Solutions (528)
Demand for big data is growing in several sectors given its ability to help improve efficiency. A Mauritian startup is using it to revolutionize SMEs’ marketing strategies.
Rwazi is a digital solution developed by a Mauritian eponymous start-up. It allows companies to track their competitors using various data collected on the ground.
The startup behind the app was founded by Joseph Rutakangwa (photo, right) in 2018 in Mauritius. But, it is also operational in Uganda, Zambia, and Rwanda.
Thanks to its mobile app and its part-time staff, it collects data on various brands, markets, and sales points. The collected data allow its customers to monitor the evolution of competitors’ pricing strategies in real-time, after due registration.
For Joseph Rutakangwa, “companies subscribe to activate the cycle where they want to optimize distribution.” “For example, you are Coca-Cola, and you subscribe for us to provide you a live feed on the availability, visibility, and pricing of Coca-Cola versus Pepsi in Lagos, throughout the year. With this, you list and restock at speed to increase market share,” he illustrated.
In addition to giving clients the ability to track various data in real-time, real-time analytics and predictions allow the said clients to decide when to adjust their marketing policy. Rwazi employs more than 20,000 mappers in 50 countries in Africa, South Asia, and the Americas to perform reliable and relevant analyses for its clients. It also works with more than 500 companies. "We give small and medium-sized businesses [...] direct access to [...] customers’ psychographic details that can help [...] determine how to best serve them,” the startup explains on its web platform.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Despite public authorities, associations, and organizations’ efforts, access to healthcare is still challenging in Africa. The various solutions developed by start-ups are proving to be interesting alternatives.
Appy Saude is a digital platform developed by an Angolan eponymous healteth startup. It allows users easy access to pharmacies and healthcare centers when needed. With its digital solution, the healthtech startup (founded in 2017) aims to quickly connect people to healthcare professionals, medicines, and information by leveraging digital tools.
“We are trying to improve accessibility to healthcare services using the digital tools we have available today. [...] Our vision is to connect everyone to our health service, which is what most NGOs and governments are working for,” said CEO and co-founder Pedro Beirao (photo, right) in 2021.
Through its mobile app (available for Android and iOS devices), users can create their accounts by providing the usual information: name surname, email, and password. Then they can access all the services offered by Appy Saude.
The app lists health and beauty products, clinics, healthcare centers, and laboratories. Users can view the feedback and ranks given by fellow users to healthcare centers, clinics, and laboratories. That way, they can choose which healthcare center to go to, based on other users’ experiences.
To reach a wider audience in Angola, the healthtech startup formed a strategic partnership with telecom operator Unitel. “In terms of expansion, we see mobile operators as an important part of our growth, and the digitization of health services. They have coverage everywhere, they are looking for solutions that people can use to access healthcare or other digital services, and they can help collect data on pharmacies and doctors on our open platform,” Pedro Beirao explains.
In 2019, Appy Saude successfully raised US$1 million to expand into Rwanda and South Africa. In February 2019, it was selected to present its solution at the Africa Startup Summit in Kigali. The following year, it won the ITU Virtual Digital World SME Awards.
This year, it is one of the 30 African start-ups selected to participate in the pan-African program "Investing in Innovation (i3)" funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. On Playstore, its solution has already been downloaded more than 50,000 times.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
In recent years, the number of streaming apps has shot up in Africa but local old-school songs are usually left out. A Congolese startup is offering an interesting solution.
Baziks is a digital solution developed by a Congolese eponymous startup. It allows Android users access to old and new Congolese songs. The startup behind the solution was founded by Baya Ciamala (photo) in 2016. However, it was incorporated in 2019 and launched to the public in 2021.
“Baziks is the first local music streaming app that aims to fight piracy and promote youth entrepreneurship. We support artists by educating the population and encouraging them to stop buying pirated MP3 music,” explains Baya Ciamala.
Once they download the Android app and register an account, they can browse the feature but they will not be able to listen to the available songs. They can listen to music by purchasing a subscription or buying the “pass miziki” via Orange Money. Its subscriptions range from US$0.15 (daily) to US$0.75 (weekly) and US$2.99 (monthly). Once subscribed, users can access and listen to the music index (with or without ads) and customize their interface.
The “Pass miziki” is a code card that allows access to the index and lets users listen to the songs on the platform. The daily pass costs US$0.1, while the weekly is US$0.7 against US$2.99 for the monthly. They can be ordered online and delivered (physical or electronic cards) for free anywhere in DRC.
There are also African songs on the platform but those by artists from the two Congos are predominant.
According to Play Store data, the app has already been downloaded more than a thousand times. In 2021, the start-up won the DRC edition of the Orange social venture competition, bagging a US$6,000 check.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Online tickets are gradually becoming the go-to option for important events. In Guinea, a startup has decided to democratize its use thanks to tech tools.
Billetfacile is a digital solution developed by an eponymous Guinean startup founded in 2019. It allows event planners to safely create and sell tickets online solution.
Through its web and mobile apps -the mobile app is available for Android and iOS devices-, users can register their accounts and access the services available. For instance, they can create an event (free or paid) and let the Billetfacile and social media community know about it.
The solution also enables NGOs and associations to organize various fundraising campaigns. Those campaigns are shown in users’ feeds giving them the choice to approve or decline support to specific campaigns in just one click.
It also gives event planners the possibility to assess the community’s interest in their events thanks to the various stats it provides. With the stats in hand, event planners can turn to the startup’s social media channels to boost interest in their events. Then, they can create tickets on the platform and start distributing them.
Billetfacile claims more than 275 event planners are already registered with 307 events and 21 fundraising campaigns organized and 476,184 tickets sold. In 2022, the startup was one of the finalists of the Guinean chapter of the Orange Social Venture Prize. It came third in the competition, winning a check of GFr20 million (US$2,285.7) and the opportunity to participate in the finance phase that will bring together participants from seventeen countries.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
In Africa, the edtech industry is growing fast, in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic that demonstrated the importance of digital transformation. Many startups are offering tailored solutions for students in that industry.
SmartED Africa is a digital solution developed by a Cameroonian eponymous startup. It provides access to courses, quizzes, and tests in various subjects. The start-up, based in Douala, was founded by Valerie Patricia Bararunyeretse, Simplice Tankoua, and Laba Kagalang.
The solution has an Android-only mobile app that allows users to register a SmartED Africa account, and choose their education level (class) to access the most helpful content. Although the app suggests the content most suited to every user’s education level, other content can be accessed via the side menu or even allow users to change their education level if they want to.
Users can watch or read the contents online or download them for offline access. The startup included the offline access feature to account for internet access issues that occur quite often in Africa.
SmartED Africa includes more than 500 lessons, 2,500 quizzes, and 200 tests per class in seven subjects. In the short term, the startup targets 10,000 app downloads. It also wants to increase its user base to 9,500 users and 6,500 subscribers. For now, its Playstore statistics show some thousand downloads.
Its pricing is as follows: XAF1,600 (US$2.41) monthly XAF3,100 quarterly or XAF4,600 annually. In 2022, it won the special women's prize during the Cameroonian chapter of the Orange Social Venture Prize. It thus won a check of XAF1 000 000 and 6-month coaching. It will also participate in the final phase of the competition involving 17 countries in which the Orange group operates.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
In Morocco, 45.1% of food production ends up being wasted. Also, on average, every household wastes US$137 of their food budget on foods that end up in garbage bins monthly. Foodeals was created to tackle that issue.
Foodeals is a digital solution developed by an eponymous Moroccan startup founded in 2020. It fights food loss and waste by connecting users to restaurants, hotels, and bakeries. Apart from fighting food waste, it allows its users access to “meals at low prices.”
The solution has a mobile (Android and iOS) app that allows users to register an account either by providing personal information (like email, name, etc) or by connecting the app to a Gmail or Facebook account.
Once registered, users can access the various companies that offer meals at discounted prices on the platform. That way, instead of ending up in garbage bins, those meals become useful for households, orphanages, and associations that need them.
In late 2020, the startup disclosed its partnership with a notable association to sell more meals. The "association will be our single partner. All the transactions will be posted on our application. Supermarkets will post their offers of unsold products whose DLCs (Use by Date) are close (between D+3 and D+1), then the registered associations can order.”
In 2022, the start-up was the second winner of the national chapter of the Orange social venture prize. That selection qualifies it for the continental phase.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
The platform sells concrete artwork like decorative articles, tableware, furniture, and lighting.
Khalta is an e-commerce platform developed by an eponymous Tunisian startup and launched in 2017. It sells concrete artwork like decorative articles, furniture, tableware, furniture, and lighting.
The startup has no mobile app. Everything happens on the startup’s web and social media platforms or at its physical store. Users can browse the artworks available for sale without registering an account. However, to buy from the platform, they will have to register an account on the web platform. They can also request additional information on Whatsapp.
The platform integrates several payment options including bank cards and Paymee. Deliveries are free for purchases worth TND150 (US$46.25) or more. Buyers can also retrieve products bought online at the startup’s physical store.
In 2018, Khalta was selected as one of the best three Tunisian startups, during the second edition of the BloomMasters competition organized by the BIAT Foundation for Youth and the MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Thanks to the ongoing tech revolution, African tech entrepreneurs are now able to address some of the issues facing local populations.
LukaPharma is a digital solution developed by a Congolese eponymous startup. It helps users check drug availability and find the nearest pharmacies.
Through its Android-only app, the solution allows users to register accounts and access all of its features, including the list of pharmacies on duty, drug availability, medication reminders, and online chats with pharmacists.
Users can upload the items on their medication order on the app and get notifications from pharmacies where the drugs are still available, within three minutes. Then, the user can check the contact details of the pharmacist where he/she can buy the drugs and choose either the nearest one or the ones with the best pricing.
LukaPharma also allows pharmacies to increase their visibility by getting listed, listing the best pricing for some drugs, or by suggesting alternative medical products for some diseases.
In 2022, the startup won the first prize in the national edition of the Orange Social Venture Prize. “It is an honor to receive this first prize and we thank Orange DRC, which is offering us this great opportunity to save more lives. We now want to double down to improve access to medication information. This prize [...] allows us to develop our business,” said LukePharma founder Charlotte Nsonga.
As of press time, the solution’s Playstore page was posting hundreds of downloads with an average of 4.6-star reviews. Thanks to the Orange Social Venture Prize, it could gain more visibility and be more helpful to the Congolese population.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
In Africa, money transfers are sometimes quite expensive, therefore impairing financial inclusion. To address the various reasons, a number of local startups are devising adapted solutions.
Eversend is a fintech solution developed by an eponymous Ugandan startup founded in 2017. It allows users -both individuals and businesses- to make affordable “borderless” money transfers.
“Eversend aims to be a solution to the “massive currency devaluation, high-interest rates, predatory pricing of up to 15 percent in hidden forex fees, inadequate payments infrastructure, and mediocre digital banking experiences,” says Stone Atwine, co-founder of the startup which went live in 2019.
To successfully carry out its mission, the fintech solution has a mobile app (accessible on Android and iOS devices). The services accessible on the mobile app include money transfer, currency exchange, virtual debit cards, or stock trading. Its stock trading feature allows access to US stocks from the Eversend interface. It also allows businesses to make multi-currency payments.
Currently, Eversend claims more than 350,000 happy clients. According to Stone Atwine, the volume of transfers it processed rose to US$230 million, up from US$5 million in 2020 and US$800,000 in 2019.
“We hit our goal of sustainability last year, and we are entering our growth and expansion phase in 2022,” the co-founder said.
The Ugandan startup is among the 60 beneficiaries of the second cohort of the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund, which entitles participants to a slice of US$4 million in financial support. The startup is already operational in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Ghana. It also plans to scale in French-speaking Africa, Europe, and the USA.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
The solution aims to help companies get ahead of the competition and boost sales.
Solutech is a digital solution developed by a Kenyan eponymous startup founded in 2014. It helps users -merchants namely- boost sales.
"With stiff competition and the need for route-to-market strategies by FMCG companies in Kenya, the struggle to make day-to-day strategic decisions has always remained a huge concern to manufacturers and distributors. They regularly lack timely and accurate distribution data, visibility of field sales activities and inefficiencies due to the traditional manual recording of activities and the nature of the fragmented retail industry in Africa,” Solutech co-founder and CEO Alexander Odhiambo (photo, left) told Disrupt Africa.
Solutech was founded to address all those issues and become the choice automation partner in the African sales and distribution sector. It developed a mobile app (available for Android and iOS users), which sends real-time notifications on the operations of registered merchants. It collects relevant information, informing its clients’ decisions. Its data also help improve sales management, logistics, and promotions aimed at helping merchants attract more buyers.
"With Solutech, companies have been able to witness increased productivity, a reduction of operational costs, and increased revenue through access to timely, accurate, and relevant customer insights," Alexander indicates. The start-up claims 4,000 daily users, over US$750 million in sales, and over 60 customers.
Solutech operates in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zambia, DRC, Ethiopia, and Sudan. This year, it is one of the 60 startups that will participate in the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
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The Covid-19 pandemic has changed consumption habits in Africa, making e-commerce platforms more popular.
Club Tiossane is an e-commerce platform developed by Senegalese dairy company La Laiterie du Berger. It allows clients -notably those living in large towns- access to fresh products. During the coronavirus pandemic, the solution, which was formerly known as Club Kossam, saw a huge jump in its operations.
For its manager, Lucien Diedhiou, Club Tiossane is getting more popular by the day because of the new consumption habits. According to the manager, as both men and women are now working, the need for such e-commerce services will rise.
The solution is accessible only through a web portal and on social media. Users who want to buy fresh products through the web portal need to register an account. Clients can order the products they need for the following week and state a delivery timeframe and payment means (they can pay in advance or pay on delivery). Let’s note that the company delivers to its clients free of charge.
In 2020, it delivered 1,300 households in Dakar. It claims an average of XOF30 million (about US$44,500) monthly income and 62 million lives touched in April 2020. This year, it is among the 43 African startups that will participate in the Social & Inclusive Business Camp sponsored by the French Development Agency.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
In recent years, the number of startups created in Africa has risen significantly. Those ventures develop solutions to address various challenges facing residents.
VetCode is a digital solution developed by an eponymous Egyptian startup founded in 2018. It enables users to book pet grooming, obedience, behavioral and veterinary services remotely.
Its services can be booked via its web platform, by calling a dedicated number, or via its mobile app (available for Android and iOS devices). The startup behind VetCode is partnered with several vet clinics. In case of emergency, its clients can visit the nearest clinic in its network or even request a vet to visit them at home.
VetCode also has a pet store where customers can buy, sell or adopt a pet. Currently, it operates in a dozen Egyptian cities, with hopes to enter new markets in the coming years. To fulfill its ambitions, it has already raised more than US$450,000 since its inception.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
In Africa, access to quality healthcare still proves challenging for many residents. To address the situation, tech entrepreneurs are developing solutions to complement government initiatives.
Damu-Sasa is an e-health solution developed by a Kenyan startup Damu Sasa System Limited (DSL), founded in 2017. It supports blood supply, inventory, and transfusion management. It also helps improve haemovigilance.
To easily create its blood bank database, the solution has an Android app, allowing donors to join an e-community of blood donors and discuss with them through the chat feature.
Through the app, donors can access their blood donation records and check whether a blood donation appointment is scheduled. Thanks to that approach, Damu-Sasa can supply blood to hospitals, even in case of emergency. Currently, it claims a database of 44,527 donors in 38 counties, 34,161 lives touched and 179 hospitals supported.
In 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, it received a US$20,000 grant from Villgro Africa, an incubator and impact investor operating in the health sector, to enhance its capabilities. At the time, DSL chairman, Matunda Nuancham explained that the funding would help “improve potential blood donor numbers and hence help alleviate, to the degree possible, the perennial blood shortages.”
In June 2022, the University of Nairobi announced a partnership with DSL for a project aimed at improving the management of blood transfusion services in Kenya. Months later, in September, DSL made it to the list of the 30 African healthtech startups to participate in the first cohort of the i3 innovation program sponsored by several foundations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
In Africa, the volume of funds attracted by fintech startups is growing rapidly. Those startups come up with alternative solutions to address some of the pressing challenges faced by businesses and individuals.
myStash is a fintech solution developed by an eponymous Nigerian startup, founded in 2021. It automatizes the savings process, allowing users to save a preset percentage of their earnings and expenses.
Through its web and mobile apps (the mobile app is available for Android and iPhone users), users can manage their finances and set the percentage of expenses and earnings to save. To do that, they must first register by providing personal information, then link their bank cards to their myStash accounts.
The startup assures that the process is secure and it has no access to sensitive information. On its website, it claims that it has helped over 25,000 customers and hundreds of businesses “make better money moves by helping them save bit by bit in Naira or Dollars.”
The startup also offers a 5-12% interest on the amounts saved. In addition, it enables users to receive part of their salaries in US dollars. Its services are free. This year, it is among the 43 African startups selected for the Social and Business Camp sponsored by the French Development Agency to help startups get themselves known to potential investors for their growth.
Adoni Conrad Quenum