Leta: 10 Key Things You Must Know

Overview

Leta is a cutting-edge AI-powered logistics software platform founded in 2021, designed to transform supply chain operations across Africa. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, Leta addresses the continent's notoriously challenging and costly logistics landscape by automating and optimizing the movement of goods. The platform leverages artificial intelligence to enhance fleet management, optimize delivery routes, and streamline dispatch and payment processes, thereby significantly reducing transportation costs and improving delivery efficiency for businesses. From local African enterprises to multinational corporations, Leta’s innovative approach is reshaping how goods move across difficult terrains, overcoming infrastructure constraints and outdated manual processes. Dive into the key insights about Leta that reveal why this tech startup is a game-changer in African logistics.

1. Founding and Vision

Founded in 2021 by Nick Joshi, a logistics veteran with extensive experience in the United States, Leta was born out of the founder’s firsthand understanding of the complexities in last-mile delivery. After recognizing the unique challenges faced by African businesses—including poor infrastructure and fragmented supply chains—Joshi set out to build a platform that digitizes and automates logistics operations. Leta's vision is to be the continent's operating system for supply chain and logistics, enabling reliable, cost-effective, and scalable delivery services tailored to Africa’s market nuances.

2. AI-Driven Route Optimization

At the core of Leta’s technology is an AI engine that optimizes delivery routes in real-time. The software analyzes factors such as traffic conditions, route difficulties, vehicle capacity, and driver availability to dynamically plan the most efficient ways to move goods. For instance, the AI flags problematic routes—affected by flooding, police checkpoints, or roadworks—and recalibrates deliveries accordingly. This route optimization can reduce logistics costs by up to 40%, a critical advantage in a region where transport expenses drive almost 70% of the total cost of goods sold.

3. Integration With Business Systems

Leta integrates seamlessly with businesses’ existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Point of Sale (POS), and Order Management Systems (OMS). This interconnectivity allows the platform to pull live order data, including product types, SKUs, prices, and customer details, automating dispatch planning and vehicle assignment. By replacing manual and intuition-based processes, Leta minimizes human error and enhances operational speed, enabling businesses to fulfill orders more efficiently and reliably.

4. Tackling Africa’s Infrastructure Challenges

Africa’s logistics hurdles are compounded by vast distances between commercial hubs and limited, often poor-quality road networks. Leta’s platform accounts for this by smartly managing fleet deployment and load planning, helping businesses scale their operations without proportionally increasing their transportation resources. For example, major clients like Twiga Foods have reduced their truck use from nine to seven per day in one depot, cutting costs by 25% and saving thousands of dollars monthly.

5. Impressive Growth Metrics and Market Presence

Since its inception, Leta has experienced rapid growth, scaling from supporting 500,000 deliveries to over 4.5 million annually. The volume of goods transported has increased from 20,000 to 150,000 tonnes, and the fleet size managed has grown approximately fourfold, from 2,000 to 7,400 vehicles. Leta operates in at least seven African countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, and Ghana, serving over 35 enterprise clients ranging from local distributors to multinational brands like KFC, Diageo, and East African Breweries Limited (EABL).

6. Strategic Partnerships and Funding

Leta has garnered significant investor confidence, securing over $8 million in funding to date. A notable $5 million seed round in early 2025 was led by European venture capital firm Speedinvest, with participation from Google’s Africa Investment Fund and Equator VC, a climate-focused investor. These funds support platform development, geographic expansion, and innovation in embedded finance services like fuel cards and asset financing to further enable fleet operators and merchants.

7. Focus on Sustainability and Cost Efficiency

Besides cost savings for its customers, Leta emphasizes sustainability by helping companies decrease fleet sizes without sacrificing delivery coverage, which reduces fuel consumption and carbon emissions. The platform’s ability to optimize vehicle use and routing means fewer trucks are needed to move the same volume of goods, aligning operational efficiency with environmental responsibility—an increasingly vital consideration in African markets and beyond.

8. Embedded Finance and Future Extensions

Leta is exploring ways to extend its offering beyond logistics into embedded financial services tailored for supply chain stakeholders. Potential products under pilot include fleet fuel cards for drivers, asset financing for vehicles and devices, and supply chain financing solutions for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) merchants. This diversification aims to bridge critical gaps in access to finance for logistics providers in Africa and enhance the broader ecosystem’s resilience.

9. Unique Software-Only Model

Unlike many logistics startups that aggregate and manage physical freight or fleets, Leta focuses purely on providing a software platform. This model allows it to empower companies that already own their fleets to operate more efficiently using AI-driven insights rather than competing to own transport assets. This “software-first” approach has enabled Leta to scale rapidly and adapt across different regional markets without the heavy capital investment of physical assets.

10. Expanding Footprint and Ambitions

Building on a strong foundation across East and Southern Africa, Leta has recently entered the Ghanaian market, partnering with Simbisa Brands, a major quick-service restaurant chain with operations in multiple countries. The company plans further expansions into Rwanda and Mauritius while continuously refining its AI technology. Leta envisions becoming Africa’s leading operating system for logistics, ultimately transforming how goods move across the continent and opening new opportunities in e-commerce, payments, and supply chain finance.

Conclusion

Leta is setting a new standard for logistics in Africa by harnessing artificial intelligence and software automation to tackle the continent’s complex delivery challenges. From its innovative route optimization to seamless system integrations, Leta is helping businesses reduce costs, boost efficiency, and operate sustainably amid difficult logistics conditions. Supported by strong investors and growing regional presence, the company represents a vital step toward digitizing Africa’s supply chains. As Leta continues to innovate and expand, the question looms: How significantly will smarter logistics reshape African commerce and development in the coming decade?