A new super app startup, Kose just launched. While it’s positioning itself as a super app, it’s clearest thing right now, and one they are aggressively, is the ride hailing and delivery platform, aspect. The startup has already launched a major marketing campaign across Harare with confirmed billboards live in a couple of locations around Harare. The campaign is also being supported by radio and digital advertising. It is a bold move for a company so young.
In a lengthy post on X, the founder Tirivashe Mundondo lamented how the early days were marked by technical challenges, long working hours and a steep learning curve. The app now reflects the product the team originally set out to build.
Kose initially launched as a ride-hailing platform that allowed users to request rides, view fares upfront and negotiate directly with drivers. While this pricing model is already familiar in Zimbabwe through services such as inDrive it remains a key feature of Kose’s offering. All trips are GPS tracked and customers can pay in cash.
So what’s really different about Kose? Since launch, the platform has expanded in just 3 months to include Parcel deliveries, School transport, Food delivery, Grocery delivery, Pharmacy delivery, Booking skilled workers and tradespeople. It’s a very significant expansion in such a short time.
We’re yet to take Kose through the paces, and once we do, will do some posts. We’re really keen to check out the other non-delivery hailing aspects. Most of these are standalone startups by themselves and have been hard to crack locally.
While the billboards are highly visible, Kose says its payment model is what truly differentiates the platform. Unlike most ride-hailing services that charge a commission on each trip, Kose
operates on a fixed weekly subscription model. Drivers retain 100% of their earnings and are able to view trip payments before accepting requests, giving them greater control over when and how they work.
To encourage adoption, the company is offering new drivers a 30-day free trial this month. If the model proves sustainable at scale, it could provide drivers with a meaningful alternative to traditional commission based systems. Remains to be seen if subscription revenue alone be sufficient to sustain and grow the business?
Kose has entered an already competitive market, inDrive has operated its “name your price” model in most major cities and towns around Zimbabwe. Bolt has also been relatively aggressive. And there’s also TapnGo which is strangely not so visible now. Econet’s Vaya also operated aggressively in this market for years.
Kose is positioning is subscription payment model for drivers and several verticals ecosystem (being a super app) as key differentiators. Unlike the the competition who just target drivers and riders, Kose is also targeting small business including restaurants, retailers, pharmacies and service providers who can join via the Kose Merchant app.
The founder acknowledges that Kose cannot compete on advertising spend with larger incumbents, instead, the company is relying on word of mouth and local adoption, even as it runs one of the most visible billboard campaigns by a Zimbabwean startup we’ve seen.
For now, Harare is their starting point. They plan to expand to other cities before eventually entering regional markets (the Africa in their name). Whether its subscription model can support that growth remains the key question going forward. Download their app on the Google and Apple app stores, hail a ride and give us your honest review on the experience.
The post Local Startup Kose Launches Super App To Compete Against InDrive appeared first on Techzim.
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