Purchasing software is often financially burdensome for businesses just starting out, and most Small and Medium Enterprises in Ethiopia. One homegrown tech company is looking to reduce the high upfront costs for software tools with a subscription-based software on a “rent-to-use” model. Yonet Systems, a three-year-old startup founded by two friends, seeks to provide software for as little as 5,000 birr a month.
“We wanted to make software accessible,” says Natnael Assegid, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of the startup. “A lot of businesses want digital tools but can’t justify the high investment costs. We’re trying to solve that”.
Together with co-founder Yonathan G/Eyesus, the two Addis Ababa University graduates built Yonet on the principle of affordability. The product offerings came after surveying over 1,200 businesses. The research revealed a high demand for inventory management, customer relationship tools, and e-commerce platforms, services that many small firms couldn’t afford in a traditional format.
“After two months of brainstorming, we developed a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model,” Natnael told Shega.
Yonet’s SaaS platform aims to provide customizable apps in multiple tiers, ranging from entry-level tools for small shops to enterprise-grade AI-enhanced solutions for large organizations. These include inventory trackers, HR tools, and CRM systems. Depending on a client’s scale, Yonet looks to offer cloud-hosted apps, 24/7 support, workflow automation, and even AI-driven insights for enterprise clients.
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