CNN’s Marketplace Report recently featured African IT company Tourism Radio, giving it the much coveted media coverage valued by start-ups.
Coverage by international media helps indicate that up-and-coming companies are ready for global recognition. The company is the creator of the audio travel guides app, Hummba.
In the interview, CNN’s Robin Curnow spoke to Mark Allewell, the CEO and Founder of Tourism Radio, on the challenges he faced as an entrepreneur in South Africa.
“We were very fortunate in that an international investor saw the potential of Tourism Radio when we were featured on the Discovery Channel in 2006. They immediately decided to buy in, allowing us to expand our operations to New Zealand, Namibia and Spain,” Allewell said.
The company values such coverage from the international media but says it doesn’t come easy. Allewell commented on how new start-ups today would like a “quick fix” and become big players in a short while.
One of the biggest hurdles companies in South Africa face is the lack of right skills in the IT industry, he says. “A lot of big companies are coming in to Cape Town now and taking up those resources,” he commented.
Many companies in the African tech industry have made it big thanks to good coverage. Just recently, Saya, a mobile chat app from Ghana had the invaluable opportunity to present at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference.
The online entertainment company Iroko Partners have had numerous mentions on big
media outlets such as Pando Daily and TechCrunch.
Allewell says the attention they have received from CNN is the latest international interest the company has received.
“Over the course of the last year, we’ve forged solid partnerships with some of the world’s top brand names, including North American travel guide giant Frommer’s and French automotive leader Renault,” he said.
