On January 17th, 2019, we kicked off the inaugural event for Kaleidoscope Africa, at Nailab in Nairobi with a catchy topic: Launch to Scale: How Successful Startups Scale into Global Enterprises. Only two day after…
Al Ain – a Green Haven in the Desert
Al Ain is an oasis city, quite off the beaten track in the Emirates. The Al Ain Oasis and Jebel Hafeet are among the best-known landmarks
El Acebuchal
El Acebuchal, a hidden little village in a narrow valley, with a unqiue Andalucian fusion restaurant as its main attraction
HotelOnline / Teranga merger in the press
https://techmoran.com/hotelonline-acquires-senegalese-teranga-solutions-to-bolster-its-hotel-booking-business-in-africa/ The Lesson from Teranga and HotelOnline Merger https://kenyannews.co.ke/technology/hotelonline-acquires-senegalese-teranga-solutions-to-bolster-its-hotel-booking-business-in-africa/
Cedars – A Legend in Kilimani
Cedars is one of very few restaurants in Nairobi that has managed to stay relevant for decades. Back in the Moi era, this Lebanese restaurant was a hangout place for regime bigwigs. It mainly catered…
Kilimani – From a leafy suburb, to a concrete jungle
When I first moved to Kenya, in 2002, Kilimani was was an idyllic, leafy suburb, dotted with tall, green trees. The area mainly consisted of colonial-era bungalows with lush spacious 1-acre gardens. The neighborhood is…
HotelOnline Crowdfunding Video
In October 2017, HotelOnline raised USD 250,000 in an equity crowdfunding. The campaign was a success, making us the first Africa startup to use this funding method. Among the campaign material was this campaign video,…
[Techweez] Founder Håvar Bauck on building HotelOnline to become a booking stalwart
Founder Havar Bauck, on Building HotelOnline to Become a Hotel Booking Stalwart
Nairobi – The post-election silence
Friday August 11th. Kenya voted on Tuesday. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is expected to announce the winner of the Presidential tally anytime soon, but keeps postponing the moment everyone is waiting for….
2017 – Election fever as Kenya votes
Throughout most of 2017, Kenya has been in an election fever mode. Being here while it happens, is a peculiar experience, as all activity grinds to a standstill, while all eyes are on the campaigning….
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) – future hub for Africa?
JKIA in an advantageous position When Kenya (or the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, to be precise) finally gained the coveted Category One status in February, it was a game-changer. With Kenya Airways recently obtaining air…
Lunatic Express – New life as a tourist attraction?
Kenya is doubtlessly the only country in history to have been built around a railway line. When construction on the “Lunatic Express” (its official name being the Uganda Railway) began in 1896, the project was…
Uber, and the taxi app revolution in Kenya
It all started with Uber.. When Uber launched in Nairobi, in January 2015, few imagined the impact they would have on how people move around. Taking a taxi in Nairobi used to be a dreadful…
AfroChic Diani – a hidden gem!
Diani, in South Coast offers a far less congested option compared to the crowded beaches in Nyali, north of Mombasa. While Diani has a couple of mass tourism “machines”, there is also a number of small,…
Diani – Tourism in Kenya Coming of Age
Diani is in the South Coast of Kenya. This generally means anything south of Mombasa. Here, you will find a less crowded alternative to the tourism machinery of the North Coast. Getting to the South…
Ali Barbour’s Cave Restaurant
It had been 10 years since our last visit to Ali Barbour’s Cave Restaurant. Back then, in 2007, the place was a hidden, romantic, and generally unknown gem. Even most visitors in Diani hadn’t heard about…
Balancing Act Africa about the Savanna Sunrise – HotelOga merger
SmartMonkeyTV, sister publication of the Balancing Act Africa newsletter has a new article about the Series A and the Savanna Sunrise – HotelOga merger today
Finansavisen front page!
Finansavisen is the number 2 business daily in Norway. Being on the front page there, obviously means you have done something remarkable. “Ledende på hotellbooking i Afrika” means Market leaders on hotel bookings in Africa. The…
[Pulse Live] HotelOga and Savanna Sunrise merge together to take on the world
https://www.pulselive.co.ke/bi/strategy/merger-and-acquisitions-exclusive-hoteloga-and-savana-sunrise-merge-together-to-take/pffc6x8
The rise and rise of Kenya’s infrastructure
Kenya – Africa’s infrastructure powerhouse Kenya’s ongoing infrastructure boom started with former President Mwai Kibaki. Grand projects like Thika Road, and the Northern, Eastern and Southern Bypasses in Nairobi, ushered in a national sense of yes-we-can. This has…
Police corruption in Africa
Police corruption exists in all countries. In some places, the vice is more prevalent than elsewhere, though. While all African countries have their fare share of dirty cops, the phenomenon manifests itself in quite different…
Kitagata Hot Springs
Located about an hour’s drive from Mbarara in Western Uganda, the Kitagata Hot Springs are an important local attraction of the region. I say “local”, because you won’t find a lot of foreign tourists there….
Obama in Kenya – State visit or second coming of Christ?
Kenya ecstatic about the great “homecoming” When I first moved to Kenya in 2002, the then Illinois State Senator Barack Obama was already a name in the news, before 90% of Americans had even heard about…
Kenya’s tourism: a shot in the arm.. and one in the foot!
As tourism gets a long needed reprieve, new e-visa rules snap defeat from the jaws of victory! On June 18th, the British government finally eased the travel advisory on most of the Coast region in…