The document discusses the growing mobile and internet penetration in Zimbabwe and Africa over the past few years, which has lowered barriers to entry for tech startups. It highlights the opportunities for economic growth through private sector involvement and outlines several successful African startups as examples. The document argues for creating an active Zimbabwean tech startup community to build local skills, attract investment, and enable startups to address social problems and export globally.

1. The need for an active Mobile &
Web Startup ecosystem
Limbikani S.K. Makani

2. Over past 3 years
Access to
mobile improved
$1
SIM Cards

3. Zimbabwe Mobile Penetration
9 Million
Zim Population
8,800,000
72%
4,800,000
24%
800,000
2006 2009 2010 2011 2012
Year

4. Africa too
543 Million
1 billion people
600,000,000.00
53%
500,000,000.00
400,000,000.00
300,000,000.00
20%
200,000,000.00
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Year

5. Access to the Internet
has increased
phenomenally too
Simple
Mobile
Phones
The Dongle

6. Since
All mobile 2009
operators in
Zimbabwe
now offer 2011
mobile
broadband 2011

7. Backbone Fibre
Infrastructure
Operators
have access to
Undersea fibre
cable from
Zimbabwe

8. Competition
bringing prices
down
& more people
connecting

9. Number of
Internet
2.5 Million*
Subscribers in
Zimbabwe
*Estimate based on operator stats

10. Zimbabwe in Top 10
internet penetration in
Africa

11. The Economic growth
opportunity in Africa
Africa’s collective GDP in 2020
US $2.6 trillion
consumer spending US $1.4
trillion
Highest in the world
Population growth and
urbanisation
Source: McKinsey Global Institute

12. “Private sector is
accepted to be
important agent of
economic
growth, and hence
of poverty
reduction
United Nations Economic
Commission for Africa
(UNECA)

13. Who is the
private Sector?

14. That private sector is us.
We are the
answer

15. What is the opportunity?

16. “ A few years ago, it would cost at least a
million dollars for a team of
professionals to produce any commercial
software product… with open source
software components, and low-cost
development tools, the same job can be
done by one good hacker for a few
thousand dollars
- Martin Zwilling

17. Very low barrier to entry

18. The opportunity
in tech is the
low barrier to
entry

19. It’s so apparent the idea of a
Lean Startup has become
‘cool’

20. Never been a better time in
history to start a
software based
business, especially in
Africa.

21. Active ICT Startup
communities have emerged in
Africa
Tech Hubs, Labs, business
incubators

22. Hive Colab - Uganda Appfrica Labs- Uganda ccHub – Nigeria
Active Spaces - Cameroon
Nailab – Kenya
Zambia

23. Africa has had
Some mobile and
Web Startup
Successes

24. Here are some
(of the many)
Noteworthy
African Startups

25. Crowd sourced mapping
used
app now
globally to map
crisis information
Kenya

26. Daily Deals. One of the most
trafficked* websites in Nigeria
*http://www.forbes.com

27. 43 million
global
users over 750 000
messages are sent and
received per day.
Recently acquired for
USD 60 million*
*indigotrust.wordpress.com South Africa

28. • Premium WordPress
themes
• Bootstrapped
• 200,000 users globally
and already
• 2 million
yearly*
revenue & Profitable
since founding
*afrinnovator.com South African Co-founder

29. One of most
trafficked websites
in Zimbabwe.
More than 8 million
pageviews* a
month
*techzim.co.zw January 2011 Zimbabwe

30. Home of Nollywood First launched on
on the net.
YouTube & became
Attracted 1 million
profitable 2 months
visitors in first
later*
month*
*techloy.com
Nigeria

31. Mobile Game
development
• Games are available in
Apple’s App store
• Over 120,000
users*
*Forbes.com Ghana

32. We can be achieve this and
more

33. A healthier ecosystem will
lower barrier to entry even
further

34. This is what it’s about

35. We need an active tech
community

36. We need to create a
community of
entrepreneurs from
where Scalable
Startups are built

37. We need one that
uses technology to
effectively address
Social & Economic
Problems

38. We need to expose
local tech activity &
celebrate our
successes to attract
investment.

39. We need a community
that enables startups
to export services &
intellectual property
globally

40. Zimbabwe has the
talent,
Some of it spread
around the world

41. What we need is to
build the skills locally

42. Show more people
opportunities that are
there and how they
can use them

43. Create a platform for skills
contribution to the ecosystem
by Zimbabwe’s Diaspora

44. A platform for Interaction &
collaboration among
Zimbabweans locally & in
Diaspora on tech startup issues.

45. A platform to look at issues
on the ground affecting tech
Startups in Zimbabwe to
collectively engage
stakeholders

46. This is all Possible and it’s
up to US to create such a
community in Zimbabwe

47. Thank you

48. Credit
• Image: activerain.com for the germinating plant in
• Nokia.com for the Nokia X2 mobile phone image
• Image: prices graphic , http://visionlaunchers.com/uploads/articles/335dc61fa1f2c6c34adc8cd8d102a711_thumb.jpg
• Lions on the move: the progress and potential of Africa Economies:
http://www.mckinsey.com/Insights/MGI/Research/Productivity_Competitiveness_and_Growth/Lions_on_the_move
• Image: Ory Okolloh @ the launch of iHub Nairobi (c) AfricaKnows.com
• Image: Active spaces . http://www.flickr.com/photos/activspaces/6322431916/sizes/l/in/photostream/
• Image: A shot of the new location for Hive Colab in Kampala, Uganda. http://hivecolab.com/about/
• Image: Nailabs , http://www.flickr.com/photos/thenailab/5690039780/sizes/l/in/photostream/
• Image: AppAfrica Labs, http://whiteafrican.com/2009/05/12/ugandas-appfrica-labs/
• Image: DealDey Bus, http://webtrendsng.com/blog/dealdey-com-goes-mainstream-take-over-brt-buses/
• Information on DealDey and Leti Games, http://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2011/05/26/five-sexy-african-
tech-startups/
• Image: iWarrior iPhone App, http://www.letigames.com/letigames/
• Information of Zimbabwe’s classifieds platform classifieds.co.zw, http://www.techzim.co.zw/2011/02/classifieds-8-million-
monthly-page-views/
• MXit traffic information: http://indigotrust.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/potential-partners-for-tech-focused-organisations-
operating-in-south-africa-and-beyond/
• Information on Nollywood Love profitability on YouTube, http://techloy.com/2011/08/02/jason-njoku-on-nollywood-
movies-and-africas-internet-revolution-video/
• Information on iRoko TV, http://techloy.com/2012/01/04/irokotv-bullish-growth-december-2011/
• Image: mLab SA, http://www.mlab.co.za/about/
• Image: Google Umbono, https://plus.google.com/107200078343546459769/posts/VbonsZ5Jotr
• Image: lean startup book and author, http://matthewemay.files.wordpress.com