Building in the Kenyan Tech Ecosystem: Observations from the Trenches

Kenya's tech scene has come a long way. But it's not Silicon Valley. Here's the reality.

The Good

Infrastructure: Internet is decent. M-Pesa is world-class. Payment infrastructure works.

Talent: Great developers everywhere. Universities are churning out capable engineers.

Market: 50M people. Growing middle class. Real problems to solve.

Access to Capital: VCs want proven traction. Banks don't understand startups. Bootstrapping is the default.

Payment Friction: Credit cards are rare. Invoicing is slow. Cash flow is a constant battle.

Market Limitations: B2B is tough. Businesses are price-sensitive. Sales cycles are long.

Copy-Paste Mentality: Too many startups copying Western ideas without adapting.

Exit Pressure: VCs push for exit. But exits are rare. Most startups just die or bootstrap forever.

Brain Drain: Best talent leaves for remote US jobs at 5x local salary.

Build for local problems. Price for local wallets. Bootstrap if you can. Remote revenue helps.

Optimistic. Ecosystem is maturing. More success stories. Better infrastructure.

But it's still hard mode compared to SF or London.

If you're building here, you're tougher for it.