Kenyan startup selected for TechStars accelerator programme

TechStars Austin managing director, Amos Schwartzfarb said: “We are very happy to select the first company from East Africa into the TechStars programme. Bamba Group is a testament to our globalised world where a startup from any corner of the planet can rise up, pursue their passion and make a lasting impact on the world.”

Bamba Group, a Nairobi-based business founded three years ago, developed a data collection software that can run in any country. It is the only company in the world that will send a mobile airtime payment directly to your phone when you submit data in as many as 122 countries. The cloud-based system is used by major not-for-profit and for-profit companies in Kenya including Aga Khan Foundation, Nairobi Airport Services, and Diamond Trust Bank.

Do more faster

Bamba Group CEO Al Ismaili is thrilled his company is among the 2% of the applicants who are accepted into the programme. He said: “It is our employees that are most deserving of this selection. We now look forward to the next stage of our growth with a new saying around the office - something we now hear regularly from our new mentors at TechStars - ‘Do more faster’. We hope to make Africa proud”.

Ismaili along with two other co-founders Faiz Hirani and Shehzad Tejani will attend a 13-week acceleration programme for hands-on mentorship and gain access to the TechStars Network, which includes more than 5,000 people including founders, alumni, and global mentors. Following the initial financial investment from TechStars, companies go on to raise an average of over $3 million in capital after the programme.

Bamba has embedded itself as a staple in the Kenyan software scene. This is evident through its participation in the Presidential Digi-talent Programme (PDTP), a public–private partnership run by the ICT Authority in Kenya and commissioned by the President of Kenya. ICT graduates from Kenyan universities are selected for the one-year programme that includes world-class software training, soft-skills training, mentoring and guaranteed internships in both the public and private sector firms involved. Other organisations involved in this programme include Google, Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, Cisco and PwC.

Bamba group project manager, Peter Onkendi, said: “Working for Bamba Group has been an amazing experience. The company's culture is fantastic and I look forward to everyday at the office. What we are doing is very exciting and with Bamba being accepted to the TechStars 2016 programme I look forward to the opportunities ahead.”