What technology startups need before scouting for partners

Product user experience, local relevance, business model and support are the key differentiating factors judges and equity investors look for during pitches from mobile application developers.

Developers can use the above differentiating factors to increase their attractiveness and stand out in a crowded and competitive industry, said experts who will be participating in this year’s Demo Africa event.

Other factors that the developers should consider include uniqueness of the application and platform integration.

Demo Africa is a launch pad for emerging technologies which offers a platform for a hand-selected class of new products to be introduced to global investors, corporates and strategic partners.

Among the companies that will participate in this year’s event to be held next week in Nairobi are Nokia, Microsoft and Everlytic —an African e-mail and mobile communications software firm.

Moses Sitati, the head of Developer Outreach at Nokia East Africa, said mobile app developers across Africa need to ensure that their products can be used across various platforms and by many manufacturers . He added that Nokia’s AppCampus is specially designed to fast-track launch of apps in the market.

“Support extended to African developers by this team aims at making them do well, for example, by downloads, where the main monetisation model is through advertising,” said Mr Sitati.

Microsoft will give the finalists access to the BizSpark programme for start-ups which provides software, support and visibility to start-ups at no cost.

The programme membership currently stands at more than 50,000 entrepreneurs globally.

Everlytic will provide the start-ups with an opportunity to market their products on a global scale.

“By fostering an environment of technological innovation, Demo Africa is well on its way to creating an enabling environment for job creation. Africa’s answer to the question of economic development lies in innovation,” said Everlytic marketing manager, Philani Mdingi.

The experts noted that often, mobile operating systems offer different features and capabilities; however developers who deeply integrate some of these key features into their apps through APIs offered by their targeted partner, maximise strengths of the operating system and stand out compared to those who don’t.