Estonian start-up upKenya, launches new platform in Kenya, poised to be the ultimate entertainment guide

Tell us a little bit about upKenya and how the idea came?

upKenya is the creation of Georgi Kurotskin and Gleb Makarov, two entrepreneurs with extensive experience in the IT industry. Through close contacts and their own introspection of the exponential growth of the IT industry in Kenya, they instinctively were urged to create something that would not only be received well but also was missing in the market. upKenya is a digital platform that connects people to the entertainment, shopping and hospitality options around them, regardless of their location, in Kenya. upKenya has been created with the end user – being Kenyans – in mind.

Georgi is enthusiastic on upKenya’s success and explains why the startup is a perfect fit for the country “Kenya is fast establishing itself as the technological hub of Africa and the creators of upKenya saw an opportunity to create something unique and useful and especially at a time when the market still has room for innovative entry.”

Your products and services?

upKenya is a digital platform that offers its users solutions to their entertainment and recreational needs. upKenya further pinpoints in relation to a user’s proximity, the options to shop, eat, drink or simply indulge in nature.

upKenya is also of great use to businesses and companies in entertainment, retail and hospitality. Such businesses will find that the increased visibility that upKenya offers will translate directly to an increase in demand for the products and services that they have to offer.

What are the factors that set upKenya apart and differentiate you from others?

The premise upon which upKenya is created and set to operate relies on the well-formed features on the site, making it easy for users to find the information they are seeking, thus easing their navigation on the site and off the site.

upKenya is a front-runner in being the first of its kind to utilize the internet in connecting users to places of interest around them, that might have always existed but that would remain unknown to the society around them. In this way, upKenya also serves a great promoter of businesses.

upKenya is also run by a very professional team of experts in the marketing and IT industry both in Estonia and Tallinn.

Your success factors

upKenya’s success is driven from a place of Strategic focus; in its leadership, management and planning. upKenya also places great value on people, through the constant development of its personnel and staff. upKenya has created an environment that encourages growth through learning. great emphasis has been placed on ensuring that processes run smoothly and work is not hampered. upKenya has a strong, dedicated and talented marketing team with key focus areas on customer relations, sales and responsiveness. The success of upKenya is set upon financial stability, assets, facilities and equipment.

Your business model?

In its first year of operation, upKenya, in a bid to attract clientele, will offer free subscription packages to all Kenyan businesses looking to register and affiliate with the platform. This is a strategy that seeks to draw in new business and retain it. Thereafter, businesses will be required to maintain their registration through the payment of a subscription fee. Advertising has also been identified as a revenue stream due to the large amounts of traffic to the upKenya website as well as the social media sites.

What do the kenyans have to say about upKenya?

Jeffrey Moses, upKenya’s Head of public relations in Kenya was eager for the launch of upKenya onto the market, his sentiments were reflective of this instance as he said ‘the feedback so far has been one of excitement, people cannot wait to get onto the upKenya platform to start experiencing this revolutionized new way of planning for their entertainment needs’.

Your website?

www.upkenya.com