Tech start-ups
Somali tech start-ups: directory
This directory lists Somali tech start-ups that a published source names, such as the delivery and ride app Gulivery (2017), the online shop ZIQQI (2017), the Hargeisa taxi app Dhaweye (2019) and the marriage app Guurdoon (2022), with the year founded, city and a source for each. Phone companies' mobile money services are listed under telecoms.
About this list
Most Somali apps are built on mobile money, which lets customers pay by phone without a bank card. Delivery, taxi and online shopping firms started in Hargeisa and Mogadishu from about 2017 (Disrupt Africa, 8 March 2019). The largest digital services are run by the phone companies, such as Hormuud's WAAFI app; these are listed in the telecoms directory. Many start-ups close or change name within a few years, so a row gives the year the source reports.
The list
| Company | Type | Founded | City | Owner or head, and status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gulivery | Delivery app, later motorbike taxis | 2017 | Hargeisa, then Mogadishu | founded by a couple who returned from London; added e-hailing in 2019 | Disrupt Africa, 8 March 2019 |
| ZIQQI | Online shop | late 2017 | Hargeisa | first city Hargeisa, February 2019; also Somalia, Rwanda and Mali by June 2019 | Hiiraan Online, June 2019 |
| Dhaweye | Taxi app | March 2019 | Hargeisa | 2,080 drivers signed up by September 2019 | Radio Ergo, 16 September 2019 |
| Guurdoon | Marriage app | October 2022 | Mogadishu | launched by the Guryosamo family development centre; $1 sign-up fee | AFP via The Star, 22 June 2023 |
For how start-ups reach people without smartphones, see How start-ups reached people on basic phones.
Sources
- Disrupt Africa, 8 March 2019 · disrupt-africa.com
- Hiiraan Online, June 2019 · hiiraan.com
- Radio Ergo, 16 September 2019 · radioergo.org
- AFP via The Star, 22 June 2023 · thestar.com.my
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Where this matters
- Muqdisho (Mogadishu) and BanaadirMogadishu (Muqdisho) is Somalia's capital and makes up the Banadir region, with about 2.97 million people in 20 districts.
- Hargeysa (Hargeisa) and Woqooyi GalbeedWoqooyi Galbeed is the north-western region that holds Hargeisa (Hargeysa) and the port of Berbera, with about 1 to 1.45 million people.
Same era
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