ImpactAlpha, June 20 – Kenya’s unreliable postal service is hampering retailers and consumers among the country’s 20 million internet users. Kenyan startup Taz Technologies aims to fill delivery gaps for the majority of Kenyans without a postal box with its mobile delivery system.
Taz partners with national postal carriers to allow individuals to link their phone numbers to a local or regional postal carrier through its app, called MPost. Customers then receive notifications on their phone when they have a delivery and can pick up the letter or package from the post office, or pay a fee to have it delivered to them. MPost uses blockchain to ensure its service’s security and traceability.
MPost has been “ratified” by the Universal Postal Union, the U.N. agency that coordinates global postal systems and policies. Cape Town-based early stage African venture investor HAVAIC backed Taz in a pre-Series A funding round.
