What started out as light-hearted conversation about the concern some parents feel when they don’t receive their children’s report cards has turned into a US$65 000 profit-making venture. Now, with just a click of a few buttons, schools in Kenya can send report cards to parents on their mobile phones – allowing them to keep better track of their children’s education.

This is all thanks to a 26-year-old Kenyan entrepreneur and his mobile messaging service Sematime. According to a CNN report, founder of the startup Boniface Githinji says virtually every parent in the country owns a cellphone and doesn’t necessarily need a smartphone to receive text messages.

So far, more than 1 500 schools use the platform – which can also be used to distribute exam results, fee balances and general communication messages – forming the majority of the startup’s clientele base. The rest is made up of small and medium-sized businesses in Nairobi, which use it to send information, bills and invoices to large groups via text message.

12 July 2016
Image: Sematime