A decade ago there was no such thing as a tech ecosystem in Kenya safe for the few meetups organized by people passionate for innovation and a newsletter passing around among the few who understood what tech meant for the youth and the nation’s economic development.
Today, Kenya has over five hubs with more opening up in universities and in other regions to bring together youths passionate for change using technology. If there was a time to build a tech company, then the time is now, and the youth should take up the opportunities jealously and ran with them.
Even with the noise in the community about how little angel investors there are in Kenya, I believe opportunities abound. iHub has been on the forefront of helping the youth achieve their dreams, so has 88mph and Nailab. Every one of them wants to see the youth building solutions to help address local problems. While 88 mph funds most of the startups working there, iHub is a community for everyone funded and not funded. It’s mobile arm, m:lab has launched a mobile social program asking industry experts from education, health and agriculture among others to team up with mobile developers and change the world.
Nailab on the other hand has a six-month incubation program working with local tech entrepreneurs to build their prototypes into profitable businesses. Its alumni like Sematime and Ghafla are already doing well out there, though they both secured seed funding from 88mph.
The latest cohort has interesting startups from real estate and events listings, illuminating jackets for the bike riders, SMS stock ordering system for mama mboga’s and a school textbook sharing platform among others. Most of these startups are being developed by youths who have just finished university, who instead of sitting at home looking for jobs, are creating work for their friends and neighbors and trying to change lives whichever way they can.
Though this cannot be compared to Silicon Valley, Kenya’s tech community is doing just fine. From nothing a decade ago to a proliferation of mobile and web apps this year, the future is bright. That single step developers are taking, will add up to a thousand and then ten thousand and even though we might not have our own Facebook and Google just yet, the boys and girls building up solutions are sure to come up with something tangible for the entire continent. And for those blind to facts, this is happening already, Agosto Liko, a man I have come to respect recently took to twitter about PesaPal’s planned expansion into Nigeria and the rest of West Africa. Liko didn’t announce this for PR. He had just set up operations in Malawi. Apart from East Africa, PesaPal is available in Zimbabwe, Botswana and is already covering a population of over 170 Million though Liko is aiming at covering over 400m with the West African expansion. PesaPal has received significant funding from Eva Fund via its parent company Verviant and is also a profitable firm.
Another great local example is Kenya’s Seven Seas Technologies, which now serves clients around the world and around Africa. Though bought by Ringier, Rupu is another great example of firms starting humble and serving the needs of the community. Mama Mikes, an online gifting service between family members in the diaspora and those back home is also growing day by day and has hinted on doing payments between the two populations.
Unlike a decade ago when most local software firms started, youths today are lucky. God has given them free internet. SEACOM and everyone else is competing to put all this hubs to an always-on fibre optic cable.
Apart from the Internet, God has also given the youth of today free content management systems. There is Drupal, Joomlaa, WordPress, Ghost among others. They will not need to know any programming language to build a web application. Still there is loads of open source software which the youth can use or sharpen their learning from.
There are also many hubs, and many will open before the end of this year. Apart from the established ones mentioned, recently a Njeri Chelimo launched a Nairobi Developers school, where girls and boys can go and learn basic programming and ethical hacking among others. Local tech community member have also teamed up to launch a startup school, where founders can go and learn business and entrepreneurship to add on their computer programming skills.
Those who are into hardware, iHub has launched Gearbox, to take in all hardware builders making robots, home technology, and just about anything hardware to share skills and equipment and even raise funding or just network.
Then there is this high school tech hardware building initiative by Innovate Africa, so literally, no one is left out. And to those who say the funding from Savannah Fund and 88mph and Village Capital is insignificant, try Eva Fund, Invested Development among others. For those who are into farming SME’s the government’s Uwezo Fund is enough. Those with social enterprise ideas, Growth Africa will cater for your needs. Kenyan youth have no excuse not be running their businesses and the younger they are, the more the opportunities. One day we shall have one of us selling a local WhatsApp for $19 billion, but this will happen only if we persist.
*This post was written by Sam Wakoba who is the founder of Techmoran. Check out his work here