SameSame Collective

What SameSame Collective does

SameSame Collective is a registered nonprofit organization that delivers evidence-based mental health support to LGBTQI+ youth through WhatsApp-based chatbot services in countries with discriminatory legal and social environments. Founded in 2020 and operating across 7 countries (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, and eSwatini), the organization has reached over 380,000 LGBTQI+ young people through six interconnected service brands: FanaFana (South Africa), TakaTaka (Zimbabwe), SabiSabi (Nigeria), HeartWork (breakup recovery), GoalDigger (financial coaching), and Queerly Beloved (faith-integrated mental health for queer Christians). The core technology stack is built on the WhatsApp Business API, delivering text-based interactive CBT modules with optional audio/video for deeper engagement. Content is adapted from peer-reviewed psychological interventions including Project Youth AFFIRM, Project Care, Project Personality, Project RISE, and Project ABC, combined with locally written, culturally relevant material in multiple African languages. AI capabilities are deployed within a published nine-principle ethical AI framework emphasizing contextual accuracy for queer communities, transparency, and human oversight.

The business model is a hybrid of philanthropic grants and consumer subscriptions. FanaFana, TakaTaka, and SabiSabi are free at point of access and supported by foundation funding from The Agency Fund, Grand Challenges Canada, Mozilla Foundation, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, Twilio.org, Pinterest, MIT Solve, and Orrick. GoalDigger, HeartWork, and Queerly Beloved are paid subscription services billed in local currencies (ZAR, USD, ZMW, BWP) with a 30-day money-back guarantee. The organization is dually registered as SiyaFanaFana NPC in South Africa (registration 2021/984428/08, tax number 9201870269) and SameSame Inc, a US 501(c)(3) (EIN 35-2723295), enabling tax-deductible donations across jurisdictions. Validated outcomes include 83% of CBT course completers reporting improved mental health (South Africa), 85% improved mental health scores and 45.7% clinically significant PHQ improvement (Zimbabwe trials).

The go-to-market motion is product-led and community-led, deliberately avoiding paid advertising and tracking technology to protect users in hostile legal environments. Distribution relies on organic search at moments of acute distress (e.g., breakup searches), Instagram brand accounts, WhatsApp virality, and youth ambassador networks. The board includes senior leaders from Google Health (Divleen Jeji), Meta (Edlynne Laryea), and Turn.io founder Gustav Praekelt, lending credibility with funders and access to chat-for-impact infrastructure. The organization reports 11-50 employees and appears to be in a strong growth phase, with 380,000+ users reached and active expansion of paid product lines alongside geographic expansion into Nigeria's 200+ million population.

Name

SameSame Collective

Legal name

SameSame Collective

Website

https://samesamecollective.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SameSame Collective is a nonprofit that delivers evidence-based mental health support to LGBTQI+ youth in Southern Africa and Nigeria through six WhatsApp chatbot brands (FanaFana, TakaTaka, SabiSabi, HeartWork, GoalDigger, Queerly Beloved), combining CBT-derived interventions with identity-affirming content and AI-powered coaching.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Paid WhatsApp Services: GoalDigger, HeartWork, and Queerly Beloved are paid services delivered via WhatsApp. Services are charged in local currencies (ZAR for South Africa/Namibia/Lesotho/eSwatini, USD for Zimbabwe, ZMW for Zambia, BWP for Botswana). Free brands (FanaFana, TakaTaka, SabiSabi) remain free and not subject to refund.
2. Donations: SameSame accepts financial contributions from donors. The organization has not set up an automatic system for direct giving; interested donors contact through the website or email.
3. Foundation Funding: SameSame has received funding and technical support from The Agency Fund, Grand Challenges Canada, Mozilla Foundation, Patrick J McGovern Foundation, Twilio.org, Pinterest, MIT Solve, and others. EIN 35-2723295 (US 501(c)(3)) and South African registration 2021/984428/08 enable tax-deductible donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SameSame Collective delivers mental health support and wellbeing coaching to LGBTQI+ youth through WhatsApp-delivered chatbot programmes. Its portfolio of six service brands (FanaFana, TakaTaka, SabiSabi, HeartWork, GoalDigger, Queerly Beloved) provides evidence-based CBT-derived content, AI-powered guidance with human peer-coach support, and culturally localised interventions across Southern Africa and Nigeria. Three services are free at point of access and three are paid monthly subscriptions billed in local currencies.

Product overview

SameSame Collective is a registered non-profit that uses mobile technology to support LGBTQI+ youth mental health across Southern Africa and Nigeria, operating as six interconnected WhatsApp-delivered service brands. The portfolio consists of HeartWork (breakup recovery), GoalDigger (financial coaching), Queerly Beloved (faith-integrated mental health for queer Christians), and SabiSabi (self-guided CBT for Nigeria), alongside the original FanaFana (South Africa) and TakaTaka (Zimbabwe) chatbots. All services share WhatsApp infrastructure, evidence-based CBT foundations, and theSameSame approach of delivering mental health support through 'a door young people will actually walk through' rather than direct mental health framing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FanaFana: WhatsApp chatbot providing evidence-based, self-guided CBT course for LGBTQI+ youth in South Africa. Name means 'we are all samesame' in Zulu.
• TakaTaka
• SabiSabi
• GoalDigger
• HeartWork
• Queerly Beloved

Products and services

• FanaFana SameSame's WhatsApp chatbot in South Africa providing young LGBTQI+ South Africans with access to an evidence-based, self-guided, always-on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) course. Free at point of access. Over 2,000 users have started conversations with the chatbot; 83% of users who complete the CBT course report improved mental health.
• TakaTaka SameSame's WhatsApp chatbot for LGBTQI+ youth in Zimbabwe, named after the Shona expression meaning 'things just fall into place.' Delivers empowering stories and identity-affirming support, and bridges to on-the-ground services including face-to-face counselling, HIV testing, legal support, and entrepreneurial training. Adapted for Shona and Ndebele speakers. Free at point of access.
• SabiSabi A self-guided mental health programme on WhatsApp for young Nigerians aged 18-35. Delivers evidence-based interactive CBT modules covering skills for managing thoughts, feelings, and actions—including noticing unhelpful thoughts, scheduling mood-lifting actions, navigating conflict, and planning. Third deployment of SameSame's validated model. Free at point of access.
• HeartWork A structured 30-day breakup recovery programme delivered on WhatsApp that uses the moment of acute distress as a window to deliver mental health skills. Features daily check-ins, evidence-based coping exercises, and the 'no contact' approach, adapted from Project Care and Project Personality interventions developed by Jessica Schleider's Lab for Scalable Mental Health. Paid monthly subscription priced in local currencies with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee.
• GoalDigger A 30-day AI-powered financial coaching programme on WhatsApp built around a young person's hustle. Combines AI guidance and check-ins with weekly human peer coach check-ins to help users take action on goals related to starting a business, growing a side hustle, or hitting savings targets. Grounded in Project ABC behavioural-activation methodology. Maintains a 1:100 coach-to-user ratio. Paid monthly subscription priced in local currencies with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee.
• Queerly Beloved A daily WhatsApp devotional written for LGBTQI+ Christians aged 18-35 in Southern Africa. Combines affirming faith content with CBT-derived mental health skills woven into daily reflections, verses, questions, audio recordings, and short videos. Combines the Project RISE intervention with identity-reframing research from Gregory Walton and Christina Bauer. Paid monthly subscription priced in local currencies with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee.

Quantifiable outcome

• 83% of users who complete the CBT course report improved mental health
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Project Youth AFFIRMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical evidence base for SameSame's CBT content. AFFIRM combines cognitive-behavioural therapy with identity affirmation for LGBTQI+ youth. Published studies show 63% of participants reported reduced depression and 72% saw stress as challenge rather than threat.
• Hands of Hope (Harare)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal LGBTQI+ organization in Harare, Zimbabwe working with SameSame to drive access to services and provide on-the-ground support.
• Sexual Rights Centre (Bulawayo)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal LGBTQI+ organization in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe working with SameSame to drive access to services and provide on-the-ground support.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/queerlybeloved.africa
• Xx.com/justsamesame
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/justsamesame

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SameSame Collective