A PhD is hardly the ideal preparatory ground for founding a startup, but the seeds of Kenfield Griffith’s entrepreneurial journey began during his doctoral studies.
While studying for a PhD in Design and Computation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he began researching how computer automation tools could be launched across Africa to solve housing problems. In the process, he discovered the dearth of relevant data to answer the questions necessary for his research.
Conducting research on the problem was good, but ultimately, the problem remained, and he figured it was more valuable to build a solution that solved the problem.
The worlds of academia and technology startups may seem far removed from each other, but Griffith notes that the foundations of his entrepreneurial journey were laid during his studies.
“If you think about this whole ecosystem of PhDs, it’s actually setting you up for a startup because it's the same type of thing. You're sharing a vision because you're asking why — why doesn't this exist? And you're trying to answer that question. You do your research, you do your experiments, and then also you realise, wow, I don't have sufficient money to do experiments, or this PhD is really deep in research that I need to ask for funding to do this PhD research, and you have to go out and raise grants or get folks who are aligned with your vision to participate.”
His first startup, mSurvey, collected first-party data, which it provided to large businesses that needed it for decision-making. Some of its customers included Safaricom, Airtel, Harvard, and Kenya Commercial Bank, while it raised more than $4 million from investors such as TLcom, Proparco, and Kapor Capital.
Bringing Africa’s SMEs online
As mSurvey gained traction with large corporations, Kenfield and his co-founder Louis Majanja couldn’t ignore the wider issues affecting small businesses.
While big companies could afford advanced customer experience platforms and complex data analytics tools, the vast majority of African SMEs were left behind, unable to access similar tools because of high costs and complexity.
This realisation led them to their next venture, tappi, which would focus on bringing African SMEs online by providing affordable and accessible digital solutions.
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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make up a significant part of the global economy, and in sub-Saharan Africa, they account for 95% of registered businesses and contribute 50% of the total GDP.
However, as the world becomes increasingly digital, a concerning issue is emerging – the digital divide. While nearly half of Africans are connected to the Internet, 71% of small businesses on the continent are not online, creating a gap between them and the customers they aim to serve.
This is despite evidence that shows that SMEs using smartphones and computers record higher sales and productivity.
For $2 a month, business owners can create an online business profile and SEO-optimised website, allowing them to increase their reach.
“If you allow these small businesses to grow into bigger businesses, you’re pushing the economy; you’re driving the economy at scale because they’re the backbone of our economy,” Griffith shares.
In December 2023, it raised $1.5 million in a pre-seed round that was led by Mercy Corps Ventures and Chui Ventures, and in March 2024, it expanded into Cote d’Ivoire on the back of a partnership with MTN.
Building technology solutions for SMEs is a different challenge from building technology solutions for large businesses, but Griffith shares that tappi has benefitted from launching after the COVID-19 pandemic.
With businesses forced to close down and individuals forced to work from home, many businesses turned to technology to keep their doors open.
According to a survey by the International Finance Corporation, 45% of businesses increased their use of digital technology in response to the COVID-enforced shutdowns, while 28% invested in digital technologies. Although businesses in developing countries embraced digital technologies, the study notes that small businesses were less likely to use digital technologies than larger businesses.
Driving growth through partnerships
One of the key strategies that Kenfield has relied on to scale tappi is partnerships. He believes that partnerships, when properly aligned, can be a powerful tool for accelerating growth.
“You have to understand that partners have their own objectives, their own strategy. You have to figure out if your goals align with theirs.”
tappi’s partnership with MTN, a major telecom provider in Africa, exemplifies this strategy. By partnering with MTN, it has been able to tap into a large customer base without having to build an extensive sales network from scratch. This collaboration has allowed the startup to scale rapidly in markets like Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire.
“When you think about partnerships, it’s not so much what the partner can do for you but what you can do for them,” he notes.
A successful partnership, he says, must begin with an understanding that potential partners have objectives and numerous options to choose from. Startups must therefore offer substantial evidence to warrant a seat at the table.
But while he understands that partnerships can unlock enormous value for startups, he cautions that startups do not see any one partnership as a silver bullet for success.
While tappi isn’t yet profitable, he shares that the startup is on track to become profitable.
Co-founder dynamics
Another crucial aspect of Griffith’s entrepreneurial journey has been his relationship with his co-founder. He stresses the importance of having co-founders with complementary skills who can take ownership of different parts of the business.
In tappi, his co-founder, Majanja, plays a critical role as the chief product officer, bringing valuable experience from Silicon Valley.
Kenfield admits that managing co-founder dynamics can be tricky, especially when it comes to decision-making. However, he believes that mutual respect and trust are essential in navigating these challenges.
“You need to respect your co-founder’s superpower,” he says, advising entrepreneurs to recognise the unique strengths that their co-founders bring to the table.
Raising money during a downturn
Tappi is Griffith’s second attempt at raising capital for a startup, and he’s had more experience than most. Having first raised capital for mSurvey at a time when venture capital activity on the continent was low, he argues that “raising capital is hard no matter what.”
Regardless, he notes that investors want to invest in startups that are thinking aggressively about profit, a deviation from the previous focus on rapid growth. He advises that founders remain optimistic about their chances of success but also manage that optimism.
For founders that need to balance fiscal responsibility with rapid growth, Griffith advises a culture of frequent experimentation.
“If you can do really cheap experiments that give you strong signals and strong conviction of growth, try to do them fast,” he emphasises.
He stresses that these experiments are not a guaranteed path to success. Instead, they serve as learning opportunities.
“Be true to yourself that these are experiments, not the holy grail of success,” he advises.
