Meta slides into Africa's DMs

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For the past few years, Meta has quietly made big AI bets.

It’s building its own AI chip and trained its own AI model.

Its latest is Meta AI - an AI assistant for WhatsApp.

And last week, it was rolled out in Africa.

New tech often hits Africa last, so why was Meta AI rolled out here so early?

The Story

AI is the latest object of big tech’s affection, and Meta is no exception.

Last week, the Meta AI assistant was launched in Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi.

And it can:

• Answer questions on any topic.

• Help with creating and brainstorming content.

• Generate high-quality images and edit them on the fly.

Now millions of African WhatsApp users have AI in their pockets.

But what’s in it for Meta - and why Africa?

The Context

AI is an arms race between the world’s biggest companies.

Everyone is building their own AI and using it to supercharge their products.

• Microsoft built Copilot for Office 365

• Google built Gemini into Google Workspace

• X built Grok

And now, Meta has joined the party with Meta AI.

But Meta is throwing a bigger party than everyone else.

It’s building for everything - VR headsets, Meta Glasses, open-source developers and now… WhatsApp.

Releasing Meta AI to Africa so early might seem unusual.

But it’s a baller move - because WhatsApp is king in Africa:

• It has its highest penetration in the world here - at 96%.

• It’s easy to use and consumes little data.

• It’s the most popular messaging app on the continent with over 200 million users.

So, what happens when you airdrop AI tech to millions of people through a messaging app they use every day?

Massive adoption.

Meta has a huge distribution advantage in Africa through WhatsApp.

And in one move, it’s capitalizing on that.

This gives Meta a leg up in the AI race.

But it’s also a lesson for companies building in Africa.

The Tech Safari Take

African startups should take a page out of Meta’s playbook.

WhatsApp is a great distribution channel with 200 million African users on it.

Startups can build products faster and launch them to these people - on little cash.

And some companies have already found huge success building on WhatsApp.

Foondamate, an AI-powered study partner for African students, was built on WhatsApp.

In two years, it crossed a million users with no marketing and is now used globally.

Fivvo Pay lets businesses get paid by customers through WhatsApp.

A few months after launching, it had processed R700,000 ($40,000) in payments.

Zuri Health started with a WhatsApp chatbot that answers health questions and connects people to doctors in Kenya.

It grew to thousands of users in a year before building its own app.

Leo is a chatbot from one of Nigeria’s biggest banks, UBA Group.

It lets users open bank accounts, transfer money, and buy airtime - all through WhatsApp.

Today, it has over 12 million users across 20+ African countries.

These products are all proof of the strong distribution WhatsApp offers.

And in a market like Africa where speed and simplicity can put you in the lead, building on WhatsApp is a real edge.

What do you think of WhatsApp as a distribution channel for African startups?

Let us know here.

What we’re reading

💡 Would you like to learn more about other startups that are building on WhatsApp globally? Read this piece by Timothy Motte.

🤯 Ever wondered what wild things founders do to get their startups off the ground? Here are 15 stories from some of the world’s biggest startups.

💰 Are you curious about how African startups go from raising funds to selling their companies? Read the Art of an African Exit.

Tweet of the week

As written by some really smart people.

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