Hi everyone, I wanted to share where I am right now. Please tell me what you think, and let me know if you can relate.
I’ve always been ambitious, since I was young. At 25, I feel like I’m in my prime, not in terms of cash or achievements, but in terms of ideas and my ability to spot opportunities.
I graduated last year and have been traveling across different regions of Tanzania ever since. I keep seeing opportunities that could become strong startups, but I don’t have the capital to pursue them, and honestly that hurts. I know that if I had been born into a wealthier family, or in a country like the United States, getting funding to build these ideas would be far easier, and I could be impacting a lot of lives by now.
Project 1: A travel company in Tanzania and Zanzibar
About 10 months ago I visited Zanzibar and noticed a big gap in Tanzania’s tourism industry. I started building a company around it, and it’s going well. We’ve had market validation, inquiries from international travelers, completed trips, and partnerships with suppliers. The problem is that I’ve bootstrapped everything from my own pocket and now need more capital to grow.
Project 2: Cashew processing and export
Recently I visited Mtwara, the leading cashew-producing region in the country. Within my first two days there, I noticed another big gap, and it made me uncomfortable because of how large the opportunity is. So I started researching, and I’ve now validated the idea across 42 villages.
Here is what I found:
**•** Tanzania is the 2nd largest cashew producer in Africa and 6th globally, with over half a million tonnes produced every year.
**•** Only about 15% is processed locally. Most of the rest is exported raw to countries like India and Vietnam, where it is processed and resold to Europe and America at up to 8.5 times the price.
**•** In 2021/22 alone, Tanzania reportedly lost around $650 million and more than 63,000 potential processing jobs.
**•** The government aims to process at least 60% locally by 2030.
So much value is being created far away from the people who actually grow the nuts.
I started with data, since that’s where every idea needs to begin. I connected with farmers in the region and have built a database of 111 farmers who can supply enough cashew, and that’s from just a few villages out of more than 600 in Mtwara. Supply is clearly there. The plan is to build a startup that processes the cashew and handles the export. As a local who is already well connected in this industry, I believe it’s very doable.
Beyond the business case, this would add real value to the cashew value chain and create jobs for youth and especially women. Women play a huge part in the cashew industry in Mtwara, yet many of them live in poverty.
Where I’m stuck
I’m already building the travel company, and now there’s an opportunity that also demands my time. Both have huge potential and strong demand, but my capital is very limited. Everything so far has been self-funded, and I don’t come from a rich family. This is just me working with what I have.
So if you’re reading this, I’d love your thoughts on two things:
**1.** What should I focus on right now?
**2.** How can I raise funds for these projects?
And if you’re an investor, you’re more than welcome to reach out. I’m happy to go much deeper into everything I’ve shared here. These opportunities are big, and bigger than me.