In this episode of The Trajectory Africa’s series on digital commerce and logistics, Sidy Niang and Jessica Long, Co-founders of Maad, a retail platform connecting FMCG brands and retailers in Senegal, share how they think about asset efficiency as a way to own assets strategically, once demand is assured. Maad embraces the reality (and the challenges) of physical infrastructure, but uses technology to manage assets efficiently. Sidy and Jessica also talk about how to expand the thin margins common in b2b ecommerce, increase revenue opportunities for retailers, and scale by going deep in one market. 

[00:00 ] - Introduction
[02:02 ] - Maad origins and evolution from SaaS provider to retail distribution
[06:21 ] - Bits vs. atoms and the value of technology
[12:07 ] - Distribution value chain, Maad’s value proposition, and market dynamics in Senegal
[27:51 ] - Asset efficiency
[37:43 ] - Maad’s business model
[42:16 ] - Operational excellence and cost structure
[54:54 ] - Digital commerce business models (asset-heavy vs. asset-light) 
[1:08:32 ] - Scaling deep in one market
[1:14:12 ] - First principle of building in digital commerce

Recommendations:

• Chasing Outliers: Why Context Matters for Early Stage Investing in Africa. A report I co-authored on VC investing in Africa. 

Connect on social media:

• Sidy Niang on LinkedIn 
• Jessica Long on LinkedIn 
• The Trajectory Africa on LinkedIn @trajectoryafrica.bsky.social on Bluesky
• Tayo Akinyemi on LinkedIn, Twitter and @TayoAkinyemi.bsky.social on Bluesky