Running an e-commerce business in Nigeria was rewarding and challenging for Omolara Sanni and Adeola Owosho. Like thousands of other vendors, they had issues with logistics and winning their customers’ trust. For Omolara Sanni, the issue of trust was troubling. But rather than continue struggling, the duo decided to flip the script. Since the problems were so widespread, they determined to solve them for everyone, which was how Middleman began in March 2023.
In 2019, Omolara Sanni and Adeola Owosho (her co-founder) made a name by importing goods from Chinese platforms like Alibaba and 1688 to sell online. During the height of the COVID-19 lockdown, one of their ventures generated an impressive N20 million in revenue, as their business was thriving. However, the biggest challenge they faced was not sales but convincing customers to trust them due to numerous stories of scams and undelivered goods.
In addition to issues of trust, deliveries posed a constant headache. Although local transporters partially offered logistics services, the costs were high, and there were frequent incidents of failed deliveries, return shipments, and inefficiencies.
Sanni and Owosho realised that if they faced these challenges, thousands of other e-commerce vendors would likely experience the same issues. Drawing on their combined experience in e-commerce and product marketing, the duo decided to harness their skills to create a solution that would transform the e-commerce landscape in Nigeria—Middleman.
Middleman isn’t just a catchy name. It’s precisely what the company does. They act as the go-between for vendors and customers, helping e-commerce businesses and their customers in three main ways: building trust through escrow services, simplifying currency payments for imports and streamlining logistics.
In just over a year since its launch, Middleman has surpassed a transaction value of N1 billion. They have also received prestigious grants such as the FCMB HERccelerate and the First Bank Fintech Innovators Pitch.
“Before now, vendors found it really difficult to make payments to their Chinese suppliers, and it just felt like they were waiting for our product. Some people tell us that we’re making life easier for them. That’s one of my favourite things about building Middleman,” Omolora shares on Instagram.
Middleman is planning to expand its ecosystem and introduce additional tools for vendors. This initiative aims to improve e-commerce in Nigeria and other African countries. With a reliable middleman connecting them to their buyers, vendors can rest easier at night, knowing they have support.
