The funding round, whose size was not disclosed, gives the company a pre-money valuation of about R30 million (approximately $1.6 million).

The investment was led by 3 Capital Ventures (3CV), an early-stage venture capital firm that emerged from the South African asset management company Allan Gray.

The new capital will support several areas of growth for the Cape Town–based company.

Yazi plans to accelerate product development, including the rollout of automated voice-based interviews conducted directly within WhatsApp.

The startup will also expand its panel of research participants across Africa while building its presence in international markets, particularly as research agencies in the United Kingdom and across Europe increasingly adopt its platform.

According to chief executive Timothy Treagus, interest from global clients has been largely organic.

He noted that the company frequently appears in top search results for WhatsApp-based research tools, and many potential clients now discover Yazi through AI-driven search queries.

Treagus said that more than 80% of the company’s incoming leads originate from people using platforms such as ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini to look for research solutions that operate through WhatsApp.

The startup’s approach reflects the massive global adoption of the messaging platform. In South Africa alone, an estimated 28 to 29 million people use WhatsApp.

The scale of this adoption makes WhatsApp an attractive channel for research companies seeking to engage participants without requiring them to download new applications or rely on email communication.

Yazi was founded in 2022 by Treagus and Mzwandile Sotsaka, who serves as chief technology officer.

The company has built a research platform designed specifically for WhatsApp, allowing organizations to conduct surveys, interviews, diary studies, and panel research directly through the messaging service.

Treagus said the idea behind Yazi emerged from the observation that the market research industry had largely overlooked the world’s most widely used communication platform.

Yazi’s technology attempts to overcome those barriers by allowing research to happen through conversations on WhatsApp.

Its artificial intelligence system interacts with participants in a natural, conversational format, asking follow-up questions and probing deeper into responses in real time.

The company currently maintains access to a panel of around 1.8 million pre-qualified participants drawn from various demographic groups and locations.

Organizations can use the platform to gather insights on issues ranging from consumer product feedback to policy and social research.

With its first institutional funding secured, the startup aims to strengthen its technology and scale its operations globally.