Digital, Tech

Created in 2012, Go Africa Online (GAO) aims to support African professionals in their digitalization, their communication and the development of their clientele, thanks to a range of digital tools allowing a better visibility on the internet. GAO offers an online business book, referencing packages offering increased visibility on the internet through their promotion on the GAO website, as well as a range of digital marketing tools. Go Africa Online operates in Togo, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Benin.  

THE ENTREPRENEURS

David Encel is the founder and CEO of GAO. He was notably Sales Director and Director of Development for the 2H group (publisher of the paper phone book present in 14 African countries). He also has experience in advertising sales in France.  

Michael Bettach is a digital entrepreneur who has founded and/or co-founded 4 digital companies since 2006. He is an expert in search engine optimization. 

PARTNERSHIP WITH I&P

I&P has committed to work with Go Africa Online to: 

• Develop and improve existing technological tools and create a new digital platform to strengthen interactions between companies  
• Support the company in its geographical expansion 
• Strengthen the Finance function, the structuring and the governance of the group 

EXPECTED IMPACTS

I&P and Go Africa Online have a common vision on the development of entrepreneurship in Africa. This will include :   

⇒ Raising awareness among African companies and professionals on the challenges of digitalization 
⇒ Supporting African companies in their digitalization process with the appropriate tools   
⇒ Create qualified jobs in the digital sector 

Since its creation in 2016, the online platform Afrikrea has been promoting African-inspired fashion and crafts (clothing, accessories, decoration, etc.)  

Afrikrea offers customers the chance to buy African creations online under the best conditions. However the originality and added value of its approach lies above all in the support and the provision of sales management tools to designers.    

Since 2020, this service offer is accessible on a second platform, ANKA, and works on a subscription basis. ANKA is an all-in-one solution that allows any African seller (and not only fashion designers) to sell and ship their products worldwide and get paid quickly through international and local payment systems. 

Currently, Afrikrea federates a community of 7,400 sellers present in 47 African countries and offers a wide range of products with more than 120,000 available references to more than 200,000 users and 60,000 buyers in over 150 countries. 

The entrepreneurs

Afrikrea is led by a team of 4 promoters: Moulaye Tabouré (CEO), Kadry Diallo (CMO), Luc Perussault Diallo (CTO) and Guillaume Darnaudet (CFO), all with complementary profiles in auditing, IT, project management and finance.  

Having grown up in Bamako (Mali) before moving to France for their studies, co-founders Moulaye Tabouré and Kadry Diallo realized that African handmade products were as rare as highly prized and valuable.  

As for Luc Perussault Diallo, the company's CTO, he has over 20 years of experience in marketplaces and e-commerce. Guillaume Darnaudet joined the Afrikrea adventure in 2018 as CFO and shareholder, after a position as financial manager in a construction company in Ivory Coast. 

Partnership with I&P

I&P is committed to working with Afrikrea to support the company in: 

• Strengthening its technological and marketing team in order to ensure a better offer of tools and services and to offer the best possible support to sellers  

• Expanding its geographical scope

Expected Impacts

• Creation of economic opportunities for African creators by reducing barriers to accessing large markets 

• Job creation: over 50% job growth during the investment period 

• Strong impact on gender equality: 80% of the marketplace's sellers are women 

Zeepay is the fastest growing Ghanaian-owned fin-tech, promoting financial inclusion in Ghana. Zeepay focuses on digital rails to connect digital assets such as mobile money wallets, cards, ATMs, Bank Accounts and Digital tokens to International Money Transfer Operators, Payments, Subscriptions, International Airtime and Refugee payments.

Zeepay has experienced exponential growth since its launch in 2016 and currently terminates over 130,000 transactions on a monthly basis

In March 2020, Zeepay became the first Ghanaian-owned company to be issued an Electronic Money Issuer (EMI) licence by the Bank of Ghana. This license enables Zeepay to offer the full spectrum of mobile financial services in Ghana.

The entrepreneur

Andrew Takyi-Appiah is the Managing Director of Zeepay. Andrew is an expert in banking and mobile payments, having accumulated over 15 years of experience in banking and business development, from working in 3 continents: Europe, North America and Africa. His African experience spans across Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, Burundi, Zambia, Malawi and South Africa. Prior to founding Zeepay, Andrew previously worked at PwC (UK), PwC (Ghana), Barclays UK, UT Bank, Ecobank, GT Bank, Nestle and the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Partnership with I&P 

The partnership between Zeepay and I&P (through its fund I&P Afrique Entrepreneurs 2) aims to:

⇒ Help Zeepay meet regulatory capital requirements of the license

⇒ Support the company on talent acquisition, technology development and customer acquisition

Expected Impacts

⇒ Deepen financial inclusion, especially to underserved sections of the population

⇒ Catalyze economic development by promoting access to faster, safer and cheaper ways to access international remittances

⇒ Create decent jobs across the continent in the technology sector

Keiwa is a simplified app dedicated to accounting, financial, and reserve management created by three young Ivorians, Fabrice KOFFI, Bertrand DAGO, and Terrence KONDOU.

The app is for African SMEs with a monitoring need for their day-to-day operations, structures with several sites, and partners providing services to these SMEs (suppliers, financial institutions, and telecom operators). 

With this app, the user can save its daily operations, manage its stocks and access a clear activity report in real-time. Keiwa also allows one to monitor its activities remotely and share selective information with selected partners. 

Keiwa platform is available on Apple and Google Stores and the web.

The entrepreneurs

Keiwa was co-founded by three young Ivorians, Fabrice KOFFI, Bertrand DAGO, and Terrence Kondou. 

Fabrice Koffi is Keiwa's CEO. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting. He accumulates several years of experience in various consulting firms (Administrative and Financial Manager of Agritecno West Africa, Partner and co-manager of Urim Thummim Conseil).

Bertrand Dago is co-founder and CTO of KEiwa. He has a Diploma of Higher Technician in Electronic and Computer Systems (2013).

Terrence Kondou is a co-founder and Programmer. He holds a Master's degree in Computer Engineering (2017) and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Methods Applied to Business Management. 

Partnership with I&P

Keiwa is financed and supported by I&P Acceleration Technologies, a €2,5 million program aiming at financing and supporting some fifteen digital start-ups in sub-Saharian Africa. This program is supported by the Digital Africa initiative (AFD).

The partnership notably aims at;

• Reinforcing commercial and marketing teams

• Supporting the pan-African development of the app

Expected impacts

• Support for the financial inclusion of the informal sector

• Evolution of teams' working conditions

Launched in December 2019 with the support of the AFD through the Digital Africa initiative, I&P Acceleration Technologies is a €2.5 million program aiming to finance and support around 15 digital start-ups in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on the West Africa, Central Africa, and Madagascar zones.

Click here to learn more →

About Comoé Capital

Comoé Capital is the first impact investment fund dedicated to financing and supporting Ivorian SMEs and start-ups.

Headed by Issa Sidibé, Comoé Capital is the fifth African fund sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires as part of the I&P Development 2 fund. Up to date, the network of funds includes a fund in Niger (Sinergi Niger), Burkina Faso (Sinergi Burkina), Senegal (Teranga Capital), and Madagascar (Miarakap).

Comoé Capital's website

SmartPredict is a SaaS platform using artificial intelligence for predictive analytics that helps companies in the deployment of their projects. There are multiple uses in all sectors: consumer forecasts (industry), product recommendations (marketing), default predictions (banking and insurance), etc. With their latest tool, RetailForecastor, the company enables retail companies to predict their sales and optimize their activities by avoiding over- or underproduction.

SmartPredict has been developed since 2018 by Malagasy developers and data scientists and has required one million lines of code to date.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

SmartPredict is led by Ranto ANDRIAMBOLOLONA, a Malagasy entrepreneur in his 40s with a passion for artificial intelligence since his studies.

Graduated from ISPM (Institut Supérieur Polytechnique de Madagascar) and the University of Marne La Vallée, he has more than 10 years of experience in the ICT sector in Paris (Axway, PriceMinister, etc.). He came back to Madagascar to launch HaiRun and SmartPredict, driven by the conviction that Malagasy developers and datascientists have the skills to match those of European companies.

He quickly demonstrated his ability to lead young, ambitious and growing companies. His first company HaiRun grew from 6 to 100 employees in the space of two years and raised €250,000 through its partnership with the impact investing fund Miarakap.

Partnership with I&P and Miarakap

Miarakap has committed itself alongside the promoter in the structuring of the young company, the launch of SmartPredict and the future fundraising efforts it aims to achieve.

Thanks to the partnership between the French Development Agency (AFD), Investisseurs et Partenaires (I&P), and Miarakap within the framework of the program I&P Accélération Technologies, SmartPredict benefits from a funding notably dedicated to Research & Development, as well as commercialization.

Expected Impacts

⇒ Promoting a Malagasy company that performs in the technological and innovative sector of artificial intelligence

⇒ Creation of qualified and well-paid jobs for Malagasy developers and "data scientists", whose retention in Madagascar is a challenge.

About I&P Acceleration Technologies

Launched in 2019 with the support of the French Development Agency through its iniative Digital Africa, I&P Acceleration Technologies is a €2.5 million program that aims to finance and support some fifteen digital startups in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on Western Africa, Central Africa and Madagascar. Cick here to read more →

About Miarakap

Miarakap is the first impact fund dedicated to the financing and support SMEs and start-ups in Madagascar. Managed by Emmanuel Cotsoyannis, Miarakap is the fourth African fund sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires as part of its program I&P Development 2. The network currently includes impact funds specialized in SME-financing in Niger (Sinergi Niger), Burkina Faso (Sinergi Burkina), in Senegal (Teranga Capital) and Côte d'Ivoire (Comoé Capital). Click here to visit Miarakap's website →

LAfricaMobile is a company specialized in mobile marketing. It allows its customers to carry out large-scale communication in countries such as Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Togo, Burkina Faso and Niger in USSD, SMS and Voice (Push, Pull) and Airtime. It is connected to all WAEMU operators and works with large local companies and NGOs.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Malick Diouf is a telecommunications network engineer with a degree from INSA Toulouse and a Master's degree in information systems from the Grenoble School of Management. In 2009, he joined Highconnexion, a start-up specialized in value-added services where he held several positions. With the technical and financial support of Highconnexion's management team, he decided in 2014 to create LAfricaMobile, an aggregator specializing in large-scale communication for the African diaspora.

PARTNERSHIP WITH TERANGA CAPITAL

Teranga Capital's investment in LAfricaMobile aims to :

• Preparation of the sub-regional deployment and the refinement of the offer
• Structuration and support for the development of management methods and tools, training;
• Establishiment of contacts with partner companies in Senegal and in the sub-region.

EXPECTED IMPACTS

• Energy management above a certain level of activity
• Support for the implementation of financial and administrative management tools and strategic committees.
• Free campaigns for NGOs

ABOUT TERANGA CAPITAL

Teranga Capital is the first impact investment fund dedicated to the financing and support of Senegalese SMEs and start-ups. Headed by Olivier Furdelle, Teranga Capital is the third African fund sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires under the I&P Développement 2 program. The network currently includes a fund in Niger (Sinergi Niger), Burkina Faso (Sinergi Burkina), Ivory Coast (Comoé Capital) and Madagascar (Miarakap).

→ Find out more about Teranga Capital

FireFly Media is an advertising agency created in 2015, specializing in communication within public transport in Senegal, particularly buses. Exclusive agency of the association of financing of urban transport (AFTU), FireFly Media is the first actor to have massively deployed digital devices in buses in Senegal. It offers its services to communication agencies and non-governmental organizations.

ENTREPRENEURS

Mafal LO and Ali ERHOUNI are marketing professionals at the origin of FireFly Media.

Mafal LO is a computer engineer with more than ten years of professional experience in database management and computer development throughout the world (France, China, USA). Today, he is in charge of digital publishing and business development for FireFly Media.

Ali ERHOUNI is an expert in operational marketing and has about fifteen years of practice in this field. He spent ten years in the L'Oréal group as a packaging specialist. He is currently in charge of the implementation of FireFly Media's marketing strategy.

PARTNERSHIP WITH TERANGA CAPITAL

Teranga Capital's investment in FireFly Media aims to :

Connect with partner companies in Senegal and abroad
The outcome of the reflection of the economic model and sub-regional development plan
Structure and support for the development of management methods and tools, training.

EXPECTED IMPACTS

• Free road safety awareness campaigns
• Support for the implementation of financial and administrative management tools
   

ABOUT TERANGA CAPITAL

Teranga Capital is the first impact investment fund dedicated to the financing and support of Senegalese SMEs and start-ups. Headed by Olivier Furdelle, Teranga Capital is the third African fund sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires under the I&P Développement 2 program. The network currently includes a fund in Niger (Sinergi Niger), Burkina Faso (Sinergi Burkina), Ivory Coast (Comoé Capital) and Madagascar (Miarakap). → Find out more about Teranga Capital

Xoom Wireless is a Gambia-based internet service provider, established in 2017. It was granted a full operating licence in 2018 by the Gambian Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. The company intends to offer a wide range of broadband products to Gambian users through "LTE TDD" technology in and around Banjul.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Kalifa FAAL is a computer science graduate from Florida State University. He has more than 10 years of experience in internet and web technologies. He worked for 8 years in the United States as a sales and marketing manager. He is the founder and CEO of KMF Technology, a computer hardware and tool supply company based in The Gambia.

PARTNERSHIP WITH TERANGA CAPITAL

Teranga Capital's investment in Xoom Wireless aims to :

• Support the reflection on the first phase of deployment and future extensions of the activity
• Strengthen managerial, technical and administrative management capacities by supporting the development of management methods and tools.
• To enable the project to benefit from Teranga Capital's network, to put it in touch with partner companies in Senegal and abroad.

EXPECTED IMPACTS

• Management of energy consumption (electricity, water and diesel)
• Formalization of human resources, recruitment of qualified personnel
• Support for the implementation of financial and administrative management tools

ABOUT TERANGA CAPITAL

Teranga Capital is the first impact investment fund dedicated to the financing and support of Senegalese SMEs and start-ups. Headed by Olivier Furdelle, Teranga Capital is the third African fund sponsored by Investisseurs & Partenaires under the I&P Développement 2 program. The network currently includes a fund in Niger (Sinergi Niger), Burkina Faso (Sinergi Burkina), Ivory Coast (Comoé Capital) and Madagascar (Miarakap).

→ Find out more about Teranga Capital

TOTEM is a company created in 2017 offering software packages for school management, development of websites and mobile applications.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Kabirou AMADOU is a young 28-year-old systems engineer. After his engineering degree from the Institute of Technologies of Abidjan in 2016, he worked as a Web and mobile developer at Innova Technologie company (in Ivory Coast) then as a Freelancer Consultant in 2017 before finally creating his own company.

ABOUT SINERGI NIGER

SINERGI S.A. is a private investment company created in 2006 and supported by I&P with a group of key individual and institutional shareholders in the Nigerien and international SME support landscape. Headed by Ibrahima Djibo, its objective is to contribute to the economic and social development of Niger through the promotion of entrepreneurship and the development of SMEs. SINERGI S.A. provides the means for entrepreneurs in Niger to achieve their growth projects by providing long-term financing and local support.  → Find out more about Sinergi Niger 
 

ABOUT USAID PROGRAM

Investisseurs & Partenaires and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched in 2016 an innovative acceleration program for young companies located in Niger, Burkina Faso and Senegal. The partnership will support high-potential start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises to facilitate their access to financing in a region where the ecosystem supporting entrepreneurship is still underdeveloped. → Click here to find out more

Created in 2017, HaiRun Technology, is a DSC (Digital Services Company) based in Madagascar, specialized in the conception and development of specific high-level projects, and currently operating on the international market.

The digital company today has a solid foundation with more than 60 employees (Management, Technical, Sales and Marketing) and more than 20 projects carried out for large companies such as Share.Place, Ewattch, Laza-Adina, Super U. In addition, HaiRun has set up an artificial intelligence platform « SmartPredict » which will be accessible to the general public in 2020. Moreover, HaiRun was a winner of the « AI for Good 2018 » Artificial Intelligence Competition organized by France AI and the French Red Cross.

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Ranto ANDRIAMBOLOLONA studied in Madagascar. First at the EPP (Public Primary School) of Antsiranana, then at the Zafy Albert High School of Diégo-Suarez before obtaining his BACC in 1997 and starting his engineering cycle in 1998 at the ISPM (Institut Supérieur Polytechnique de Madagascar). After immigrating to France, where he finished his studies, he worked in IT for 15 years (Priceminister, Boursorama, etc.), notably in the ideation and design of innovative products for French software publishers. In 2017, he created HaiRun Technology with only 5 employees at the start.

Interview with Ranto ANDRIAMBOLOLONA and Chantal RAZAFIMAHATRATRA

PARTNERSHIP WITH MIARAKAP

Miarakap's investment in HaiRun Technology aims to:

• Provide strategic and operational support

•  Support HaiRun in its hyper-growth at the international level

•  Finalize and market the SmartPredict platform

EXPECTED IMPACTS 

• Creation of well-paying jobs for qualified Malagasy IT developers, whose retention in the country is an issue

• Increasing the competence of the development teams

• Madagascar's visibility on the global IT development scene

• Strengthening the supply of quality digital services in Madagascar (an opening to the local market is planned)

• Full formalization of the company, both at the tax level and in terms of company management (organization of steering communities, board of directors, implementation of reporting to manage the company

• Integration of ecological considerations (CO2 cost control) into product design