Kenyan creator-commerce platform HustleSasa has raised a new early-stage funding round led by African impact investor Impacc. The amount of the investment was not disclosed, although Impacc confirmed it has become a shareholder and brought additional investors into the financing. The deal signals growing investor appetite for African startups that combine digital commerce with employment creation in the creative economy.
What HustleSasa Offers
HustleSasa began as a digital ticketing platform and has since expanded to provide event management, marketing, payments, commerce and business financing tools. Event organisers can create event pages, sell tickets, accept mobile money and card payments, manage check-ins and sell merchandise through digital storefronts. The platform also offers bulk SMS, email campaigns, affiliate marketing, sales analytics, cash advances, working-capital loans and invoice financing.
The company operates in Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa, and currently lists more than 2,500 live events. It has processed over 520,000 tickets, with Impacc noting that around 500,000 tickets were processed across more than 2,000 events in 2025. Previous investor Best Nights VC reported that HustleSasa ticketed more than 1,700 live events attended by over 400,000 people across four African countries in 2024.
Impacc Leads Fresh Capital
Impacc has become a shareholder in HustleSasa and is leading the company's latest financing round, while attracting additional capital to the business. The investor focuses on African businesses that can create jobs and generate income, and this marks its first time leading a funding round. Impacc said the investment will support HustleSasa as it develops its platform for event organisers, creators and businesses across Africa.
Impacc highlighted the platform's employment impact, estimating that roughly one gig job is created for every ten tickets sold. The calculation counts a gig job as a year-long position and includes roles such as security staff, caterers, gate staff, stage builders and technicians. According to Impacc, this conservative approach still translates into thousands of livelihoods supported through the creative economy.
Backing and Growth Momentum
HustleSasa's earlier investors include Antler, Musha Ventures, Microtraction and Best Nights VC, the venture arm of Mast-Jägermeister. HustleSasa raised $100,000 from Antler in 2021, while later investment amounts were not publicly disclosed. Based on public information and typical cheque sizes, the company's total institutional funding is estimated to be above $500,000, though HustleSasa has not confirmed a cumulative figure.
The platform's expansion beyond ticketing gives it multiple revenue streams from the same customers, from promotion and payments to merchandise and financing. HustleSasa can use ticket sales data and customer behaviour insights to offer organisers additional services. The company is expected to use the new capital to deepen its presence in existing markets and continue developing products for creators and event businesses.
The Impacc-led round reinforces HustleSasa's position as a growing player in Africa's live-events and creator economy. While the company has not disclosed the size of the round, its valuation or total funding to date, the backing of a lead impact investor and additional investors suggests strengthening confidence. The investment is expected to help the company expand its tools and support more creators, organisers and gig workers across the continent.