Deepankar Rustagi, Founder and CEO of OmniRetail, and a recognised Endeavor Entrepreneur, has steadily emerged as one of the most influential figures in Africa’s trade-tech space. Known for his vision of transforming traditional retail through technology, Rustagi has built OmniRetail into a company that is changing how goods move across Nigeria and setting the pace for commerce across West Africa.
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In 2019, Rustagi launched OmniRetail with a simple but ambitious goal to make trade work better for everyone in Nigeria’s fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. Before OmniRetail, he had already built VConnect, Nigeria’s largest SME directory, an experience that revealed the daily struggles of small businesses. Lack of access to credit, poor distribution structures, and limited digital tools were common challenges he wanted to solve.
OmniRetail now digitises the supply chain, connecting manufacturers, distributors, and retailers on one ecosystem. Its solutions Omnibiz for orders, OmniPay for payments and credit, and Mplify for sales and data tackle problems that have held back trade for decades.
The results have been striking. According to the Financial Times, OmniRetail is currently Africa’s fastest–growing company, processing about $95 million in monthly transactions while maintaining a non-performing loan rate below 0.5%. Today, it serves over 200 manufacturers, about 5,000 distributors, and more than 140,000 retailers, giving small shop owners better access to products, prices, and credit.
The company’s growth rests on a simple principle: stay asset-light and use data as leverage. By digitising trade flows, OmniRetail provides safe credit where banks hesitate. Retailers get inventory financing, distributors enjoy faster cash cycles, and manufacturers gain real-time insights into sales and stock movement. This doesn’t just grow businesses it keeps them resilient.
Innovation has also been constant. In 2024, OmniRetail rolled out AI-powered assistants to help retailers place orders and track deliveries. Later that year, it acquired Traction Apps, a payments platform for small merchants, further cementing its role as a one-stop operating system for commerce.
That vision is now backed by strong investor confidence. In April 2025, OmniRetail raised $20 million in Series A funding, with plans to expand into Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and beyond.
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Rustagi’s approach isn’t about flashy disruption but about building systems that fit African retail realities, small shops, irregular cash flow, and a high demand for trust. By empowering retailers with tools to improve margins and manufacturers with data to boost efficiency, OmniRetail is reshaping Nigeria’s commerce industry.
From startup to regional powerhouse in just a few years, OmniRetail proves what happens when technology meets real problems. Rustagi’s journey is more than a personal success it is a blueprint for the kind of innovation that can power Africa’s next wave of growth.
