Chura, a DEMO Africa Top 40 Startup

Introduction
Our start-up is called Chura which is Swahili name for frog. Chura for us signifies transition in leaping from one mobile network to another.

Product
Chura aims to ease the difficulties users experience in accessing services across different mobile service providers using 4 services namely:-

1. Switch Airtime-Transfer airtime across networks.
2. Buy Airtime-Buy Airtime from any network using any mobile money service.
3. Airtime for Cash-Convert your airtime to mobile money.
4. Bulk Airtime-Send airtime to multiple phone numbers at the click of a button.

Value
The idea was developed when we realised most Kenyan mobile subscribers have use different networks for different purposes.
An example is a subscriber that has one line for calls,another for texts and another for the internet.We thought it would be convenient to be able to serve all these lines from a single point in a fast and convenient way.

With Chura a user benefits from the speed and convenience in doing the following;

• You can share your airtime to a person on another network.
• You can convert your airtime to cash instantly.
• You can buy airtime from any network using your preferred mobile money service.
• You can send airtime to multiple phone numbers regardless of network at the click of a button.
• In short a user has access to the services of every network operator regardless of their home network and we do this with our 4 services

Successes
The product has been launched to enthusiastic reception by the market.In a span of 6 months, Chura has managed to acquire over 700 users with over 50% being repeat customers. We have also enhanced access to the product by releasing an SMS system hence making Chura available to all mobile users.

We plan on rolling out our USSD platform to facilitate easy and free access to our services and also introduce a mobile app for the smart phone market for a better experience for our users.

Team
Chura was started by a group of friends. There are 5 co-founders behind Chura.
Here are the roles of each co-founder.

• Samuel Njuguna - Business Strategist (bg. Computer Science)
• Byron Sitawa – Technical Engineer (bg. Industrial Chemistry)
• Stephanie Gaku – Fund Development and Management (bg. Computer Science)
• Njogu Kinyanjui – Graphics and Design (bg. Architecture)
• Jack Kinga – Developer (bg. Computer Science)

All co-founders are alumni of the University of Nairobi.

Development Stack
Currently we have employed several platforms to ensure maximum utility and access to our services. They include SMS and the web platform that use GSM modules to automate the processes involved in serving user requests. We are also planning to roll out our USSD platform to facilitate easy and free access to our services. We will also introduce a mobile app for the smart phone market for a better experience for our users.

Contact/Social Media/Job Openings
Website: www.chura.co.ke
Email: info@chura.co.ke
Mobile Phone: +254-0704-981-897
Twitter: @chura_co_ke
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chura.co.ke

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