[Interview] Steve Odhiambo, Founder and CEO, ukowapi, Germany
Steve Odhiambo is the founder and CEO at Ukowapi, Germany. His interview with Africa Business Communities:
Would you please introduce ukowapi?
Ukowapi was founded in Darmstadt, Germany in 2015. ukowapi’ is Swahili and means ‚where are you?’ As the name suggests, we’re basically a mobile solutions startup that specializes in location-based services. Our core service is providing reliable and verifiable digital addresses as an alternative to underdeveloped physical address systems. Our vision is to completely revolutionize address systems in the developing world, thus transforming the way people do business. We believe that if you change the way a person interacts with his world, you in fact change that person’s world. This will give rise to a safer, more connected and more accessible world.
During the European Satellite Navigation Competition 2014, ukowapi was honored with the Galileo Masters Award for winning 2nd place overall. With this award came the international exposure and recognition. Ukowapi is currently incubated at the ESA BIC Darmstadt, a business incubation center run by the European Space Agency, and we’ve managed to get up to 100,000 EUR in seed funding.
In which industries does ukowapi operate and who are your clients?
Our company operates in the location-based services (LBS) industry. We’ve taken it upon ourselves to ensure that products and services are conveniently made accessible to individuals irrespective of their current location. Our target clients include postal and courier service providers, online stores, online food delivery outlets and several other stakeholders in the e-commerce industry. Sub-Saharan Africa is a high growth, high potential market that is extremely underserved when it comes to e-commerce. This is mainly due to underdeveloped physical address systems. However, the rapid uptake of smartphones and steadily growing mobile phone penetration strongly indicate market readiness and acceptance of innovative digital solutions.
With our self-titled web and mobile app, ukowapi, we intend to bring products and services closer to the people and by so doing open up previously inaccessible regions.
Why did you start your company?
Well, that’s an interesting question. In a nutshell: I put together a team of passionate individuals and started ukowapi, so that we could create a truly innovative solution to a far-reaching problem, worth solving.
It all started about 3 years ago when I tried to send a book to my younger sister, Jackie, who lives in Nairobi, Kenya. I’m an avid reader and books have really shaped my life. My humble intention was to share an amazing book with my sister, hoping that it would inspire and motivate her too.
Now, at that point in time, my mother hadn't pay the yearly subscription fee, therefore, she was denied access to her post office box. I was forced to think of alternative ways of having my book delivered to Kenya. As a result of this frustrating experience, I remember asking myself, „How many other people are facing the same problem?“ After conducting extensive research to fully understand the problem, I was confronted by its massive scale. By starting Ukowapi we’ve been able to systematically develop an award-winning concept, turned it into a product and now we’re focusing on building a sustainable business.
What is your business background?
Before starting ukowapi, I worked as a Product Marketing Engineer, at AAEON Europe, a leading embedded hardware manufacturer. At AAEON I was fortunate enough to get insights into the hardware industry, which is a market that we’re looking to get into in the near future.
What other companies/organizations/activities have you founded?
While studying at the Darmstadt University of Technology, I founded the Organization of Kenyan Students in Hessen, OKSH e. V, where I served as President from 2010 – 2012. The main purpose of the organization was to provide a platform, where Kenyans studying in Germany could share information as well as engage in social activities.
In 2013, I founded ‚I-Drive-European’, an online platform that sold both new and used spare parts to European car enthusiasts in Africa. Unfortunately, this venture did not perform well, so I decided to close shop a year later.
What can be done by entrepreneurs and government to stimulate the business environment in Kenya?
Personally, I think a lot is currently being done to stimulate the business environment in Kenya. Last month Kenya became the first African country to host the Global Entrepreneurship Summit. This international event was a great opportunity for local entrepreneurs to showcase their ideas and innovations to world-class entrepreneurs and investors.
Right now, the biggest challenge for entrepreneurs in Kenya is the access to capital. As a result, they are unable to scale their businesses to compete locally and globally. I think the government should provide more programs to support SME’s both in cash and in kind.
What’s the best part about doing business in/with Africa?
Doing business in Africa is a truly awesome experience, mainly because of the tremendous potential and opportunities that the continent offers. There is no shortage of problems to be solved. As a tech-entrepreneur, Africa is definitely the right place to be. A burgeoning middle class coupled with steadily growing Internet and mobile penetration rates makes for an ideal environment, especially for IT-startups.
Which African countries will perform best in 2015?
In my opinion, the countries to watch in 2015 are Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria. My choices are based on the economic growth rates and general ease of doing business.
Both Kenya and Nigeria are among the countries dominating global economic growth in 2015, with Kenya being ranked third and Nigeria sixth. Ethiopia on the other hand, is the second-most populous country in Sub-Saharan Africa and has one of the highest economic growth rates in Africa.
The reason why I’d bet my bottom dollar on these three countries is the fact that they feature stable democratic political climates, have established functioning free markets, offer large potential markets due to their large populations and boast abundant labor forces.
For further business interests, contact Steve Odhiambo
www.de.linkedin.com/in/steveodhiambo
Don't miss the Africa Business Communities Networking Event | Hamburg - 21 September 2015
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