Startup launch event, Demo Africa once again attracted some of the continent’s best startup talent. Held 23 and 24 November, the conference for emerging technology and trends, serves as a platform for entrepreneurs to pitch their startups to a panel of investors.
This year’s startups included, from South Africa, Finchatbot, a startup offering chatbots as an alternative to conventional call centres, Tapsnapp, which takes the hassle out of hiring photographers, and Sellio, a Uganda-based AI-powered advertising and sales automation software for SMEs.
We took the opportunity to find out from a few of them why they do what they do. This is in light of the 2017 Ventureburn Tech Startup Survey, released this week, which shows that only 27% of tech startups in the country can be termed “successful”, in that they are generating a profit or are growing.
This is what 3 startup founders had to say about why the tech space is still an exciting place to be:
Airbuy
Kabelo Twala
Airbuy is a payment method that enables users to buy goods online without a credit or debit card. It aims to eliminate the risk of fraud and scamming.
The app uses Airbucks, which are digital tokens which can be topped up by converting Airbuy vouchers, airtime, mobile transfer or Bitcoin, which customers can use to pay for goods at participating Airbuy ecommerce sites.
Tapsnapp
Tapsnapp serves as a marketplace for travellers and holiday makers looking for photographers, and if they wish, learn how to take great photos themselves from professional photographers. The platform provides a list of experiences with over 400 professional photographers in both South Africa and Africa.
Picadoo
Terrence Hlatshwayo, head of marketing and sales
Hlatshwayo, Picadoo
Picadoo is an online platform that enables women to book mobile hairstylists from a network of vetted beauty professionals.
