Kenya - Startup under 3 years old

Describe your project or startup in a few words

Kletos Crafts seeks to leverage technology to link local artisans to global markets. Most of these artisans live in slum dwellings characterized by poverty and poor living conditions resulting from exploitation by middlemen. Kletos seeks to address this.

01.01 Describe your startup in more detail

Kletos Crafts is a startup in Kenya's arts and crafts industry. In the next five years, we aim to be the largest business using technology to market and sell Kenyan artisans' products in the global space. Our team of visionaries and professionals is dedicated to improving the lives of artisans. Kenyan art and crafts have global appeal, yet the artisans behind them often live in poverty due to exploitation by middlemen. We address this by linking artisans directly to international markets through social media and our website, eliminating middlemen. This approach increases artisans' income by 65%, enhancing their living standards and providing quality education for their children. Our team, with diverse professional backgrounds and humble beginnings, is committed to changing the narrative for artisans. This is the heart of Kletos and every present and future team member. We will change the life of one artisan, one family, one community and one slum - at a time!

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

Kletos Crafts aims to alleviate poverty and inequality among Kenyan artisans, especially those in Nairobi’s slums. Exploitation by middlemen has trapped these artisans in poverty, leading to poor living conditions. According to 2023 data from the Kenya Industrial Estate, over 3,500 artisans live in Kibera, Dandora, Kawangware, Mathare, and Mukuru Kwa Njenga, facing severe poverty, disease, and limited access to education. Our research shows only 2 out of 5 children from these families attend primary school, as many join their parents in crafting to earn an income. These artisans represent 2,200 families with over 3,800 children, 60% of whom lack basic education. Addressing this issue is crucial because artisans make up 32% of Kenya’s workforce, according to the Kenya Bureau of Statistics. Solving this problem will significantly impact social transformation for a third of the workforce and create a model for addressing broader societal issues.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your startup provides (at least 3).

1. Increased profit margins – The direct-to-consumer model we employ eliminates the need for middlemen ensuring artisans get to sell their products directly to international customers, allowing them to retain a larger share of their revenue from each sale. 2. Enhanced brand visibility – Our artisans get to showcase their unique stories and products to a wider global audience by using our platform. The increased visibility for their products helps attract more loyal customers, build the artisans’ brands and foster long- term success. 3. Broader access to local and international markets – We leverage the social media internet through our website to provide artisans with access to a global customer base. This increases the sales opportunities for the artisans and helps them build a more sustainable and diverse customer base.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your startup’s product/service is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

The target beneficiaries of our services are the 3,500 artisans residing in Nairobi’s 5 most populous slums. These artisans include jewelry makers, makers of ornamental objects, soap stone workers, brass workers, basket weavers, bead- workers and makers of other handicrafts. They are often uneducated with little knowledge on the dynamics of marketing or the international markets that’re hungry for their wares. According to the Kenya Bureau of Statistics, such artisans account for 32% of the total working force. This handicap is exploited by middle men in the form of wholesalers or international distributors who buy their products for the minimalist of margins only to sell them at over 300% profit. This leaves the artisans living in inhumane slum conditions, unable to cater for the growing needs of their families -which includes failing to give basic education to their children.

01.05 When was your company established?

2024-03-18

01.06 Are you already selling your product/service?

Yes

01.07 How many other owners are there within your startup?

2

01.08 Among the other owners, how many are female?

0

01.09 Please describe the profile of the other owners within your startup (skills, experience, etc.)

Mr. Kelvin Mulama is the chief financial officer as well as the tech lead of the project. He oversees the technical bit of our offerings- our website, social media handles and mobile apps. He is also the co-founder of Duka Tech Solutions Limited, a recent recipient of the best Fin-tech award and has successfully launched several social enterprises including Mama Pesa and Shop Okoa- a micro credit enterprise targeting SME’s. Mr. Cyril Siringo is a medical doctor by profession and oversees our youth and artisan engagement, social media engagement as well as our events docket. He is a professional medic and has worked in several medical taskforces. He is a vital liaison between the company and the county government. His professionalism and maturity are vital pillars to the future growth of the project.

01.10 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link(s) here:

https://www.tiktok.com/@kletos.crafts?_t=8n6e3GMJsqE&_r=1

01.11 Which industry best describes your project?

Other: Arts and Crafts industry

02.01.01 My startup contributes to the No poverty goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification for my startup

Kletos Crafts seeks to leverage technology in the marketing of artisans' products in the global markets. The elimination of exploitative middlemen grants the artisans that work with us access to 65% more profits per unit sale. These profits can sustainably be used to raise the living standards of the artisans and increase their disposable income.

02.02.01 My startup contributes to the Zero hunger goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification for my startup

The 65% higher profits that our artisans are privy to by marketing their wares with us, and the financial management workshops we deliver to our artisans ensure that financial management systems are in place in the artisans' lives that foster prosperity through practices such as proper budgeting for such expenses as food. The artisans we have worked with are also now able to provide for their families three meals a day eradicating the possibility of going hungry. Some of them have invested into agriculture back in their rural homes ensuring the year-long supply of food for their urban families is now a reality.

02.03.01 My startup contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification for my startup

At the heart of our business is the well- being of our artisans. Most of these artisans are residents of slums. Slums are characterized by inhumane settlement where crime and disease is the order of the day. By marketing their wares with us, these artisans will have the financial muscle, resulting from the extra income, to migrate to more decent residences free from the diseases and the crimes that characterize the slums they presently dwell in.

02.04.01 My startup contributes to the Quality education goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification for my startup

60% of the 3,800 children represented by the 2,200 identified artisan families do not have access to basic education. Most of these are forced to join the artisan trades of their parents so that their families can put food on their table. We seek to change this narrative by enabling the artisans get more from their trades, without having to involve their children in their work. This we will achieve by focussing our whole -hearted attention and devotion to marketing their wares so that the extra income they obtain can be used to educate their children and give them access to better opportunities in life.

02.05.01 My startup contributes to the Gender equality goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification for my startup

As a company, we have a 2/3 gender rule policy. We seek to be an equal opportunity employer for all persons including women. We work to ensure that their active participation in matters to do with the day-to-day operations and management of the company are protected. Women will be given the opportunity to rise to to the top-most leadership and we'll create an environment free from discrimination and any sort of harassment on women. Notably, 1,280 artisans out of the 3,500 identified artisans in Nairobi are women. We will work with these women artisans without any form of discrimination or partiality. Equal treatment and rights of all artisans will be upheld in all our operations as an organization.

02.06.01 My startup contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

3

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification for my startup

02.07.01 My startup contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

4

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification for my startup

02.08.01 My startup contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

7 - Strongly Agree

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification for my startup

By fostering the employability and the growth of artisanry as a trade within the slums of Nairobi, Kletos Crafts will be presenting employment opportunities to many criminals, drug addicts and other unemployed persons within the slums. The increased income to artisans facilitated by the elimination of middlemen will also lure many to the trade and ensure the unemployment levels in the slums fall drastically. The economic growth both at macro and micro levels will, thus, be substantially bolstered as a consequence of lower unemployment levels and a higher output which reflects in a higher GDP.

02.09.01 My startup contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

4

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification for my startup

02.10.01 My startup contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification for my startup

Inequalities as far as our artisans are concerned exists in the areas of knowledge and how to market their products; which is reflected in the comensurate lower pay for their skills. In more developed nations, artisans are knowledgeable on the various marketing channels and can directly tailor their products for identified markets. This is not the case in Kenya and Africa due to the lower levels of education and knowledge on adept business practices. This mismatch creates inequality in pay and accords leverage to middlemen who exploit African artisans. We seek to correct this Injustice by training our artisans on the most adept production methods and business practices. We will also market their wares for them through our platforms to bridge the gap between them and other artisans and ensure the inequality in pay has been resolved.

02.11.01 My startup contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

6

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification for my startup

The artisans living in the slums are daily plagued by waves of insecurity, crime and diseases. We seek to make our slum settlements more secure by addressing the problem from the roots- money! By according our artisans opportunities to fetch higher income by marketing their wares with us, we will be enabling them upgrade their living standards. We will also be promoting their trades to other unemployed persons within the slums. The subsequent outcome is that of safer slums with persons having access to employment opportunities and higher living standards which drastically reduce crime and disease infections within the slums.

02.12.01 My startup contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

4

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification for my startup

02.13.01 My startup contributes to the Climate action goal

3

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification for my startup

02.14.01 My startup contributes to the Life below water goal

3

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification for my startup

02.15.01 My startup contributes to the Life on land goal

4

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification for my startup

02.16.01 My startup contributes to the Peace Justice and Strong Institutions goal

4

02.16.02 Peace Justice and Strong Institutions- Justification for my startup

02.17.01 My startup contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

4

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification for my startup

06.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

1 - Strongly Disagree

06.02 The product/service represents an entirely new type of product/service.

1 - Strongly Disagree

06.03 The product/service could be described as a new technology.

1 - Strongly Disagree

06.04 The product/service is an improvement on an existing product or service.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.05 The product/service could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

1 - Strongly Disagree

06.06 The product/service responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.07 The product/service is a new version of an old product/service.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.08 Justification for my startup

Our startup responds to a demand on marketing by artisans in Nairobi County, especially from the slums. These artisans lack critical knowledge on how to market their wares on a global scale. Our service is a new version and an improved version of an old service. Laikos Afrique is the business I used to personally run that involved the selling of artisans products online. I ran it successfully for five years since 2018. I then came up with the idea to open a platform similar to the ones I had where artisans would market their products directly to global audiences without the need for middlemen - like Laikos Afrique. This birthed the whole Kletos Crafts project. I was now opening up artisans to opportunities that I, as middleman was privy to. The elimination of middlemen is, thus, the innovation behind Kletos Crafts. This innovation is facilitated by the use of social media and the web to market wares directly by artisans to global markets.

06.09 Competitive Analysis

Our main competitor is the e-commerce company called Soko. Soko has been in operation since 2010 and has very far reaching networks in Europe and the United States of America. It specializes mostly on gold plated products and products made from bones or recycled brass. The company has heavily invested in branding and on the technical side of their operations- their website. They also have a very efficient international supply chain system. We stand out from Soko in our range of product offerings. We accept artisan products that range from baskets to pottery, to jewelry and soapstones among many other products. We are, thus, the one-stop shop for all artisan products. We also stand out from Soko in our materials sourcing. We insist on using 100% Kenyan sourced raw materials whilst they source from the wider Eastern Africa market for some of their materials. This gives us a narrow competitive advantage in terms of cost reduction for the production of our artisans' products.

11.05 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

We hold workshops for female artisans within the slums tailored at ensuring that women are brought at the forefront in matters to do with artisanry. These workshops are normally educative with financial management and navigation of online platforms taught to the women. The need and importance of entrepreneurship is also highlighted in these workshops.