Kenyan startup WayaWaya, an artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning platform that enables borderless banking and payments across apps and social media platforms, has been acquired by another Kenyan company, Ajua, for an undisclosed sum.
WayaWaya, a recipient of funding from MEST Africa in 2019, is the company behind Janja, which helps companies automate sales and customer support on their social media platforms.
The company currently helps both individuals and businesses with intelligent messaging, across a number of social platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Telegram, and allows its users to automate customer support and take cross-border payments.
It has now been acquired by another Kenyan company, Ajua, a customer experience management solution for businesses in Africa founded in 2012. WayaWaya founder and lead Janja product builder Teddy Ogallo joins Ajua as VP of product APIs and integrations.
The acquisition of WayaWaya allows Ajua to integrate Janja to automate much of the customer experience journey, closing the customer experience loop as the smart AI and ML built by WayaWaya gives SMEs the ability to automate responses and give customers what they want, when they want it.
“The acquisition of WayaWaya is an important milestone for us, as we make a significant leap in ensuring the customer experience journey for businesses across the continent is seamless. Integrating WayaWaya’s technology significantly complements our product suite and gives us the ability to automate our clients’ businesses and grow their revenues, which is an extremely powerful proposition for our customers of all sizes, across Africa. From our experience in this area, we understand the CX fundamentals that drive growth for our customers and we want to bring this intelligence to SMEs across the continent,” said Ajua founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Kenfield Griffith.
“The additional reach this acquisition brings allows Ajua to scale significantly within the SME vertical, as we provide our customers today, and in the future, the tools they need to grow in Africa and beyond. We continue to be bullish on the point that customer experience and customer engagement are the engine for growth for businesses across the continent and they are disciplines that are critical factors in driving productivity and revenue growth.”
Ogallo said Ajua’s focus on introducing and scaling customer service and customer experience for the continent – and essentially how they help businesses deliver excellence for their customers – is something he had long admired.
“Seeing how WayaWaya’s technology can complement Ajua’s innovative products and services, and help scale and monetise businesses, is an exciting opportunity for us, and we are happy that our teams will be collaborating to build something unique for the continent,” he said.
