AFKInsider:  What’s does your client base look like and how do you expect it to grow/change in the next three to five years?

Wabona has over 430 000 users with a large concentration of that number found on our mobile service, Cinemo. We will continue to grow our mobile user base as mobile broadband penetration grows in Africa. But we will also have better access to fixed line internet users over the coming years.

In the foreseeable future we expect to see  a convergence of the internet and satellite and DTT infrastructure and services. Set Top Boxes will become ‘smart’ and thus users will have a better variety of access to linear TV channels and video-on-demand services like Wabona. Wabona is well positioned for this advancement with tests about to begin in this area and other exciting areas.

AFKInsider:  Any expansion plans? How will you finance such expansion plans?

None as of yet. Any expansion will be financed by private investment.

AFKInsider:  Do you think Other African firms such as iROKOtv in West Africa and BuniTV in East Africa will pose a stiff challenge to your business?

We believe there is room for about 4-5 players in the African VOD space and thus we welcome our competitors in other parts of the continent. It’s in the consumers’ best interest to have a variety of services to access. We strongly believe that competition will have an overall positive benefit for service providers and consumers alike.

AFKInsider:  ‘Netflix’ for Africa has been cited has the next trend to watch in Africa, do you think it will be as big as the mobile money wave that has swept the entire continent?

Video-on-demand is a fast growing space in the evolution of video distribution globally. This is the same in Africa. However, the key to its potential significant growth will be mobile. Mobile money worked because there were not many banks providing cost effective and innovative ways for Africans to pay, save and transfer money. This provided fertile ground for mobile money to grow.

The same can be said for African video entertainment. It’s currently somewhat outdated and stale. So services like Wabona are tasked with providing viable, innovative, fun and affordable services that give users the content they want, when they want and where they want.

AFKInsider to Pule: What made you decide to invest in Wabona? And how has it been as an investor in a new tech idea in South Africa?

The two main drivers that made me invest in Wabona were the team and the market opportunity. I strongly believe in the founders and their ability to take the business forward.

From a market opportunity perspective, we Africans need to have better access to our content and platforms like Wabona are well positioned to address this challenge.

In terms of how of the journey has been, it has been quite exciting . Exciting in the sense that I’m extremely encouraged by the user growth we are seeing in Wabona, especially via their mobile platform, which currently has more than 430 00 users.

AFKInsider to Pule: How do you see the South African tech scene changing in coming years? What should tech consumers be looking out for?

I believe the scene will be moving at a much faster pace towards mobile, like the rest of the continent. In fact, it often makes sense to start via mobile first, then via an online platform if need be.

Consumers should expect more epic innovation made right here and be on the lookout for it. They’ll be less need to go abroad.

Simultaneously though, the challenge lies in local startups being louder about the great work they are doing.