Although errand firms have existed in Kenya for a while now, startup Dash2Do is vowing to change the way tasks are completed in the country with its online concierge service.
Dash2Do helps users get some of their errands done seamlessly, with services available on the platform including Errands, Drivers, Travel Agents, Mobile Tracking, Cash Delivery and Dry Cleaners.
“Dash2Do is a concierge service, so we have many services incorporated into our website and mobile app,” Sam Wanjohi, the founder, told HumanIPO.
If a user wants to book a driver, for example, he logs into his account to request one, or chooses one from a list. The driver then comes and picks him up and at the end of the transaction, the driver will log into his account and register what he is owed.
The service allows users to register on the platform and to load money, a minimum of US$20, for ordering various services on their accounts.
Wanjohi says they are also working on how users can store their credit information on the platform so that they can be charged on the go. With this lies a challenge, he says. Most Kenyans still do not trust transactions online let alone store credit cards on platforms.
The idea to start a concierge portal came when Wanjohi was running his other business, where he had over 160 employees.
“Managing some of these employees was a headache and trying to track their expenditure that they charge to the company could not be verified,” he said. “So two years ago, I started the service.”
He said it has taken time and money to come up with the service and he estimates the amount he has spent on the platform so far at KSh10 million (US$117,600).
During the presentation at DEMO-Africa, Eghosa Omoigui General Partner at EchoVC Partners, took note of Dash2Do but wondered why they were offering so many services at once. His view was that the company should concentrate on few products and scale from there.
Wanjohi had other ideas for their plans to offer several services in one portal. “In this market its quite difficult to limit yourself. You need to balance a little bit until you find your footing. If you can have one app that does so much for you with one payment, wouldn’t you prefer that?” he said.
Wanjohi said they are close to signing a deal with a telecom company in Kenya and would soon announce a partnership.
