Node Africa Staff, Partners and Customers at the Launch
Cloud infrastructure provider Node Africa has launched in Nairobi, with former Angani CEO Phares Kariuki at the helm.
Impressively, the company took six weeks from inception to launch, partnering with VMware to sell the vCloud service, and Microsoft to sell the Office 365 and Azure cloud.
The cloud computing market is dominated by Amazon Web Services, but Node Africa believes it can carve a niche for itself using the VMware platform.
Node Africa’s target market is small businesses looking to get online, and agile operators with limited budgets for IT operations. This is reflected in their operations, with the company starting out team of six.
#NodeAfrica staff of 6 and partners officially launches! pic.twitter.com/5cmAcYqShW
— Dennis Kioko – Weak link millenial (@denniskioko) January 28, 2016
“As it is now, we may not turn a profit, but we are looking to challenge the bigger operators and attract business so that we can grow and become a challenger in the cloud computing business”, Phares said at the launch.
Node Africa’s launch partner VMware is a leading player in the cloud environment, with Dave Funnel,Business Unit Manager at VMware adding that Node will be a key player in the deployment of vCloud, a private cloud computing solution.
David Bunei, Country General manager for Cisco East Africa, added that the growth of cloud computing in Kenya is part of a global trend where companies are moving away from hosting their own services and infrastructure, with more and more players going online and opting for virtualization instead.
Node Africa already has several clients on its roster, with Strathmore University, WhatsUPAfrica, Tarpo Tents and PesaPal on their books.
Agosta Liko of PesaPal is optimistic that Node Africa can help them scale operations and provide them with reliable hosting and backup services. “PesaPal is a payments platform, and so it needs constant uptime. We’re trusting Node Africa to always be there when we need them, and the fact that it’s Kenyan is a bonus, as we are always looking for local services and solutions to help us do business.”
“IT is not a core business for many companies in Kenya because of the cost. Having a local cloud service provider that understands Kenya’s and Africa’s model of business gives us an advantage”, Kariuki added.
Your #startup journey makes you an inspiration to many. We're proud of you @NodeAfrica — Never give up! #NodeAfrica
— Microsoft EastAfrica (@Microsoftea) January 28, 2016
Node Africa’s launch brings with it the prospect of employment for more Kenyans in tech.
https://twitter.com/Kinyua_Kariithi/status/692606915348713472
Sam Mbugua, the Business Development Lead at Node Africa, believes that the market is ready for disruption, as evidenced by the success of other players in the digital ecosystem.
Why @NodeAfrica?
Because the world has already changed. pic.twitter.com/Jk6a8vDhzl— #RutoMustGo (@Buggz79) January 28, 2016
The Node Africa launch comes after a turbulent time for Phares and former Angani CTO Brian Muita, and the launch was welcomed by Kenyans on Twitter as a triumph for the duo.
https://twitter.com/kenyanpundit/status/692590472280293376
I am so proud of @kaboro and @69mb. Pressed on every side, but not destroyed. The vultures can't destroy your brilliance.
— ndinda kioko (@ndinda_) January 28, 2016
Congrats to @69mb and @kaboro on the launch of #NodeAfrica! pic.twitter.com/HVCEbDZUal
— Angela Oduor Lungati (@AngieNicoleOD) January 28, 2016
Yessir! Kudos to @69mb and @kaboro on their launch pic.twitter.com/ZbUu8Cu5ND
— Ivar The Boneless (@roomthinker) January 28, 2016
As for business, Node Africa already has some lining up for their service.
OK @NodeAfrica, shut up and take my money! #NodeAfricaLaunch
— Larry Madowo (@LarryMadowo) January 28, 2016
Whatever the challenge, Node Africa is ready to take Kenyan businesses to the next level.
https://twitter.com/NodeAfrica/status/692597773120753664
Photo via Node Africa
