From Seychelles to East Africa in six months: that is the trajectory Fusepay has set for itself. The Seychellois startup, founded by Vidhyasahar Thiyagarajan and Francesco Rocchi, launched Fuse360 in July 2026 — an AI-powered business management platform — after raising more than $350,000 in pre-seed funding from internationally recognised investors. The move sends a strong signal from an archipelago increasingly positioning itself as an innovation laboratory for the Indian Ocean.
Fuse360: AI built for distribution SMEs
Fuse360 is aimed primarily at wholesale and distribution businesses — a segment that has historically lagged on digital tools across the Indian Ocean. The platform covers inventory management, invoicing, collections, retailer relationship management and a self-service customer portal. The AI layer is the core differentiator: automated agents handle reconciliation, performance reporting and behavioural data analysis for advanced credit scoring (KYC/KYB).
"Manual reconciliation and paper-based receivables tracking cost regional SMEs dozens of hours per week," Fusepay's positioning argues. By automating these tasks, Fuse360 promises to free up management time to focus on growth.
$350,000 and an international network from day one
The pre-seed round of more than $350,000 brought together a strong line-up: Hustle Fund, Everywhere Ventures, First Check Ventures, Startup Istanbul and Velocity Digital, alongside angel investor Ashwin Ravichandran. This international cap table — combining US, European and regional funds — reflects growing appetite for Indian Ocean startups able to offer solutions scalable across the African continent.
A three-stage regional rollout
The deployment plan is clear: launch in Seychelles in July 2026, expansion to Mauritius in September 2026, then rollout across East and Southern Africa by end 2026. This trajectory uses Seychelles not as an end market — too small to absorb the full ambition — but as a validation ground before exporting at scale.
The addressable market is real: distribution SMEs across East Africa, markets still largely under-digitalised in terms of operational management and trade credit. The timing aligns with the broader rise of B2B SaaS platforms on the continent, a segment that has attracted several hundred million dollars over the past two years.
Why it matters
Fuse360 illustrates a structural shift: small Indian Ocean archipelagos can now produce startups with continental ambitions, funded by international capital. For Réunion, Madagascar, Comoros and Mauritius, the Seychellois example is a reminder that local market size is no longer a glass ceiling — provided the product is built for export from day one. Against a backdrop where African early-stage funding is eroding (see our H1 2026 VC review), Seychelles shows it is possible to attract international capital even from the margins of the continent.
Source: TechInAfrica, July 2026.