KenyaBuzz is the leading provider of event and lifestyle information in Kenya. It has a website, newspaper and e-newsletters, and provide the most comprehensive and accurate information about what’s happening around the country in sports, nightlife, music, theatre, movies, the arts, kids events and more. It also provide business listings, movie reviews and updates, buy and sell information and a wide range of lifestyle information.
TechMoran caught up with Alix Grubel, the founder and she takes us through her journey.
Grubel had been in Nairobi for ten years at that point and was tired of reading about all the great events that happened the previous weekend in the Monday newspaper. So, she decided to launch a website that would compile all that information so people could find out about events before they happened. She was later joined by Marta Gloserova who is still a partner though has since moved back to Europe. The former public health specialist working for USAID says the beginning was humble but the future is great.
When was it launched and where?
2007 on my dining room table in Nairobi (yes, we struggled along for a couple of years before the fiber optic cables)
What problem do you solve?
Knowing what events are happening, what movies are playing, what restaurants to go to and so much more.
This was a personal decision based on my frustration described above. But also, I wanted to promote the arts in Kenya. So I made listing events free so that every artist, photographer, musician or anyone else, big or small, could afford to advertise their events to a large audience and I think KenyaBuzz has succeeded in helping to develop a vibrant arts scene in Kenya. Also, we launched a movies newsletter early 2012 and it’s amazing to see the movie industry growing and attracting interest and we are really proud to support that.
How does it work?
Take us through your features/categories
what’s on: event listings by date and category- http://www.kenyabuzz.com/
movies: Movie listings, including trailers, for all movies playing in all theatres in Kenya – http://www.kenyabuzz.com/
Lifestlye: interesting lifestyle articles including
Music/ nightlife reviews – http://www.kenyabuzz.com/
Movie reviews and star reviews of Kenyan actors http://www.kenyabuzz.com/
Coast news http://www.kenyabuzz.com/
Environmental issues http://www.kenyabuzz.com/
Upcountry news http://www.kenyabuzz.com/
Gardening http://www.kenyabuzz.com/
Pets http://www.kenyabuzz.com/
Fashion http://www.kenyabuzz.com/
Food http://www.kenyabuzz.com/
Business directory: http://www.kenyabuzz.com/biz-
Buy&sell: http://www.kenyabuzz.com/buy-
Galleries: Great pictures of recent events http://www.kenyabuzz.com/
Newsletters: archives of our e-newsletters http://archive.
Website has 63,000 visits per month and is the now the 14th biggest Kenyan website.
All free listings. Paid advertising.
Any competition in Kenya?
Yes, but there is enough audience for all and nobody is very similar.
Any funding yet?
A Tandaa grant from the ICT board to develop our app (received in 2010).
Challenges?
SO MANY! Never enough money. Never had any money for marketing. All the problems associated with running a website before the fiber optic cables and when telecoms were super expensive. Using Joomla, being hacked. Being on the wrong servers- slow, expensive, bad security and bad service. Trouble getting good developers. Then getting good work out of them in good time.
Could literally talk your ear off here. Name a problem and we have had it!!!
Any upcoming developments, like this month, next month or in a few months?
Yes, we have an app out and more exciting versions of the app to be delivered by Sept 2013.
FYI, we have a website, two e-newsletters (events and movies), a monthly newspaper, and now our app.
Sample events newsletter- http://archive.
Sample movies newsletter- http://archive.
