Startup of the Week - GIFTY AI

STARTUP OF THE WEEK: GIFTY AI

Editor’s Note

Hey there African Entrepreneur!

I am thrilled to announce that today we are launching something new and exciting - Startup Mondays!

Every Monday, we will feature a startup making waves in its niche.

And what better way to kick start this weekly tradition than by showcasing Gifty AI as our Startup of the Week!

Gifty AI is right up in the e-commerce alley. And as you might have noticed in previous publications, we are in love with AI, E-Commerce and Africa!

So, get ready to be inspired and motivated to be great!

I hope you enjoy this article.

Startup Spotlight

Gifty AI is a Nigerian startup that provides an AI-powered sales growth assistant for e-commerce businesses. The solution enables small business owners to create e-commerce websites in less than five minutes and receive orders from customers ready to buy.

Merchants signed up can leverage Gifty AI’s platform and technology to stay consistent in their marketing activities which will then enable them to scale their business faster, across borders.

Gifty AI uses natural language processing, computer vision, and machine learning to create personalized and engaging experiences for customers.

Some of the features they offer are:

Website builder: Gifty AI allows merchants to create their e-commerce websites in minutes, without any coding or design skills. They can choose from various templates, themes, and layouts, and customize them with their logo, images, and content.

AI assistant: Gifty AI provides an AI-powered sales growth assistant that helps merchants with marketing, sales, and customer service. The assistant can send automated messages to customers via email, SMS, or WhatsApp, based on their behavior and preferences. The assistant can also answer customer queries, provide product recommendations, and upsell or cross-sell products.

Analytics dashboard: Gifty AI enables merchants to track and measure their e-commerce performance using an analytics dashboard. They can see key metrics such as traffic, conversions, revenue, orders, and customer satisfaction. They can also get insights and suggestions on how to improve their results.

With its AI-powered sales growth assistant, Gifty AI aims to empower millions of African MSMEs to tap into the e-commerce market and grow their businesses online.

Founder Spotlight

Gifty AI was founded by Victor D. Akpan, a digital entrepreneur who saw the need for a simple and affordable way for African MSMEs to access the global e-commerce market.

Akpan said, "Africa is becoming the biggest market for merchants to thrive in. In order for us to harness this new economic growth, we believe the timing is perfect for us to leverage emerging and cutting-edge technologies to disrupt the e-commerce industry for over 90 million MSMEs within Africa. We are building Gifty AI to let the world know that Africa is taking over!"

Victor is also a sales and marketing specialist, graphic designer, investor and newsletter creator.

He publishes a weekly newsletter, Entryplan for Startups which he says is subscribed to by founders, Marketing Teams, VCs, and Angel Investors across Africa, America, Europe and Asia.

Awards & Recognition

Gifty AI's vision and innovation have not gone unnoticed. The startup recently won the top prize at GITEX Global 2023, the world's largest tech event, held in Dubai from October 16 to 20. Gifty AI emerged as the Africa Fast Award winner at the North Star, GITEX Global, beating over 1,799 participants from over 100 countries in 14 categories. Gifty AI was the only winner from Africa who made it to the finals.

GITEX Global is an annual event that showcases the latest trends and technologies in various sectors such as fintech, e-commerce, sustainable cities, health, and more. The event attracts over 250,000 people from about 174 countries and features keynote speakers, exhibitions, workshops, and competitions.

Gifty AI's victory at GITEX Global is a positive development for the African tech ecosystem. According to a report by Partech Africa, African tech startups raised a record $2.02 billion in equity funding in 2020, up 42.7% year-on-year.

Gifty AI's success also coincides with Morocco's selection as the host of GITEX Africa for 2024. GITEX Africa will be the first edition of the event to be held outside of Dubai and will showcase the best of African innovation and talent.

Gifty AI emerged as one of the top 22 startups at the Techmybiz Pitch-a-thon (Nigeria).

It also emerged as one of the top 8 startups in Nigeria’s 2^nd cohort of the iHatch startup incubation program.

Our Analysis

Business model: Gifty AI provides an AI-powered sales growth assistant for e-commerce businesses. It helps them automate their marketing and sales activities so they can focus on growing their business. Gifty AI charges a monthly subscription fee based on the number of customers and sales generated by its service. Gifty AI also offers a free trial and a referral program to attract new customers.

Technology: Gifty AI uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze customer behaviour, preferences, and feedback. It then creates personalized and engaging campaigns, offers, and recommendations for each customer. Gifty AI also integrates with various e-commerce platforms, such as Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento, to enable seamless data exchange and execution.

Prospects: Gifty AI has a bright future. It has recently won the top prize in the Super Nova Challenge by North Star at GITEX 2023. This is a significant achievement for Africa, as it puts Africa on the map as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. Gifty AI has the potential to scale up its business and expand its market reach, as e-commerce is a booming industry worldwide. It can also leverage its unique value proposition of providing an affordable and effective solution for SMEs, which often lack the resources to invest in traditional marketing and sales teams.