Appfrica

Last updated
Appfrica
Industry Business incubator
Founded2008 [1]
Founder Jon Gosier
Headquarters
Website appfrica.com

Appfrica (sometimes referred to as Appfrica Labs) is a market research and technology firm founded by current CEO Jon Gosier [2] in 2008 in Kampala, Uganda. [3] The firm has been responsible for a number of technology initiatives responsible for promoting Africa's technology sector including HiveColab, Apps4Africa, [4] HiveColab, QuestionBox [5] [6] and for helping Google Africa translate its page for Ugandan audiences. [7]

Contents

Appfrica helps multinational firms do business in African markets by helping them understand consumer behavior, find local partners, and hire local talent.

Incubation, Apps4Africa, and HiveColab

Appfrica is one of the oldest technology incubators in Africa, founded in 2008. [8] In 2010 Africa spun out its incubation services into two new initiatives Apps4Africa and HiveColab. Apps4Africa began as a series of competitions that were launched in partnership with the U.S. Department of State. Later Apps4Africa announced an Acceleration program for African tech startups. HiveColab was founded as a free collaborative workspace in Kampala, Uganda that helped African technologists learn about tech and entrepreneurship. HiveColab is funded by Appfrica, IndigoTrust, and Hivos.

Open Data and Statfrica

In 2013 Appfrica turned much of the research it has collected about Africa into Statfrica.com an online repository of information and open data for businesses, researchers and students. [9] [10]

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References

  1. Zouhali-Worrall, Malika (16 April 2017). "Building tech companies in the land of dialup". CNN Money. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  2. "An Interview with Appfrica Founder Jon Gosier".
  3. "Uniting a diaspora is, by its very nature, a big challenge".
  4. "Creators of "Apps 4 Africa" Contest Discuss the Ideas Behind It".
  5. "Fellows Friday with Rose Shuman".
  6. Gunn, Dwyer (9 August 2009). "African Entrepreneurs". Freakonomics. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  7. "Bridging the Communication Gap in Uganda: Appfrica Labs".
  8. "Fellows Friday with Jon Gosier".
  9. "Market Research Firm Appfrica Introduces Statfrica, An Open Data Repository About Africa". TechLoy. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  10. "How Big Data Solves the Toughest of Africa's Problems: Q&A with Appfrica Founder Jon Gosier".