You probably remember Saya Mobile, as one of the few African founded startups that have made it to TechCrunch Disrupt. Yesterday the Ghanaian startup just added one more unique achievement; they got acquired. By US based company called Kirusa which provides voice messaging and social media mobile apps in emerging markets.
The announcement was made by Kirusa on its website and confirmed the Saya CEO, Robert Lamptey on Twitter. A key driver of the acquisition seems to be Saya’s expertise in these markets than the app itself as Kirusa says in its post buying Saya “enhances Kirusa’s expertise and the reach of its InstaVoice mobile app across the African continent.”
Key stats on the value of Saya as a platform (active users, value of the users, markets they are strong in etc…) are missing which makes it hard to understand the deal from outside. The only data we could find is that the app had the largest active user base in India. Kirusa and Saya also don’t say if the Saya app will remain active or if this means it will be wound down.
An app that started as a Java messaging app for feature phones, cheaper alternative for SMS, Saya was now available for Android and IOS. Increasingly becoming a smartphone app than just one for Java devices however means that Saya was more and more directly competing with globally successful apps like WhatsApp.
It takes resources to compete at the WhatsApp and WeChat competition level. WhatsApp has, on every continent globally, become the defacto mobile messaging app. In terms of resources to build Saya, Lamptey disclosed to How we made it in Africa in February that they had so far raised funding in the “hundreds of thousands of dollars” to cover its operating costs and technology development. He however said that money issues and slow moving large partners like telcos, were affecting their pace of their execution.
Saya are a Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology startup. These were their first investors and a incubator for them.
Saya reminds us very much of biNu which hasn’t been very visible lately. At least locally. It also reminds us of Mxit, which is essentially dying. Any acquisition however, especially here in Africa, is a big deal. A big success that will inspire other on-the-fence would prospective entrepreneurs to see opportunity and try out at working hard on ideas in the hopes for a good exit. But an acquisition can be other things as well.
2 comments
nice product will get attention, not kungoti we are under sanctions without even a working product. Investors or Buyers are out there that is if you have something
It is unfortunate that startups in Africa will end up in someone with deep pocket. Do startups design products so that they are bought by the Facebook’s or Google or it is about coming up with a solution to be used in Africa? Is it money the number one priority for start ups? I know the startup world has cut throat competition but I am just not liking the way things go. Why can’t people be like Econet? Grow, refuse buyouts, invest in your startup, etc. Too bad we see dollars when we see Larry Page with a fat check in his hand.