Live data from Hacker News

Building a Software Company in Rwanda, 3 Years Later

blog.textit.in

1–10 of 81 posts

Re: Building a Software Company in Rwanda, 3 Years Later

#4

What is the biggest challenge your have found starting a software company in Rwanda, and how did you resolve it?

Rwanda is a small market, so while we tried to build a few products for the local market it just wasn't big enough to make the numbers work out. In the end we decided to build a product that had a global reach and in that respect I think there is much more promise.

From a purely administrative point of view it has been very easy and predictable, well, no harder really than the states that is.

Re: Building a Software Company in Rwanda, 3 Years Later

#6
post #5

OP here, happy to answer any questions peeps have on Nyaruka and our little journey.

Do you have to worry about Hutu/Tutsi issues still?

No, not at all. Rwanda is probably safer than any place in the states.. you can walk around anywhere in the city in the middle of the night (and I do) and there are no concerns. There is still unrest in DRC but that is very much localized.

Re: Building a Software Company in Rwanda, 3 Years Later

#9
post #5

OP here, happy to answer any questions peeps have on Nyaruka and our little journey.

Do you have to worry about Hutu/Tutsi issues still?

Nope/Not as much. That was a mid 1990's issue. Rwanada under paul kagame has made some really good strides in development. Raising coffee and tea prices have helped the local economy to a great extent. I agree problems still exist but they are not show stoppers.

Re: Building a Software Company in Rwanda, 3 Years Later

#10
I find it sad that a company based in Rwanda, primarily targeting East Africa, decided to use infrastructure owned by an American company and operating in the US. Did you look for an infrastructure provider that's more local? Maybe one of the European hosting providers, if there isn't a good one in Africa?

(Note: I happen to be American. But that doesn't mean I automatically think that the whole world should use our products and services.)

Post reply on HN