Pakistani B2B marketplace for mom and pop stores Tajir, cofounded by brothers Babar and Ismail Khan, announced today that it has raised USD17 million in a Series A round led by Kleiner Perkins. Other investors in the round include YC Continuity, AAVCF, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Flexport, Golden Gate Ventures, Liberty City Ventures, VentureSouq, and angel investors including under 30 honoree and CEO of Figma Dylan Field, and Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen.
The Lahore, Pakistan-based Tajir’s customers are mom and pop stores which struggle to purchase inventory.
Tajir lets stores place orders for inventory through its app and allows customers to compare the prices of goods, purchase inventory and have access to 24/7 ordering with a next day delivery.
“We’re doing for stores in Pakistan what Amazon did for consumers in the U.S.,” Babar says.
Ismail Khan, the CTO of the company, says that 90% of the retail economy in Pakistan flows through mom and pop stores.
Tajir primarily sells convenient store items, packaged consumer products, like biscuits, soft drinks, home and personal care items, soaps, shampoos etc. The company generates revenue through taking a percentage of the orders.
