Casablanca-based z.systems has closed a $1.65 million funding round led by Azur Innovation Fund, with renewed participation from MNF Ventures and Witamax, Launch Base Africa reported on 6 April 2026. The raise takes the start-up's total funding to $2.7 million and brings in Harambeans Prosperity Fund as its first international institutional investor.
Founded by Meriem Benabad and Samer Choumar, z.systems operates a B2B superapp that connects neighbourhood retailers directly with manufacturers, brands and wholesalers for sourcing, orders and loyalty programmes. It has more than 16,000 active retailers and over 600 brands on the platform. In September 2025, Morocco's Ministry of Industry and Trade designated z.systems as the national digital intermediation platform for distribution under the Commerce 2030 strategy, with a mandate to connect 50,000 retailers digitally by 2030.
“In a category where many players have failed under the weight of operational complexity, z.systems has built a more disciplined and capital-efficient approach,” said Adnane Filali of Azur Innovation Fund.
THREE ROUTES INTO THE HANOUT
Two other funded start-ups are targeting the same shops from different angles. WafR, founded in 2021 by Ismail Bargach and Reda Sellak, closed an oversubscribed $4 million seed round earlier this year, co-led by LoftyInc Capital, Attijariwafa Ventures and Al Mada Ventures, with participation from UM6P Ventures and First Circle Capital. It turns retailers into points for mobile top-ups, domestic remittances and cash-in/cash-out services, and works with nearly 20,000 active merchants.
Woliz combines connected point-of-sale terminals with inventory management software and distributor integrations. Sanlam Maroc took a $2.2 million equity stake in the company in December, and Woliz has a framework agreement with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to deploy connected terminals in 20,000 shops in a first phase.
Morocco has approximately 126,000 hanouts, which account for more than 85% of the country's food spending. The government's Digital Morocco 2030 strategy and the Commerce 2030 programme both support the digitisation of the sector.