E-commerce startup MarketLeap raises $8M Series A to expand its AI-powered global D2C platform

Luxembourg-based e-commerce startup MarketLeap has raised $8 million in a Series A funding round led by Smedvig Ventures, with participation from Expon Capital, Motier Ventures, and business angels, including former executives from Amazon, SoftBank, and Unilever. The new funds will help the company speed up platform development and hire top talent to fuel its growth.

This funding comes as global e-commerce sales are expected to hit $8 trillion by 2027. Yet, private brand owners typically reach just 0.2% of their potential audience over their lifetime due to a lack of time, expertise, and capital. MarketLeap aims to change that with its AI-driven platform that helps direct-to-consumer (D2C) sellers expand across global marketplaces.

Founded in 2022 by Mamoun Benkirane and Mekki Mouaddeb, both former employees at Amazon and Jumia, MarketLeap simplifies the process of scaling internationally. The idea for MarketLeap came after Mamoun hosted a webinar for Amazon sellers looking to expand into new markets. He was flooded with emails from frustrated sellers struggling with the tools and processes. Meanwhile, Mekki noticed that while many sellers excelled at sourcing profitable products, they hit roadblocks when trying to grow their businesses globally.

Realizing that over 90% of sellers making more than half a million dollars earn most of their revenue from just one market, the duo launched MarketLeap. Their platform uses AI and automation to connect brands with customers worldwide, helping them overcome the usual hurdles of international expansion.

MarketLeap’s platform serves brands like Edible Health, 5 Stars United, and MonkeyHands. It automates marketplace operations and backend management, making it easier for sellers to manage logistics, compliance, and financial partnerships. Since launching in October 2022, MarketLeap has helped its customers sell in over 30 countries.

“MarketLeap goes beyond being a KPI dashboard or global distributor. It is a partner that supports all areas of international marketplace e-commerce operations, powered by data-driven insights. The company invests in its customers’ growth, and the technology, combined with this unique ‘skin in the game’ approach, makes MarketLeap the perfect partner for confidently and smoothly selling worldwide,” said Jessika Nilsson, Chief Operations Officer at Edible Health.

Since its initial $2.7 million seed round, MarketLeap has upgraded its platform with improved inventory management, pricing automation, and third-party integrations. The platform now processes more data in a single day than it did in its entire first year. By the end of 2024, MarketLeap experienced a 340% year-on-year growth in customer numbers and expanded its team to 13, with eight new hires—including two ex-Amazon leaders—set to join in early 2025 as the company’s first Vice Presidents.

The latest funding will support further automation features and real-time analytics, as well as new integration tools to expand MarketLeap’s marketplace ecosystem. The company plans to strengthen its US presence, helping American brands navigate the challenges of selling to European customers. This growth will be supported by new hires in MarketLeap’s Madrid and New York City offices.

“While Amazon prides itself on being a customer-obsessed business, the reality for sellers is far more challenging. Data and reports are fragmented and incomplete, making actionable insights difficult to obtain. Tools are either limited or overly complex, and accounts are often suspended at the slightest sign of compliance issues. At MarketLeap, we pride ourselves on being seller-obsessed. Our platform simplifies marketplace operations by leveraging automation and AI, allowing brands to focus on their D2C strategy and products,” said Mamoun Benkirane, CEO and Co-founder of MarketLeap.

“The post-COVID era of e-commerce has seen the emergence of many models to help brands grow, but most either sideline the brand owner as the key product driver or offer SaaS tools that fail to address the core issue: time spent managing marketplace operations. Our model solves this by saving time while keeping the brand owner in control,” added Mekki Mouaddeb, COO and Co-founder of MarketLeap.

“Marketplaces are booming globally as they become an important channel for brands’ e-commerce sales. But as competition for brands increases, so does the complexity required to succeed. MarketLeap’s expertise, backed by its in-house automation stack, delivers results that help its customers thrive. Coming out of Amazon and Jumia, Mamoun and Mekki are uniquely positioned to lead in this space, and their automation stack is already outperforming some of the best marketplace teams and agencies,” said Joe Knowles, Partner at Smedvig Ventures.

To date, MarketLeap has secured $10.7 million in total funding from investors, including Smedvig Ventures, Expon Capital, Notion Capital, Motier Ventures, Kima Ventures, and several business angels.

MarketLeap Founders