The archive · Commerce & Marketplaces · Product decision · 2016–2025
Salla bet Arabic-speaking merchants need a local Shopify: 80K+ stores, $130M pre-IPO round
Salla grew from a social-selling tool in Makkah (2016) into Saudi Arabia's biggest e-commerce platform: 80K+ merchants, $130M pre-IPO round
Salla
What the business is
Salla is a Saudi SaaS platform that lets merchants build and run online stores in Arabic, with payments, shipping, inventory, and marketing tools included.
Starting capital：$130 million pre-IPO round (March 2024)
How it started
Nawaf Hariri and Salman Butt founded Salla in 2016 in Makkah after seeing Saudi small businesses sell through Instagram and WhatsApp without a proper local storefront; the name means 'basket' in Arabic.
What happened
Salla grew into the largest e-commerce platform in the region: by 2024 it served 80,000+ active merchants, had enabled $7 billion in e-commerce sales since 2020, and employed nearly 500 people. It raised a $130 million pre-IPO round in March 2024 led by Investcorp with Sanabil Investment and STV, and joined Saudi Arabia's national Saudi Unicorns program.
How it ended up
Still running and scaling: profitable, preparing for a potential IPO, and in February 2025 it acquired advertising platform Sweply (rebranded Salla Ads) to add marketing tools to its merchant stack.
Background
Salla was founded in Makkah in 2016 by Nawaf Hariri and Salman Butt, initially as a tool that automated selling products through social media channels. The founders saw Saudi small businesses running their shops over Instagram and WhatsApp with no proper Arabic e-commerce infrastructure. The name Salla means 'basket' in Arabic, chosen to describe exactly what the product was: a simple container for commerce.
The product evolved into a no-code e-commerce platform where merchants can build a store within hours, accept payments, manage shipping and inventory, and install apps. Revenue comes from four subscription tiers plus merchant solutions such as shipping, payments, and app fees. By 2024 Salla served more than 80,000 active merchants, had enabled $7 billion in e-commerce sales since 2020, and employed close to 500 people.
In March 2024, Salla raised a $130 million pre-IPO round led by Investcorp, with Sanabil Investment and STV participating, to fund growth and a potential listing. It was also part of Saudi Arabia's national Saudi Unicorns program. In February 2025 it acquired Sweply, an advertising platform with 35,000 registered advertisers, rebranding it as Salla Ads to add AI-powered campaign tools to its merchant stack.
What has to be true
- Arabic language and Saudi payment and shipping integrations made Salla the natural fit for local sellers.
- A freemium-to-premium subscription model let small shops start free and pay as they grew.
- The founders built for their own market instead of adapting a foreign product.
- A pre-IPO round and the Saudi Unicorns program gave it capital and credibility for a future listing.
What can be applied
Local depth beats generic scale: by localizing language, payments, and shipping for Saudi sellers, a homegrown platform won the market global rivals treated as an afterthought.
Aftermath
As of February 2025, Salla is Saudi Arabia's leading e-commerce platform with more than 80,000 active merchants and over $7 billion in sales enabled since 2020. After its $130 million pre-IPO round (March 2024), it is preparing for a potential listing while expanding its ecosystem; the Sweply acquisition launched Salla Ads in Q2 2025. It continues to operate from Saudi Arabia with regional ambitions.
Sources
- Saudi Arabia's Salla raises $130 million pre-IPO investment
- Saudi Unicorns: Makkah-Based Salla Aims To Become The Go-To Platform For All E-Commerce Needs In KSA And Beyond
- Salla acquires Sweply, rebrands it as 'Salla Ads'
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