Kenyan startups jump on the 'Groupon' bandwagon
Groupon has been a massive success in the United States. It's a deal-of-the-day site, with projected revenue of US$500m in just its second year of operations. It uses the framework of "collective buying", which means that if enough people sign up for a particular deal, then it's on. If not enough people sign up, then the deal is off and everyone walks away.
Revenue is shared per deal, which means that Groupon only wins if the company doing the deal wins. Of course, this framework has caught the attention of savvy business people in Africa.
Rupu
Rupu is a similar site which launched in Kenya this week. The word comes from the term "marupurupu", which is a freebie, something small handed out in the employer-to-employee relationship (could be considered a bonus). Munyutu Waigi is the business man behind the operation, and it was interesting to note that Rupu was built out by Charles Kithika and Joshua Musau - all three members of the iHub.
Rupu uses Jambopay, which handles local mobile payment options Mpesa and Zap, as well as Visa.
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About the author
Erik Hersman is the founder of AfriGadget and is a contributor on [[www.memeburn.com]].