Q4. What challenges are you currently facing in promoting your business?

Yes, challenges will always come. One of the problems we’ve faced in the very beginning is Trust. I believe in Africa if you have trust, you win it all. Because we were new to the market, we didn’t have the trust needed from both customers and our suppliers. With suppliers, for instance, they only give you the best price if they know you. Also, they only give you material on consignment, meaning they lend it to you so that you sell and then pay them back after maybe a day or two if they know you. We didn’t have all these opportunities. And imagine you're facing that with very limited capital, it makes growth difficult. Now, trust has shifted from customers and suppliers to investors. We had to build trust over a long period of time.

Currently, we also have challenges accessing great developers. It's really hard to find the best talent here in Africa. There are several others including logistics which we solved by partnering AfriOnline Group, a company in Zambia, who amazingly are part of the top 6 of this program. I don't know what challenges we'll be facing tomorrow, but I know that we will solve them whatever the case.

Q5. What has been the support you have garnered so far from the ecosystem and what do you think is lacking?

We get a lot of help from the ecosystem even though sometimes we don’t get everything we get. I can talk about BongoHive. Their founder, Simunza Muyangana, has been a big push encouraging and going over the line to see startups succeed. The Founder of BongoHive personally helped Bosso with its first investor. For us as Bosso, our investors have been very instrumental, believing in us from the very early stages. But let me also appreciate my team. I have a great team working with me and it’s difficult to compete with Bosso with time. NTBC has also been very supportive as well. The government, I must say have been very supportive. I think we’ve got a great government in place - certain individuals in government themselves have been very instrumental in some of the recent growth.

Q6. What support system do you think the Zambian ecosystem requires?

In the ecosystem of small markets like Zambia, one of the primary challenges is the availability of capital. While there are many programs designed to support startups, there is a significant imbalance with the amount of capital available. Even a modest influx of funds, such as $50,000 to $100,000, can make a substantial difference for startups here.

For example, during our early days, we faced significant capital struggles and had to seek investment outside our market. While this approach yielded some success, it was challenging because investors often questioned the viability of investing in a market where they saw only one or two active startups. Investors prefer markets where they can engage with multiple portfolio companies in one visit.

Fortunately, the startup scene in Zambia is evolving. We now have promising companies like Lupia, Good Nature Agro, and AFRI Delivery, among others. These emerging startups need opportunities to prove themselves, and this doesn't require millions of dollars. Even smaller investments can be pivotal. For instance, our first significant injection of capital was just $20,000 from a Zambian based in Dubai, which was crucial for our growth.

I encourage investors to give these startups a chance. There are many potential 'diamonds' in Zambia waiting to be discovered with the right support.

Q7. What potential does your company have? How does it differ from other similar startups that are your competitors?

In five years, we envision ourselves as the go-to one-stop shop for housing materials and services. Our goal is to manage the entire value chain, from sourcing land to completing construction and facilitating property rental. For instance, if someone based in Japan, wants to build a home in Zambia, we can make that happen. We'll not only build the home but also find tenants, allowing investors to own and profit from property in Zambia without ever setting foot here.

At BOSSO, we emphasize partnerships to achieve our vision. We don't plan to handle every aspect ourselves but instead work with specialized companies. For land conveyance, we collaborate with companies like Diaspora Connect. For construction, we partner with established construction firms. Post-construction, real estate companies will manage property rentals. Our aim is to integrate all these elements into a seamless platform where each partner can contribute effectively. In five to ten years, we believe the construction and real estate sectors in Zambia will be transformed by the innovative solutions we are developing at BOSSO.

In terms of competition, we compete for everything, within our sector and outside of our sector. I think what sets us apart from others is the fact that we've zeroed in on a particular problem, which is housing. They have a deep focus on almost everything construction related. But I think for us, real estate is the biggest sub sector of the construction sector and that's the sector we decided to focus on. And because Africa has a glaring problem of 60 million homes and built. And if we don't solve that problem in the next, by 2050, we're really going to be dealing with a slum crisis.

Q8. How are Bosso’s activities linked to the SDGs?

I think for us the SDGS are an important guide for us to recognize the importance of impact on the environment and the communities. We think we align with SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure – because of how we handle infrastructure through innovations. We also handle SDGs 11 – Sustainable Cities, 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation, and 1 – No Poverty. More generally, I believe we need to start planning our lives and cities better and we are committed to it. My partner Sal used to say, “The current city model is broken; we need to rethink it”.

Q9. How attractive is the Zambian Market?

Everyone should be looking at Zambia right now for several compelling reasons. First, building a successful startup in Zambia provides a blueprint for scaling in many other African countries of similar size and market conditions. This makes it an excellent testbed for broader African expansion.

Secondly, Zambia's strategic location is a significant advantage. It is one of the few countries in Africa with eight neighboring countries, making it a gateway to a potential market of 300 million people in the surrounding region. This geographic positioning allows startups to scale quickly beyond the national borders.

Additionally, Zambia is a very stable country, both politically and economically. This stability provides a reliable environment for business operations and growth. Combining these factors, Zambia offers a unique and promising landscape for startups and investors alike.