The top 4 Kenyan Startups to look out for
In this article, we will introduce 4 of the most promising Kenyan startups from the Savannah Fund, a fund that invests in startups from the East African community. Founded by Mbwana Alliy, the Savannah Fund operating from Nairobi currently has 9 startups in portfolio and can be found here. #1 – Zatiti, “Powering mobile e-commerce” Zatitti […]
The Potentials & Futures of Iran
How can Iran grow its startup ecosystem and its economy? Working with our Iran-based correspondent Natalie Corpuroglu, we have envisioned potential endeavors and proposals that could help build global startups with minimal resources. Tap into the diaspora’s wealth and networks to scale globally “There is a growing recognition that transnational communities facilitate increased trade, investment and […]
BRICS series #5: Remitix, a South African solution for cheaper remittances
Remittances are a huge market startups are entering, although most are stealth players such as South Africa Remitix. I’ve met their CCO, Ernst Janse van Rensburg, back in May 2014 in Lagos, Nigeria, during the Mobile West Africa conference. Remittances and their high fees are an obvious target for startups in the emerging markets The rise […]
Iran Entrepreneurship: Market Analysis
Facts: GDP – USD$987 billion (2013) GDP growth – 1.5% (2013) GDP breakdown – Services: 44.5% / Industry: 44.9% (2013) Inflation rate – 42.3% (2013) Pros: Large Farsi-speaking market/ Useful geographical position/ High education/ Influential diaspora/ Economic liberalization/ Low cost of living Cons: Competing with entrenched government sector/ No platform for bank transfer/ Brain drain/ Visa difficulties/ Language […]
A brief overview of Kenyan startups
In the postcolonial era, Kenya emerges with independence and a capitalistic economy. However, the Kenyan startup success story does not begin here. Due to a series of factors; corruption and a lack of technical expertise resulted in a relative stagnant economy. This lasted until the implementation of major economic reforms and anti-corruption campaign in the […]
The Iran Mobile Market: Connectivity in 2014
Mobile subscriptions: 83.2m (Largest in the Middle East) Internet penetration: 55% Facebook users: 58% Mobile penetration: 110% – 143% (2014 – 2017) Smartphone users: 8 million A country with a very strong engineering culture but lacks business skills when it comes to startups. A country with political highs and lows – although recent political changes […]
Startup movies #1: A crocodile in the Yangtze (Alibaba)
I’ve just watched A Crocodile in the Yantgze yesterday night, which wraps-up part of the story of Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, China’s e-commerce giant. The director is none other than Porter Erisman, a US citizen who has been Alibaba’s vice-president between 2000 and 2008 (the company was officially founded in 1999), so it’s an insider point of […]
A history of Iran business startups
1980s: Iran implements resource-efficient “Research-Manufacture-Test-Research again” scientific cycle. 2009: Iran national science budget increases from 0.4% to 0.87% of GDP; a target of 2.5% in 2015 2011: Government introduces “Comprehensive Scientific Plan”, deliberate plan to increase Iran’s scientific infrastructure by implementing 224 scientific projects by 2025 Highly successful examples of Iran diaspora as tech entrepreneurs […]
Traffic Butter, a startup to solve Nigeria's Lagos jams
During Mobile West Africa’s demo day in Lagos, Nigeria, we saw a selection of startups solving local issue, all expecting a reward and more exposure of being the top startup of the conference. Traffic Butter ended up second, behind Find a Med, however it is our personal favorite. Why? Just imagine a Waze for Africa’s […]
Top startups from Echelon 2014 tech festival
Echelon 2014 has again proved that its concept of Satellite events happening before the grand finale in Singapore is the best way to get credible startups on stage. After 3 months roaming the Asia-Pacific region with 10 competitions to get the best of fast-growing countries (Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, Korea, Vietnam), the […]
