Airtel Nigeria has launched a matchmaking-style mobile portal for young people and professionals, MatchUp, partnering with the startup that was one of the Catapult-a-Startup initiative winners.
Disrupt Africa reported in February Airtel named the seven startups chosen as the winners of its Catapult-a-Startup initiative, aimed at helping mobile app developers scale their businesses through funding, mentoring, marketing and the chance to integrate apps onto the Airtel platform. Matchup was one of the winners.
Airtel has now unveiled the MatchUp mobile portal on the operator’s platform, saying the portal is a medium through which its customers can connect with each other for various reasons including friendship, dating and business relationships.
The platform also features chat rooms, allowing subscribers to discuss relationship-related issues.
“At some point, people want to relate with others who are in the same field or share common interests. It can be students in the same field or professionals who render similar services, better still, youths or singles who want to initiate friendships or relationships. MatchUp offers everyone the opportunity to connect and know one another,” said Maurice Newa, chief commercial officer (CCO) at Airtel Nigeria.
Matchup allows users to easily search through the profiles and photos of subscribers on the platform, to find people with similar interests. It also allows users to “wave” at each other and engage in private chats.
Airtel highlighted that the platform features flexible privacy options and data encryption to ensure customer security at all times.
The announcement comes hot on the heels of a similar launch last week, when Airtel partnered with another Catapult-a-Startup winner, Yuzah, for the roll-out of an app aimed at improving the delivery of diesel in Nigeria.
