The international investors that have boosted more than 650 technology startups have thrown their weight behind their first East African company, Kenya’s Bamba Group.
US accelerator TechStars believes Kenya’s Bamba Group could be the next AirBnB or Dropbox within the next five years.
The experts will put Bamba through intensive training in Austin, Texas, and give them a cash investment to fast-track their growth.
TechStars Austin Managing Director, Amos Schwartzfarb (@iamamoslee), said:
“We are very happy to select the first company from East Africa into the TechStars programme. Bamba Group is a testament to our globalized 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 3 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.
Bamba Group CEO, Al Ismaili (@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”.
