Less than 20 per cent of Africa’s youth are engaged in formal employment, primarily due to limited job opportunities, while the MSMEs that form the backbone of Africa’s economy, significantly contributing to GDP and job creation, face their own serious challenges.
This is the “dual crisis” – youth unemployment and MSME barriers – that Kenyan startup Twiva says it is tackling with its influencer-powered social commerce platform, which enables MSMEs to market and sell their products and services through online gig workers.
It empowers young people to create digital storefronts, market products, and earn income – all without requiring upfront capital. So how does it work?
“A young person signs up as an influencer on Twiva. Using the AI-powered platform, Twiva matches influencers with MSMEs’ products and services that align with their audience. Twiva’s tools enable influencers to create engaging, shoppable content showcasing these products, which they post across their social media platforms,” Peter Kironji, the startup’s CEO, told Disrupt Africa.
“If a product is matched with 1,000 influencers, each with four social media accounts, it gets showcased on 4,000 online storefronts, complete with purchase links and compelling content – all at zero upfront cost.”
Kironji launched Twiva in 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially a traditional influencer marketing platform connecting brands with influencers to drive brand awareness, it quickly pivoted to a social commerce model after recognising that MSMEs prioritise sales conversions due to their limited resources.
“Now, influencers not only market but also sell products and services on behalf of businesses,” Kironji said.
“While other influencer marketing startups focus on brand awareness, Twiva goes further, facilitating direct transactions between businesses and customers.”
The startup operates on a performance-based pricing model, enabling MSMEs to benefit first and pay later, making the solution sustainable for small businesses. And unlike other platforms where value accrues primarily to the top five per cent of influencers, Twiva enables influencers to start earning immediately after joining.
Funded by four institutional VCs and impact investors such as the Mastercard Foundation, FCDO, Kenya Catalytic Jobs Fund (KCJF), World Bank, and the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE), Twiva has over 3,100 MSMEs, 14,000 active influencers, and 100,000 products on its platform.
Kironji said it has active expansion plans based on this success in its home market.
“After achieving 100 per cent year-over-year growth for four years, we forecast a tenfold increase in revenue and plan to expand into five African markets over the next three years. The expansion will use a franchise model, collaborating with local partners like traditional media houses, corporations, and marketing agencies to localise and operate the solution,” he said.
