In Africa, Nairobi is one of the cites that has taken great leaps when it comes to the startup culture. Someone asked me the following hard-hitting questions given that I have a Digital Marketing Startup. Here were my responses.
What truth do you know about the Kenyan startup ecosystem that no one else agrees with?
Kenya has a robust startup ecosystem facilitated by the many accelerator programs and incubation centers there are. However, people have glorified the idea of having a startup such that they forget that it takes blood, sweat, and tears to make it work. However, those that do the work make it out alive and those that don’t fall by the wayside. It’s survival of the fittest, and a brisk walk through co-working spaces and hubs will reveal that people are hard at work trying to build something. Many accelerator programs that have birthed remarkable startups. The corporates have also joined with their “pitch-your-idea” type competition promising the winners funding. Although all this is going on, funding remains a huge problem.
I wrote all about it in an article I did for The Culture Trip
If there was a heaven for startups, which 3 Kenyan startups are most likely to make it there and why?
Some Kenyan startups that are doing great are.
- Fuzu is an online recruitment platform that has made it so easy for people to get jobs. It makes a difference because there is a large number of unemployed youth in Kenya.
- PesaBazaar is also on the rise because it helps people know what insurance options to consider and which companies to sign up to. It is such a great idea if executed well.
- Spire also helps to change the unemployment rate in Kenya by helping newly graduated prepare for the crazy job market awaiting them.
I wrote this in an article I did for The Culture Trip about ten startups to watch in Kenya
Which comes first for on-demand startups, consumers or producers/merchants? Why?
This is a chicken and egg problem. Although this is debatable, I feel that producers should come first because there is no need to get consumers on board and yet there is no product/ service. The on-demand business is very tricky, but I would start with onboarding producers/merchants before going live. For example, in Kenya, Safaricom (the leading mobile network company) is launching Masoko (an e-commerce platform similar to Jumia). They are first focusing on getting sellers on board before they can scale. I agree with that approach. With that said, businesses should start small then scale. They should focus on providing value to overcome this dilemma.