z.systems, a Morocco-based RetailTech company building the digital infrastructure layer for traditional trade, has closed a $1.65 million Seed round to expand its active retailer base, strengthen field execution capabilities, and scale brand partnership infrastructure.
The round was led by AZUR Innovation Fund, with follow-on participation from existing investors MNF Ventures (through its MNF II fund) and Witamax. It also included new backing from Harambeans Prosperity Fund.
z.systems has now raised a total of $2.7 million, including its initial $1.05 million Pre-Seed round supported by early investors such as Cash Plus Ventures and Kalys Ventures.
“We built z.systems on the belief that traditional retail in Morocco would not be transformed by trying to replace the ecosystem, but by organising it through the right digital infrastructure. What began as a thesis is increasingly becoming market structure, and our focus now is to scale that position with discipline and ambition,” Samer Choumar, founder and CEO, z.systems.
Founded in 2024 by Samer Choumar, Meriem Benabad, Youssef Haddouch, Reda Nebri, and Youssef Drafate, z.systems seeks to transform traditional trade in Africa by empowering retailers. It offers a full-stack B2B2C platform connecting retailers, brands, and consumers in one integrated ecosystem.
z.systems explains that while traditional retail is a major and vital part of Morocco’s economy, much of its ecosystem still lacks the digital infrastructure necessary to enhance transparency, efficiency, and coordinated growth throughout the value chain.
“Morocco’s traditional retail sector – dominated by approximately 126,000 independent corner shops, or hanouts – accounts for more than 85% of the country’s grocery spend in a market estimated at roughly $40 billion. More than 20,000 distributors, wholesalers, and semi-wholesalers connect brands to retailers, yet the ecosystem remains largely undigitised,” mentioned the company in the press release.
As per z.systems, this has led to a fragmented value chain characterized by limited transparency, poor coordination, and absence of shared infrastructure. Brands do not have real-time insight into the market, retailers are excluded from promotions and digital services, and overall, the market is underperforming its full potential.
The company was established to fill that gap through a model intended not to bypass the market’s existing players, but to connect and empower them. The company observed that over the past decade, those attempting to digitise traditional retail in Africa have generally followed a similar approach, which involved skipping intermediaries, managing inventory directly, and establishing large-scale operations.
z.systems claims to have taken a different approach. The company owns no inventory, warehouses, or trucks. Instead, it orchestrates the existing value chain by connecting brands, wholesalers, and retailers through a unified digital platform.
Brands set up their go-to-market strategies via a dedicated portal, while wholesalers handle fulfilment and delivery. Retailers access a multi-store marketplace, loyalty programs, and an integrated digital wallet.
Z.systems claims that this architecture creates a capital-light platform that combines a third-party marketplace model for traditional retail with an asset-light 4PL orchestration layer, enabling it to expand both commerce and fulfilment without bearing the fixed costs associated with inventory-led models. Multiple monetisation streams can scale on top of the same transaction flow without a proportional increase in cost.
Since launching its multi-store marketplace in April 2025, z.systems has witnessed about 30% monthly growth. The platform now features over 100 independent stores with more than 600 brands, over 3,000 SKUs listed, and over 16,000 active retailers placing orders through the app.
In Q4 2025, just two quarters after launching its marketplace, z.systems achieved a positive Contribution Margin 3. In December 2025, z.systems was also selected for the EBRD Star Venture programme, joining a curated cohort of high-potential startups supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development across 26 emerging markets.
In September 2025, z.systems was officially designated by Morocco’s Ministry of Industry and Trade as the national digital intermediation platform for distribution under the Kingdom’s Commerce 2030 strategy, with a formal mandate to digitally connect 50,000 retailers by 2030.
This designation positions z.systems not merely as a market participant but as a structural component of Morocco’s national retail modernisation agenda, says the company.
With the core model now validated, z.systems is entering its next phase, focusing on increasing market penetration, expanding monetisation layers, and strengthening its position as the digital infrastructure provider for traditional retail in Morocco.
It also revealed that it is preparing for a Pre-Series A round in the coming months and is advancing strategic initiatives aimed at significantly expanding scale and speeding up the journey to national leadership.
