Some have dubbed it Africa’s BnB, this is because the Ugandan startup Pieme, a social platform is bringing innovation in an area never before thought of by anyone. They have launched a platform that enables locals to turn their homes into part-time restaurants, guest houses, or event venues.
Founded in 2018 when Joshua Muhindo and John Kainja visited Kenya from Uganda, and wanted to experience authentic homemade meals and meet locals over a plate of ugali, sukuma, and nyama choma. They realised the need for an app that would connect people over authentic homemade meals.
The Pieme platform enables guests to experience authentic local food and affordable accommodation from locals, and has already expanded to Nigeria and Kenya.
“The gap Pieme experienced is the high cost of food and accommodation in urban restaurants and hotels,” Muhindo said.
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The startup has over 10,000 people in public testing and over 2,000 locals ready to host. It has also partnered with local electric bike companies for last-mile delivery.
“Update has been amazing with over 10,000 people in public testing and targeting 20,000 bookings within this quarter,” said Muhindo.
Pieme is now raising a seed round, and plans to expand into Egypt and Ethiopia within the next year.
“We are also keen on the United Arab Emirates due to its number of tourists, with the social function of the app where people can meet the locals and communities over a meal,” said Muhindo.
The startup monetises via 10 per cent commissions charged on meal and accommodation bookings through its app.
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“So far we have been building communities and verifying hosts for both accommodation and meals, and have started taking orders with the integration of our platform with local payment platforms like M-Pesa. Since we are also SDG-driven, all the meals will be delivered with electric bikes,” Muhindo said.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry