Safaricom, Kenya’s leading telecom company, has today announced that they have invested in Sendy, a Kenyan package-delivery startup that was in the 2014 list of PIVOT EAST semi-finalists as the very first beneficiary of the Safaricom Spark Fund; a 1 Million Dollar fund launched in November 2014 to invest in promising startups and companies in the Kenyan space.
What does Sendy do? Well, Sendy offers a marketplace for last-mile package delivery and logistics services and allows customers to send packages and documents within Nairobi and its environs using a mobile application that connects them to motorcycle riders, and drivers of vans and pickup trucks who are otherwise doing other work but sign up to make such deliveries in their free time.
Sendy is just 1 year old and it focuses on providing convenience, competitive pricing, speed, excellent customer service, while allowing individual customers and businesses to track the movement and location of their packages in real time using their Android mobile-based app as well as web platform.
“When we launched Sendy in September 2014 we had a vision of making package delivery as simple as sending a text message. We wanted to use technology do this, so we created an app that is easy to use, offers transparent pricing and supports cashless transactions. Having Safaricom believe in us enough to come on board as an investor is a big boost to our business. We intend to use the funds received to invest in our infrastructure, improve our platform, roll out new features and services and grow our team so that we can provide an even better customer experience,” said Meshack Alloys, CEO at Sendy.
How Is Spark Fund Doing So Far?
Since its launch in November 2014, the Safaricom Spark Fund has received over 400 applications for funding and continues to evaluate more startups that will benefit from the KES 90 Million venture fund. Each startup will receive between KES 6M-22M.
Speaking for Safaricom following the announcement on Sendy’s funding, Joseph Ogutu, Safaricom’s Lead on Strategy & Innovation says the company is ‘pleased to be investing in Sendy’ a business they believe to be led by ‘a young, vibrant, innovative and ambitious team’.
As part of this deal, Sendy will also gain access to strategic partnerships, network elements, and a mix of marketing opportunities that will help it expand straight from Safaricom’s expansive networks and business contacts.
What’s more is that Sendy will now be integrated with the the recently relocated M-PESA‘s API that will see the app use a new seamless payment checkout process due to the aforementioned integration.
The Safaricom Spark Fund Managers, TBL Invest, have also put in a lot of belief in Sendy with the Managing Partner, Eline Blaauboer commenting that Sendy ‘has a lot of promise in this area and has started to ramp up sales and operations, so we believe it is the ideal candidate for our investment’.
You can download the Sendy Android App from the Google Play Store here – Sendy.
