Ambitious Startups Weekly No. 1
Ambitious Africa’s Startups Weekly series brings attention to the unique stories behind the most innovative, savvy and essential African-led startups transforming societies. We want you discover the many paths African entrepreneurs are taking to build great companies, do the seemingly impossible and cultivate social good. This week we’re highlighting three startups breaking barriers within health, education and entertainment. Join us on the startup journey!
-Ambitious Media Team
Health: Matibabu
Brian Gitta, CEO an Co-founder with Shafik Sekitto, VP Business Development. Photo: James Oatway/Royal Academy for Engineering
Diagnosing malaria without drawing blood, Uganda
One day in 2013, Brian Gitta, a native of Uganda, was rushed to a local hospital. The symptoms seemed familiar to the medics however getting a definitive diagnosis proved tricky and time consuming. One might think the diagnosis process would be swift and definitive since Malaria is the leading cause of death in Uganda, but it took four blood tests to diagnose Gitta.
Blood tests are currently the standard method of diagnosing malaria. Gitta’s personal experience with their inefficiency inspired him to develop a device that detects the tell-tale signs of malaria without drawing blood. It gives a diagnosis in a minute. Gitta’s device Matibabu, which means "treatment" in Swahili, clips onto a patient's finger and does not require a specialist to operate. A red beam detects changes in the colour, shape and concentration of red blood cells - all of which are affected by malaria. The hope is that the device will speed up the time it takes to get a diagnosis for Malaria cases across the continent. Gitta was awarded 29,000 euros from Britain's Royal Academy of Engineering for his invention.
Fast forward to 2020, Matibabu is not only the name for the device but also a nonprofit organisation that fights to close the gap between communities and access to health care. During the time of COVID-19, Matibabu has taken a leading role in providing life saving information about the virus to various disenfranchised communities in Uganda. The global health community ought to take notice of the various actors on the ground working to provide local solutions to local problems and support these grassroots efforts to fight communicable diseases in the continent.
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2. Education: Ubongo
‘Ubongo’ means brain in Swahili. Photo: Ubongo
Localised fun learning for African families, Tanzania
Education has played a vital role in the economic and social development of all African countries. A shining example is Tanzania. The country has achieved near universal access to primary and secondary education thanks to the efforts of President Julius Nyerere - the first president of the East African country. The administrations of later presidents have also worked hard to preserve his vision of a thriving literate society.
A young girl reading Ubongo’s ‘Akili and Me’ series. Photo: Ubongo
Nisha Ligon is taking these efforts to the next level by utilizing digital technology. She is the brains behind Ubongo, a localised and educational platform, that teaches kids foundational maths, science and problem-solving skills, and inspires them to use those skills to change the world around them.
Photo: Ubongo.
Since 2013, Ubongo has leveraged access to television and mobile technologies to deliver edu-cartoons. Ubongo's popular animated series Akili and Me and Ubongo Kids show in 31 countries in Africa with a monthly audience of over 11 million. Kids can also interact with the platform via text message by answering quiz questions and getting encouragement from the cartoon characters. This is effective because texting is among the most commonly used modes of digital communication in many African countries as a result of very high mobile phone penetration rates. According to a 2013 report co-authored by the World Bank and the African Development Bank, the continent has more than 650 mobile phone users, which is more than the users found in the United States of Africa and Europe.
As of 2020, Ubongo has taken its beloved children's show, Akili and Me to the radio platform. Kids can now learn alphabets, colours, counting and shapes from Akili. This has been a significant move as radio is still the most popular mass medium thanks to its adaptability to the different conditions in African countries. Radios are much more affordable compared to other communication mediums. Many radios in the continent use batteries, so electricity is not a hindrance in terms of access to mass radio. The radio show, Akili and Me is syndicated locally in over 10 radio stations in Tanzania, in addition to selected radio stations in Malawi, Zambia and South Africa.
Ubongo Kids is an animated educational TV series helping African children learn in a fun way. The show is produced in Tanzania. Episode 48 ‘Breaking Free (Equality for Boys and Girls) of Ubongo Kids is about how everyone, regardless of gender, should be able to choose the job they like.
Photo: Ubongo.
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3. Entertainment: StarsNews Mobile
Photo: www.starnewsmobile.com
Connecting brands and celebs with fans, Ivory Coast
Africa has a young and social media savvy populace hungry for locally-relevant content to consume on their mobile phones. The continent is the fastest growing mobile market in the world, and the number of smartphone users is set to reach 690 million in 2025. The young Ivory Coast-based startup, StarsNews Mobile, is filling the video on demand (VoD) space in the region. The startup targets the mass market with a network of over 50 mobile channels offering celebrity-based content priced at low daily subscription rates. It launched in the Ivory Coast in partnership with local mobile operators MTN and Moov, and broke the one million subscriber mark back in 2018.
User acquisition in the VOD space has been a hard nut to crack especially in West Africa due to a myriad of reasons. Free platforms such as Youtube or Instagram are popular but generate little to no revenue for content producers as they have a hard time monetising their content. High of cost of licensing fees coupled with low disposable incomes contributes greatly to this challenge. StarsNews Mobile has worked around this problem by providing content to end users through their mobile phone operators. Mobile phones are ubiquitous in the region and across the continent which leads to millions of potential customers.
Compared to other local platforms engaging with African consumers such as Showmax and IROKOtv (who compete directly with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video), StarNews Mobile is inexpensive. Users pay for their content using their prepaid mobile data. Many mobile subscribers have prepaid plans. Charging users per video therefore becomes much more economical than having them to commit to monthly charges or as per streaming because internet data costs are prohibitive. Users can subscribe to their favourite celebrities’ channel through their operator for as low as 10 euro cents per day. Once subscribed, users receive a video link via text message to watch exclusive videos daily. The revenue generated from the subscription fee is then shared between the operator, the content provider and StarNews Mobile.
StarNews Mobile is currently available in Ivory Coast, Cameroon and the Republic of Congo. In 2019, StarsNews Mobile partnered with mobile phone operator MTN in anticipation for a launch in twenty other African countries. The jump from three countries to twenty will be interesting to watch. Let's keep an eye on this space.
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By Andrew Kivuti
andrewkivuti@yahoo.com
