With the fourth industrial revolution or as the Germans call it, Industry 4.0, looming amongst us, African IT companies and start-ups are gaining traction. With many world renowned conferences like DEMO and Davos introducing a whole season focusing on Africa.
The Germany Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Industrie und Handelskammer (IHK)) in turned named 8 Kenyan start-ups as “Start-Ups to Watch” and “The Most Innovative in Africa” based on the recent DEMO Africa conference that was held in Nigeria, where 30 start-ups were named the most innovative from the 650 entries.
Kenya and Nigeria topped the list of the best 30 with eight innovations, while South Africa came third with three. Ghana, Egypt, Cameroon and Zimbabwe had one start-up each, while Uganda, Tanzania and the Ivory Coast had two each. The estimated investment and business value of the ideas amounts to eleven million US dollars.
The Kenyan innovations on the list are:
Simba Pay:
a mobile banking application that provides a fast and convenient way to transfer money from abroad to Nigeria and Kenya. The payments can be sent to both bank accounts and mobile money accounts. It was founded by Nyasinga Onyancha, you can check it out here. We also looked at transferring money with it from Germany, read here.
Abacus:
This is the app to go to if you are interested in investing in the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE). It not only shows the prices of the shares in real time, but also gives you a background on the company, who owns it and any mentions it’s had in the news recently. You also get an overview of the share price development in the last week, month, six months and year. This is the brain child of Joel Macharia. You can check it out here
BambaPOS:
This portal allows retailers run their stores via smartphone or tablet. The software allows scanning of products being sold, accepting cashless payment and a statistical analysis of daily sales. THis was started by Karogi Kamau. Find it here
Bitsoko:
A mobile wallet that allows you to transfer funds at low cost on the internet, no matter where the user or the currency. It is made possible by the use of Bitcoins, the digital money unit of a globally available decentralized payment system. Founder: Daniel Bloch; Find it here.
ENT Mobile:
A mobile banking app that makes contact with the Bank using messenger, email or SMS. The aim of the app is to create an informal and fast communication with the bank. The user can make Bank requests in sheng. The Bank responds to the questions on balance or transactions, currency advisory and credit inquiries. Founder: Andrew Kamau find it here
InsureAfrika.com:
An online platform for comparison of automotive, health or travel insurance in Kenya. After selecting the best offer direct contact with the insurance provider for the contract is made for the customer. Founder: Gagan Hayer; find it here
Lipaplus:
A payment system for small and medium traders. It allows you to pay by credit or debit card via the mobile device and the management of the distribution, the stock and the finances of the dealer. Founder: Ndeeri Macharia; Find it here
Shield Finance:
A mobile banking app for the daily pay check. It simplifies the payroll for the employer and allows workers salary advances at low interest rates. Founder: Kenny R; Find it here.
