My name is Maina Kagoe Mwangi, aged 27, and I am the co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of Phindor, a Kenyan-registered tech company based in Nairobi County. Established in 2020, Phindor provides a comprehensive business assistant designed to transform business operations. Our platform, Lisa, offers a suite of powerful features to optimize businesses, track financials, streamline tasks, and supercharge marketing efforts—all powered by cutting-edge AI technology.

In October and November 2023, I participated as a cohort in the NSE Ibuka Program organized by NSE in partnership with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance. This four-week program focused on fundraising through capital markets.

Through my participation, I learned and identified that Phindor lacked proper valuation, transaction records, and proper record-keeping. While my main goal was to secure an investor and list on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, the program sessions emphasized the importance of following due processes such as company registration, statutory compliance, and establishing a proper governance structure to meet the listing criteria. Consequently, I transitioned from Mpesa to bank transactions for better record-keeping and narrowed our business model to specifically target the cosmetic industry. In November, we onboarded 10 new prospects, achieved two successful conversions, and anticipate more onboarding in December.

My key takeaways from the program were the necessity of having all due processes in place and establishing a proper governance structure for the healthy growth of the company. Having graduated from the program after four weeks, I am currently in the process of fundraising for 25 million from a different pool of investors. I highly recommend more physical programs and technical assistance from mentors who have undergone the program for increased impact.

Website : phindor.com/