Denis Opudo
Luanda, Angola is one of the capital cities that have the worst traffic in Africa. Many people have taken advantage of the situation. They have come up with ways to help people overcome the problem while they generate money through it. For instance, the Tupuca startup that works on food delivery throughout Luanda. Tupuca was founded in 2015 by Sydney Teixeira, Wilson Ganga, and Erickson Mvezi. It offers food delivery services in Luanda, Angola.
Since the launch, the startup has managed to secure a total of $200,000 of funding from investors. The investment came from Pramod Asija restaurant and Rohit Daswani a businessman from the US who stays in Nigeria. Furthermore, its deliveries through the app from hotels and restaurants in Luanda have increased in the recent few months. According to Ganga, orders made through the startups have increased from 400 per month in January 2017 to 8000 per month in January 2018. Ganga serves Tuouca’s marketing director while Mwezi is the CEO of the company. The two were addressing the audience at the Seedstars Summit that took place in Lausanne Swaziland.
Currently, a total of 79 restaurants in the city are using the app. Furthermore, 120 customers have signed in though they have not yet started to use the app. Reason for that is maybe because they are located away from Luanda or the firm still needs to check on the quality of focus they serve. According to Mwezi, the firm aims at giving its customers quality services.
To be employed with the firm one has to come with their own motorbikes. The role of the startup is to supply smartphones and backpacks and insure the firm’s drivers who are more than 60 at now. Ganga used to operate food Delivery Company with his Indian university roommates. This was at a time when he was studying business administration at the university. The startup is still active but he is not part of it now.
Mwezi was a student at Hult International Business School in San Francisco in 2015 before they founded Tupaca. The founders initially wanted to offer services in clothing delivery. They later on realized that boutique stores did not have interest in that service. It was not easy at the start since it took the startup 6 months to get the first client. By now the startup’s app has recorded almost 30,000 download. Furthermore, the firm is looking forward to adding pharmacy and grocery on its delivery items. The startup has also been contacted by entrepreneurs and investors from different neighboring countries like Mozambique and Congo who have interest in putting up a similar service in those countries.
