In Africa, Kenfield Griffith and Louis Majanja, co-founders of Ajua, a data mining solution, are two entrepreneurs whose contributions to the success of Africa-based businesses is gaining more attention.
The duo have successfully moved from launching one solution to the other at the sight of new opportunities. Today, they have built solutions to cater for large corporations as well small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Kenfield Griffith holds a PhD in Design and Computation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an MBA from Stanford University.
Louis Majanja, on the other hand, is a University of Nevada graduate and software developer, who, despite being born in Nairobi, spent much of his early life in the United States, and have gain experience building e-learning platforms for institutions like UC Berkeley.
While pursuing his PhD, Griffith’s research into housing challenges in Africa exposed a glaring lack of data infrastructure, and this discovery would set the foundation for his entrepreneurial journey.
Back in the US, Majanja worked with tech giants such as Hewlett-Packard, then Apple and YouTube to expand digital learning resources.
Returning to Kenya in 2010, Majanja met Kenfield Griffith, sparking a partnership that would redefine Africa’s tech ecosystem.
mSurvey: The Beginning
Founded in 2012, mSurvey was Griffith and Majanja’s first venture. It was designed to collect first-party data for large corporations to improve decision-making.
The platform leveraged mobile technology to gather real-time insights, and provided invaluable customer feedback to a long list of businesses including Safaricom, Airtel, Harvard, and Kenya Commercial Bank.
With encouraging traction and success, the platform was backed by notable investors, and went on to raise over $4 million across funding rounds from TLcom, Proparco, and Kapor Capital.
As mSurvey was gaining significant traction, the founders observed that small businesses, which constitute the majority of Africa’s economy, remained underserved by the idea.
Ajua: Scaling and Rebranding
5 years later in 2019, mSurvey rebranded to Ajua, which according to Kenfield Griffith and his partner was to reflect their broader focus on customer experience management.
Ajua, as an upgraded product provides retail businesses, mobile operators, and banks with tools to enhance customer satisfaction through data-driven insights. Today, Ajua raised $4.5 million in total funding.
- $1 million seed round in 2016 from Safaricom and Spark Capital.
- $3.5 million Series A round in 2018 led by TLcom and MaC Venture Capital.
- $100,000 from the Black Founders Fund in 2022.
Techparley understands that Ajua caters to enterprise clients as it continues to thrive under the leadership of its new CEO, Richard Riley.
“Ajua remains a profitable enterprise, excelling in its mission to enhance customer experience solutions across Africa,” Griffith shared.
From Ajua to Tappi
Again, in 2022, after noticing the void in the SMEs ecosystem, they co-founded Tappi in January 2023. With Tappi, they shifted focus to empower micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) —an underserved segment critical to Africa’s economic growth.
“Tappi is our way of addressing the barriers that keep African SMEs from succeeding online. We wanted to build something affordable, accessible, and impactful,” explains Griffith, CEO and Co-founder of Tappi.
What is Tappi? And how does it work?
Tappi is a digital commerce platform that simplifies the process of bringing SMEs online.
The platform enables businesses to:
- Create an online profile and search-optimized website in under two minutes using AI.
- Advertise on platforms like Google, Facebook, and Instagram using airtime or mobile money.
- Enhance customer communication through WhatsApp integration.
- Capture verified customer reviews to build trust.
- Facilitate seamless payments and reduce operational costs.
“Tappi is not just a platform; it’s a movement to unlock the potential of African SMEs by bringing them online,” says Majanja co-founder Tappi.
How fast is Tappi growing?
In 2023, Tappi raised $1.5 million in a pre-seed round six months after securing $180,000 through Orbit Startups’ accelerator programme.
Key Investors
- Mercy Corps Ventures and Chui Ventures led the funding round.
- Other participants included Digital Currency Group, SOSV, Resilience17, growX Ventures, Orbit Startups, and Reflect Ventures.
- Angel investors from Google, Salesforce, and Zendesk also contributed to the investment.
Strategic Partnerships
Tappi’s partnership with MTN, one of Africa’s largest telecom providers, has enabled SMEs to leverage airtime for online advertising and reach new markets.
Also, it’s collaborations with Safaricom have supported M-PESA’s 650,000 MSMEs by enhancing their digital presence.
What are the numbers saying?
- Over 10,000 SMEs have registered on the platform. And, it has facilitated $3.4 million in transactions.
- Businesses using Tappi have reached 180,000 customers.
- Tappi boasts a strong 90% retention rate, underpinned by partnerships with fintechs and banks.
- Tappi now operates in 3 markets, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Kenya.
Commentary
- Through mSurvey, Ajua, and Tappi, Griffith and Majanja have demonstrated their ability to adapt and innovate. And, it is working for them.
- There is a big lesson from the story of the co-founders. Success, sometimes, requires building with people. As Oséyómón Ighódálóh, CEO of bamboo group, a leading real estate network in Africa aptly puts it in one of his recent business nuggets published on social media, “there is a limit to which building alone can take founders before fatigue sets in.”
- Here, young entrepreneurs should take a cue. So, instead of competition, collaboration should be a consideration.
- One major collaboration changed the story for Griffith and Majanja. Today, from providing corporations with actionable insights to empowering small businesses, they have pushed the bar to become millionaires. What more can any entrepreneur gun for? There is a lot more to say but let’s hang it here, until our next story.
