as the entry of the prestigious fund Afrimobility, will enable Cathedis to consolidate its performance, develop its innovation platform, and accelerate its growth,” stated Zekri. “Four years after its inception, our start-up is one of Morocco’s reference operators of delivery and e-logistics, with the deployment of technological and industrial solutions conceived and installed entirely domestically,” he said.
In the MENA region delivery and mobility startups accounted for a significant level of funding in 2022.