Native Acquires Frontline Research Group to Build AI Data Layer for Africa's Trade Market
Agentic AI company Native has acquired Frontline Research Group to expand its African operations. The deal brings market share data from 14 African markets onto Native's platform.
Agentic intelligence company Native has acquired Frontline Research Group to bolster its data services for Africa's traditional trade markets. The company aims to build an AI-powered data layer for Africa's $1.7 trillion traditional trade sector.
The acquisition grants Native access to Frontline's market share data collected from over 14 African countries. This information assists brands in tracking how their commercial activities impact market share shifts. The goal is to provide consumer goods companies with a comprehensive view of actions and their outcomes through a single subscription.
Native intends to establish an "operating system" for offline commerce. Its platform encompasses Lattice (field execution), Strata (distribution analytics), and Overwatch (commercial optimization). This acquisition extends Native's reach from Latin America into Africa, covering one of the world's largest fragmented offline consumer markets.
In Africa, annual consumer spending approximates $1.7 trillion, with about 80% flowing through traditional trade channels. These over 10 million analog stores have historically been challenging for global brands to monitor.
"Frontline's data, coupled with Native's 3D Store Graph and agentic workflows, changes the game: brands can see what's happening in the store, understand actual market share shifts, and know what to do next," stated Native CEO Matt McNabb. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.