Offshore is better. Why Non-Kenyans? Because there are no real investors in Kenya. We have not met someone who can put USD 100k in faith and equity on an IT startup. Kenyans have no faith. All we have met are people who want to put KSHS 1M for 80% ownership of your solution and your life. Remember it is Software. Not Bread.
How do people deal with this reality? Is that why it is so difficult for listers to get together and do something meaningful?
Realistically, what is the future of any publicly discussed (on this list), for-profit ventures? Maybe that's why the traffic-system people are so secretive about their work, which I understand it meant to be commercial?
Potential solution: give the product away for free (since you can't fairly compete anyway) and offer superior services. Sell the brand (either your product/company brand or your personal brand as a consultant).
Selling IT products, in Kenya it seems, is so challenging for SMEs.
In the same way that Alex and the Consumers association regularly give shit to MJ and company, is there a comparable Developers association that can aggregate and channel developers grief? Would that be a much more effective strategy at getting together? Alex, what has your experience been with the Consumers association?
Saidi
On Sat, Dec 12, 2009 at 2:06 PM, Gakuru Alex
<alexgakuru.lists@gmail.com> wrote:
On Thu, Dec 10, 2009 at 8:33 AM, Gakuru Alex <
alexgakuru.lists@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, Dec 10, 2009 at 7:36 AM, aki <
aki275@googlemail.com> wrote:
>>
>> @Alex, kwani were you forced to sign an NDA for the event? :-)
>>
>
> Could we engage along this tangent later, please?
>
http://www.iddsalim.com/blog/category/sembuse/
Skunkworks Server donations spreadsheet
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AopdHkqSqKL-dHlQVTMxU1VBdU1BSWJxdy1fbjAwOUE&hl=en