Introducing Yelen: Ex-Google employee is building Shopify but for social sellers in Francophone Africa
In recent years, the landscape of commerce in Africa has shifted dramatically from traditional e-commerce websites to more informal channels, such as messaging apps and social media platforms. This transition has opened up new opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs, particularly in Francophone Africa. One such opportunity has been seized by Ibrahima Sylla and Christian Okoth, the founders of Yelen, a startup that aims to streamline the selling process for social sellers across the region.
What is Yelen?
Launched in June 2025 and headquartered in Côte d’Ivoire, Yelen is an all-in-one platform designed for merchants who sell their products through messaging apps like WhatsApp and social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. The platform enables sellers to create online storefronts, manage customer interactions, and process payments—all within a single system. Yelen operates in several Francophone countries, including Senegal, Cameroon, Togo, Mali, Benin, Niger, and Gabon.
Features of Yelen
Yelen offers a variety of features aimed at simplifying the selling process for merchants:
- Storefront Creation: Sellers can quickly set up an online storefront to showcase their products.
- Payment Processing: The platform supports multiple payment methods, including card payments and mobile money, across 20 African countries.
- Customer Management: Users can manage orders, track customer interactions, and automate sales responses.
- Integration with Social Media: Sellers can import posts from Instagram directly into their storefronts, making it easier to sell products.
The Vision Behind Yelen
Sylla’s vision for Yelen extends beyond just providing a platform for transactions. He aims to create a comprehensive ecosystem that allows sellers to manage their entire business lifecycle—from initial conversations with customers to final transactions. This vision includes plans for tools that will assist sellers in sourcing products from suppliers in China and developing logistics features to streamline shipping and delivery.
From Idea to Product-Market Fit
Before launching Yelen, Sylla explored various ideas after leaving his position at Google in May 2024. His initial ventures included a creator marketplace called Alpha Influencer, which aimed to connect brands with creators in Francophone Africa. Although this product gained some traction, Sylla realized that the market was not yet ready for it. He then pivoted to software development projects for universities before finally partnering with Okoth to develop Yelen.
The idea for Yelen emerged from direct conversations with sellers, who expressed their challenges in managing payments and sales across messaging platforms. What began as a solution for a single client quickly evolved into a platform that gained traction through word-of-mouth referrals, signaling a strong product-market fit.
How Yelen Works
To use Yelen, sellers sign up and create a storefront, undergoing a qualification process to ensure they are active sellers. From their dashboard, they can list products, manage orders, and access marketing tools. Payments collected from customers are held in a wallet on the platform, which sellers can withdraw to their bank accounts or mobile money accounts. Buyers receive a link to the seller’s store to browse products and make purchases.
The Business Model
Yelen operates on a hybrid business model that combines subscription fees with transaction-based commissions. The platform offers a free plan that charges a 10% commission per sale, while a growth plan costs approximately $60 per quarter with a 5% commission. The business plan is available for €200 annually with no commission. Additionally, Yelen earns a 2-3% commission on its product sourcing service for sellers importing goods from China.
Since its launch, Yelen has recorded impressive growth, with 5,000 active stores across 10 African countries, generating $5,000 in monthly recurring revenue and processing nearly $50,000 in transactions. Its user base is primarily concentrated in Francophone African markets.
Competitive Advantage and Future Outlook
Yelen differentiates itself from global e-commerce platforms like Shopify by offering a faster setup process—allowing sellers to create storefronts in about three minutes—and by supporting mobile money transactions without requiring foreign business entities. This makes Yelen particularly accessible to local sellers who may not have access to traditional banking services.
As Yelen continues to expand its offerings, the company is focused on building tools for payment processing, product sourcing, and logistics. This approach aims to support sellers not only in establishing their businesses but also in scaling them effectively. The founders envision Yelen as the backbone of e-commerce infrastructure for social sellers in Africa, contributing to the growth of the continent’s commerce market.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yelen operates in several Francophone African countries, including Senegal, Cameroon, Togo, Mali, Benin, Niger, and Gabon.
The platform supports various payment methods, including card payments and mobile money, making it accessible to a wider range of sellers and buyers.
Yelen operates on a hybrid business model that includes subscription fees and transaction-based commissions, allowing flexibility for sellers based on their needs.
Note: Yelen is poised to play a significant role in the evolving e-commerce landscape of Francophone Africa, providing tools and infrastructure for social sellers to thrive.
