This sounds like one of those fairy tales in the world of business but believe it or not, a student thesis turned into a business that has fetched a cool Ksh154 million.
Ms Hilda Moraa, a graduate of Strathmore, conceptualised Weza Tele in project she submitted for her undergraduate studies and build the idea into a company. Weza Tele was recently acquired by Afb, a financial services company that specialises in providing credit products to consumers in Africa, to the tune of $1.7 million.
Weza Tele provides value-added mobility solutions in commerce, supply chain, distribution and mobile payment integration. The solutions are used not just in Kenya but also in other countries like Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Nigeria.
Ms Moraa, 26, who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Information Technology from Strathmore University, says she has published and written numerous research papers and journals on ICT.
Ms Moraa says the idea for the project was crystallised while she was working as a data analyst at a large beverage and distribution company. “I saw the challenges they faced within their distribution systems, so I conducted market research and documented those challenges then decided to develop an ordering solution prototype as my final-year project,” she says.
Ms Moraa gave a presentation on the company’s origins at the recent Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) at the UN headquarters, Gigiri, where she shared her story with business leaders from around the globe.
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