In 2017, Emmanuel Ekunke and his younger brother, Gracious, recognised the challenges African businesses faced in navigating digital platforms. On the one hand, many websites struggled with Google’s deranking issue; on the other hand, users struggled with online transactions involving dollar payments.
They discovered that African websites were often penalised for slow load times, improper HTML structure, lack of metadata, and non-SSL connections.
What started as an investigation into the deranking issue eventually led to the creation of Demfati, a platform designed to simplify access to various services without relying on multiple platforms. It became an all-in-one stop for events.
“After the 2017 deranking, we reached out to some affected website users. About 80% of them, especially in the event space, couldn’t figure out how to fix the issue and were having a hard time setting up their events.” Emmanuel Ekunke, CEO of Demfati told Techpoint Africa.
Demfati was created as a discovery search engine where users can find upcoming events, buy tickets, book cinema seats, vote, and fill out forms, simplifying the process and eliminating the stress of managing multiple platforms for each task.
The platform is integrated with popular apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Messenger, making it easier to access and use.
The journey to Demfati
Emmanuel founded his platform during his second year of higher education, while studying physics in Calabar. He later left the course and restarted his studies as a computer science student.
“I left school, restarted from Year 1 in physics again in 2021, and I switched to computer science in 2023. I actually gained most of my computer knowledge outside of the university, so my academic journey hasn’t really been very smooth,” Emmanuel said.
Juggling that, the Ekunkes went on to build a platform that simplified events and ticketing, especially for their university community in the South.
The brothers had initially launched the brand under the name Ocoms in 2017 before rebranding to Demfati and officially launching in November 2020.
According to the founders, Ocoms started as a platform to help Africans learn about tech and navigate digital careers. However, during development, they discovered that a Chinese company had already been using the name, which created a risk of brand confusion. As a result, they paused, rebranded, and used the opportunity to conduct deeper research.
The name Demfati originated from the phrase “The Empathy,” which expresses the empathetic approach of the brothers in solving the issues event organisers face.
While Ocoms was primarily focused on education for Africans, Demfati is focused on bridging the barriers that have made it difficult for many to participate fully in the global digital economy.
Demfati beyond the empathy
At its core, Demfati is a discovery engine; however, what sets it apart is its automation and cross-platform functionality.
“Instead of navigating across several platforms for different purposes, like Google Forms for registration, Eventbrite for ticketing, and a separate tool for voting, Demfati centralises it all,” Emmanuel explained.
The platform’s user-friendly dashboard enables organisers to create events, businesses, or forms in minutes. However, each event must be linked to a business profile, allowing for better organisation and branding. One organiser can manage multiple businesses and events from a single account.
One key feature is the ability to generate short, custom event links that make it easier for users to remember and share. Each registered event receives a customised mini-site that makes it feel like a standalone website.
“Most of the Google Forms have really lengthy links, and at times, you can’t even remember what link you want to open if you go back to it. With Demfati, all you have to do is remember a short link.”
Organisers gain access to analytics, including ticket sales data, top-performing events, and live voting statistics.
Demfati’s automated WhatsApp/Messenger chatbot assists users in selecting their desired event, choosing the number of tickets, confirming payment, and instantly receiving their tickets in direct messages, bypassing the entire email verification process.
Despite operating without external funding, Demfati has processed over 20,000 tickets and collected 100,000 votes since its launch.
The startup charges an 8% commission on every paid transaction and a 6% commission for events where they actively partner. Free submission forms are available at no cost; only paid submissions incur charges.
Their client base includes institutions such as Cross River State University, the University of Calabar (UNICAL), and large-scale events like GAMEIT9JA, as well as their own talent show, Demfati Talent Hunt.
Currently, Demfati only serves events listed on their platform, but they hope to expand their offerings to include more events. While they encounter typical challenges faced by Nigerian startups, such as limited funding, they are optimistic that steady growth and user satisfaction will drive wider adoption of their platform.
