Most B2B ordering platforms were built for headquarters. Not for the retailer standing behind a counter who just needs to reorder stock before the weekend rush. That’s the core problem nFuse, a Bulgarian AI-powered B2B sales startup, is solving directly.
Only around 15% of fragmented trade retailers actually adopt traditional B2B ordering platforms. The reasons aren’t hard to see. These platforms demand behavior change, new apps, and long onboarding cycles. For a small shop owner in Sofia, Lagos, or Lima, that’s a non-starter.
The Adoption Problem:
Implementation cycles for conventional eB2B solutions run up to 18 months, and the platforms themselves are built primarily for HQ dashboards and data teams, not for the retailer at the counter.
nFuse flips that logic. Retailers can place orders via WhatsApp, Viber, or SMS using text, voice, or images, with no new apps to install and no shift in how they already work. The AI handles the rest, processing orders automatically and surfacing personalized product recommendations aligned with each brand’s sales strategy.
How nFuse Actually Works:
nFuse operates as an AI-powered B2B sales agent. It accepts orders without human intervention, suggests relevant products, and follows predefined sales strategy rules set by the FMCG brand or distributor.
The business model combines a B2B SaaS structure with a transaction-based layer, targeting a cost per order below $1 while delivering a 15 to 30% revenue increase per retail outlet. That’s a meaningful shift for any distributor managing thousands of small accounts.
Deployment takes around eight weeks. Compare that to the 18-month industry standard, and the operational advantage for FMCG brands becomes clear.
Real Traction, Real Numbers:
The adoption numbers stand out most. nFuse reports a 70%+ retailer adoption rate, compared to the 10 to 15% industry average, across multiple FMCG verticals including beverages, dairy, pet food, and wholesale.
That gap between 15% and 70%+ is where the nFuse thesis lives. It’s not about building a better portal. It’s about removing the friction that makes traditional B2B e-commerce fail in fragmented trade markets.
The Team and the Funding:
Co-founders Stoyan Ivanov and Stefan Radov bring over 30 years of combined FMCG distribution experience, both with backgrounds at Coca-Cola spanning sales, operations, and fragmented trade.
That domain depth is reflected directly in the product design. In April 2026, nFuse raised a €1.7M round led by Eleven Ventures and LAUNCHub Ventures.
The funding is earmarked for expansion across Europe and into EMEA and the Americas, alongside product development in payments and predictive intelligence. Those two areas, payments and predictive ordering, are the natural next layer for a platform already embedded in a retailer’s daily workflow.
A $5T Market Going Underserved:
Fragmented trade isn’t a niche. The global market it represents spans CESEE, Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, with a combined value estimated above $5 trillion.
These are the small shops, kiosks, independent stores, and neighborhood distributors that collectively move an enormous volume of FMCG goods. Most of them are still ordering by phone call or in-person visit. The AI-powered B2B ordering space is still early here, which means tools like nFuse are entering well before saturation.
For operators in emerging markets exploring B2B sales automation or AI-driven FMCG distribution, nFuse is worth examining as a live reference point. You can learn more about how AI is reshaping FMCG distribution in our coverage of B2B sales technology and emerging market startups.
nFuse’s approach is straightforward: don’t ask retailers to change how they work. Build the AI to meet them where they already are. With 70%+ adoption and a sub-8-week deployment window, the model is producing measurable results for FMCG brands that have struggled to move fragmented trade onto digital ordering channels.
