10117518Meekono (need product title)ClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKMeekono addresses a critical unmet need in the handicrafts sector by providing a platform for economic empowerment, cultural preservation, and market access, while also addressing the unnecessary costs associated with sourcing from Africa for a significant majority of retailers. As demand for sustainable handcrafted culturally rich products grows, some of the world's most talented artisans remain excluded from the opportunity to showcase their talents because they lack the skills, information and networks to access the global market. The problem we're solving is most acute in Africa, however artisans around the world share these challenges, typically lacking the support, tools and networks to progress into sustainable employment and income growth. Meekono addresses these challenges by providing an enabling ecosystem and ecommerce platform to empower and professionalise artisans to meet the high standards required by global consumers, showcasing African-inspired cultural crafts and streamlining the sourcing process for buyers seeking to satisfy their customers' appetite for meaningful purchases. Facilitating the trade of African & UK-based Diaspora handicrafts, which bring uniqueness to a homogenous retail landscape could potentially translate into 5% revenue growth for the 34,000 UK-based retailers (mostly SMEs) and ancillary service providers such as logistics and marketing.