Sendy Looks To Get Back On Track After Series Of ‘Logistical Nightmares’

Kenyan startup, Sendy, which in recent months has undergone a series of upheavals that shook its digital logistics business, is betting on getting back on track with a renewed singular focus on fulfillment, ending a bumpy period in which it appeared to have spread itself too thin.

Meshack "Mesh" Alloys, the current CEO, co-founded Sendy in Kenya in 2015 along with the trio of Evanson Biwott, Don Okoth and Malaika Judd, and the company started off as an on-demand delivery platform which linked customers (individuals and businesses) to its network of transporters across a fleet of 5,000+ vehicles for deliveries of items.

The startup would eventually dip into other territories, including a bike-hailing operation that launched in Kenya in 2016 but was discontinued after two months, as well as a foray into business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce built around procuring everyday goods and supplying to retailers under a now-suspended product known as Sendy Supply.

“We paused the Sendy Supply service, as part of a wider strategic focus to consolidate efforts around solutions that impact more customers and speak to the current and immediate market challenges,” Alloys told WT.

Rapid geographical expansion also took Sendy to other African markets including Nigeria, Uganda, and Cote d’Ivoire with plans for more.

However, headwinds arising from fundraising difficulties in a subdued tech market and operational frailties exacerbated by the Covid pandemic have forced a reset at Sendy, culminating in at least two waves of layoffs that terminated more than 80 employees over the last 6 months, and the discontinuation of the other two offerings in its product line, Sendy Transport and Sendy Supply, while making its online commerce-facing solution, Sendy Fulfillment, the sole focus.