A new
world view of Africa.
AYA isn't simply a marketplace. It's an enterprise that understands that Africa deserves a platform to exhibit all the greatness it has to offer — and a team that believes brand storytelling can change the world view of the continent, drive its economic growth, and incentivise self-love and pride in African people.
One word.
Three cultures.
One commonality: the good in creating.
The rhombus.
A balance of two selves.
The rhombus is a geometric symbol representing the inner focus a person needs to reinstall balance within themselves — between the Yin and Yang aspects of every human being — and to reflect that balance into the outer world.
In AYA, two triangles meet. Upper: Yin Self — All People. Lower: Yang Self — The Ego. Together: EGO — the item you desire. BALANCE — a purchase that helps others.
"We are a group of humans driven by the need to uplift humans. We don't just think change can happen. We know it must. So we are taking the wheel to accelerate the long-due rise of Africa. We are here to build, pixel by pixel, a new world view of Africa."— AYA®, Est. 2020
Made
by hand,
here too.
AYA is built by a small, distributed team across Cape Town, KZN, Berlin and UAE. We do the heavy lifting so 200+ makers don't have to.
Caley van der Kolk
Built AYA after a decade in African brand strategy & Heavy Chef. Host of the African Pioneers Podcast. Cape Town-based, Berlin-frequent.
Nii Aryeetey
Product engineer with a background in logistics and African e-commerce.
Six non-negotiables.
The only way
We believe the only way to do business is through a brand that is transparent — morally clear, doing no harm, truthful in every communication.
The value chain
We exist first and foremost to empower everyone in our value chain: the team, the funders, the workers, the customers, the vendors, the logistics partners and the communities around them.
Stronger together
We believe the only way to move forward is through collaboration and partnership. AYA revolves around human connection and the idea of "stronger together."
Best in show
We seek to offer quality and attention to detail. The team is dedicated to quality testing and innovation, constantly improving the offering and what gets passed to the customer.
We need to win
We stay current with e-commerce best practice. We use economies of scale to serve vendors better. We push customers for honest feedback. If we win, our vendors win.
Always
Products, services and activities must be morally correct, do no harm to people, animals or the environment, and contribute to society in a sustainable way.
Want to build
with us?
If you're a maker, a buyer, a press contact, a funder, or a brand partner — start here. We answer everything within 48 hours.