Amazon-style Wakuda marketplace launched to sell diverse products on one website
A pair of friends have joined forces to launch a website selling products by Black creators.
Nathaniel Wade and Albert Larter decided to go into business together to help showcase items they struggled to find on the high street.
Their online marketplace Wakuda showcases Black creators and a range of different products.
Nathaniel and Albert, both 32, met in primary school with their friendship going from strength to strength as the years go on.
They both excelled in their own field of expertise, with Albert specialising in marketing and Nathaniel in operations, reports My London.
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Now the school pals have decided to launch Wakuda, an online platform selling cultural gifts and lifestyle products by Black creators.
Nathaniel said: "We've been friends since primary, stayed in contact through college and decided to go into business together.
Nathaniel and Albert have been friends since primary school (Wakuda)"It's not for everyone but due to the type of people we are, we get along and we are able to separate our business from friends so it works."
Albert said : "I think on my side, my family are proud and excited at the fact we are building something impactful.
"They've struggled to find things not seen on the high streets so we've been able to facilitate that.
"Our parents know each other so I think for them they are seeing two friends that built their knowledge through education put it together to build something impactful for the community."
Family are proud and excited for the pair to be building something with impact (Wakuda)Nathaniel and Albert are trying to be different compared to the likes of Amazon.
They believe that people tend to use Amazon for a specific item while at Wakuda, they hope to inspire and give people different ideas of something unique.
The idea came around in 2020 in response to the Black Lives Matter protests that captivated the world in the wake of George Floyd's death.
Albert said: "It spurred me to try to showcase many small Black-owned brands.
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"I struggled to find things on the high street that would represent me and my culture. I've struggled to find Father's Day Cards that have a Black father on it, it's things like that.
"I reached out to Nathaniel and we had a lot of discussion around the disparities in what we could find, the issues we faced and he said he experienced the same issues as well.
(Wakuda)"So we thought, why don't we do something? Why don't we put them on a platform?"
Creators are given a chance to sell on their platform worldwide and Nathaniel and Albert receive a commission from the sales.
Some sellers have reported sales going up nearly 300 per cent due to being able to be found by more people online instead of only selling face to face.
Nathaniel said: "A lot of these businesses only sold offline so we were able to give them a chance to sell online as well as the fact lockdown happened, so the spaces they usually sold at like markets were closed.
"We ended up being the perfect people to help navigate that and showcase their products through the marketplace, as well as building the community."
The friends have been chosen as finalists for Britain’s Best Digital Star Award for Britain's best digital-only business.
Judged by a panel of industry experts, the winners of all categories, along with the overall winner of Small Business of the Year, will be announced at a glittering awards night in London on May 18, 2023.
Nathaniel added: "It was great to get that recognition once we got nominated.
"Of course, driving revenue is important but it's also about empowering the brands and business owners on the platform.
"It's been a small amount of time that we've been going so it's an amazing feeling and nice to be seen and recognised."
To visit the Wakuda website click here.
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