Building A Construction Marketplace in Africa With Kagure Wamunyu

"WhatsApp processes billion-dollar construction orders while ERPs sit unused as glorified data entry systems in Africa.."

In today's episode of Bricks & Bytes, we had Kagure Wamunyu from Jumba and we got to learn about how African tech companies must build entire ecosystems from scratch, why 60% of Kenya's GDP runs on mobile money, and how construction distribution works in emerging markets... and many more!

Tune in to find out about: 

✅ How Uber Kenya became the first 100% cash market using manual Excel reconciliation

✅ Why Kenyans build homes instead of buying them due to 15% mortgage rates

✅ The reality of building construction tech in Africa where you become multiple businesses

✅ How WhatsApp has become the primary business operating system across African companies

From civil engineering to dropping out of Oxford PhD to revolutionize construction supply chains across Africa, Kagure shares the untold story of adapting global tech solutions to local market realities.

Her journey from handling driver strikes as Uber's face in Kenya to building Jumba shows how founders in emerging markets navigate challenges that don't exist elsewhere.

Watch now on Youtube to hear the full conversation about building in markets where traditional assumptions don't apply.

00:00 Intro01:55 Kagure's Journey: From Nairobi to Tech Innovator04:52 The Uber Experience: Adapting Technology to Local Markets07:53 Understanding Mobile Money: The Backbone of Kenyan Transactions10:53 Navigating Challenges: From Uber to EdTech13:59 The Birth of Jumba: Merging Construction and Technology16:48 Jumba's Business Model: Connecting Hardware Stores and Manufacturers20:09 Strategic Product Focus: Cement, Steel, and Beyond22:56 Scaling Operations: The Role of Hardware Stores in Construction25:45 SaaS Development: Building Technology for the Construction Industry28:30 Streamlining Financial Processes with SaaS29:35 Building Tech Products in Africa34:35 Navigating Talent and Fundraising in Kenya39:35 Understanding African Market Dynamics43:54 Sales Strategies in Construction Tech48:30 Challenges and Advantages of Being a Female Founder49:57 Lessons Learned and Future Ambitions