Powered by People Secures Funding to Empower African Artisans with AI-Driven Commerce Tools

Powered by People (PBP), a commerce technology firm with strong ties to Africa, has successfully raised new funding led by the BESTSELLER Foundation. This investment aims to bolster PBP's efforts in creating infrastructure that enables independent African brands to thrive in an increasingly AI-dominated global marketplace. The company is enhancing its focus on a "trust layer" for agentic commerce, using technology to ensure product information is discoverable, understandable, and trustworthy for both consumers and AI purchasing systems.

At its core, PBP has dedicated years to supporting artisans and independent brands across Africa, helping them surmount traditional barriers to global market access. Its extensive network includes over 3,000 businesses worldwide, with a significant presence in numerous African countries such as Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa. Kenya, in particular, is central to PBP's operations, with partnerships with notable local brands like Kazuri and BeadWORKS.

The company addresses a critical gap beyond merely providing online storefronts. Many African artisan businesses, despite having internationally competitive products, struggle with access to affordable financing, digital infrastructure, export readiness, technical expertise, and large buyers. PBP's model integrates these elements, offering financing, training, digital tools, and market access, while its dropship platform connects these brands with international retailers.

Crucially, PBP is now integrating AI-supported digital tools to help artisans bridge the "retail readiness gap." This involves using AI to generate professional product catalogs that enhance online visibility, product discovery, and sales. This initiative is particularly timely as AI systems increasingly influence consumer purchasing decisions, making it vital for small African brands to be visible to these AI agents to prevent new barriers to international growth. PBP's CatalogAgent and PBP Verified solutions are designed to optimize product catalogs for agentic-commerce platforms and provide validation for quality and compliance, building confidence among retailers, consumers, and AI purchasing agents.