Nigerian Blockchain-based Prop-Tech Seso Global Raises $600k in Pre-Seed Funding

Seso Global, a Nigerian-based property-tech startup has raised a $600,000 pre-seed funding round to expand its property management portal into emerging markets.

The round was led by Kepple Africa Ventures, Rising Tide Africa, and Moabi Group, as well as angel investors, Albert Essien, Ibrahim Sanga, and Jamie Broderick.

Founded by Phillip Jarman in June 2019, Seso offers a one-stop-shop digital marketplace that sells properties and property-related services.

The company has developed a customer relationship management (CRM) portal that enables property developers, agents, and governments to manage their properties, documentation, and transactions on a secure blockchain database.

Once verified, the platform allows prospective buyers of properties to view and tour selected properties as advertised on the Seso Marketplace. It also instructs relevant professional services to undertake the necessary KYC / DD against the property and request mortgages with mortgage partners.

The startup has expanded beyond Nigeria quickly, launching its first pilot in South Africa in November 2019 and entering Ghana in May 2020. It currently has over 80 property developers and 7,000 property units on the platform.

A remarkable feature of Seso Global is the operation of a blockchain-based marketplace to settle the problem of land ownership disputes. 

Having a land ownership deed is no guarantee that the land is really yours in Africa. In Nigeria, for example, there are land disputes all the time. This is because the government’s land ownership records aren’t trustworthy enough.