Sauti

What Sauti does

Sauti is a mobile-based trade and market information platform founded in 2016 in Nairobi, Kenya, serving women-led cross-border SMEs and women smallholder farmers across East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Somalia, Burundi). The platform delivers market prices, trade regulations, and procedural guidance via USSD, SMS, WhatsApp, and IVR, enabling access on both feature phones and smartphones and reaching 168,000+ users to date. Core product extensions include Sauti Soko, a marketplace launched in 2023, and Usheeg, a Somalia-localized service launched in 2025; underlying data is collected and refreshed via a champion-trader community network.

Name

Sauti

Legal name

Sauti East Africa Limited

Website

https://sautiafrica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sauti is a Nairobi-founded mobile platform delivering trade prices, regulations, and market information via USSD, SMS, WhatsApp, and IVR to women-led cross-border traders and smallholder farmers across six East African countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Trade and Market Information Services

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Software/Application Support (SaaS, Enterprise Apps) (BPAAACAC)

Keywords

• Mobile trade information
• Cross-border trade data
• USSD market prices
• Mobile data collection
• Climate information services

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Free Platform Access (Freemium): The platform is free to access for traders. Normal USSD/SMS telecommunication network charges may apply. The company collects anonymised data from user behaviour and surveys which is used to generate insights for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers.
2. Data Monetisation: Anonymised data collected from platform usage and surveys is shared with researchers, policymakers, development practitioners, and partner organizations. Data helps advocates characterize cross-border trade space and informs policy reforms.
3. Grant Funding: Sauti Africa Limited is committed to returning 50%+1 of profits back into simplifying access to trade and market information for cross-border traders. The company operates with grant funding from development partners including GIZ, IKI, UK Aid Direct, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

Sauti East Africa operates a mobile-based trade and market information platform that delivers real-time market prices, exchange rates, trade procedures, customs information, weather forecasts, and climate adaptation tools to women cross-border traders and smallholder farmers across East Africa. The platform is accessible via USSD, SMS, WhatsApp, and IVR on basic feature phones without internet, and is supplemented by an interactive data analytics dashboard (Sauti Trade Insights), a mobile data collection tool (Sauti Collect), a virtual marketplace (Sauti Soko), and a Somalia-specific trader platform (Usheeg). Anonymized data collected from over 100,000 traders is shared with researchers, policymakers, and development partners.

Product overview

Sauti East Africa operates a unified mobile information platform ecosystem designed to empower women-led SMEs to trade legally, safely, and profitably across East Africa's borders. The core offering consists of the Sauti Trade & Market Information Platform (USSD/SMS), supplemented by specialized sub-products: Sauti Trade Insights (data analytics dashboard), Sauti Collect (data collection tools), Sauti Soko (virtual marketplace), Usheeg (Somalia-specific trader platform), and Climate Information Service (agricultural climate tools). The platforms are accessible via basic feature phones without internet access, removing smartphone dependency barriers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Usheeg: Mobile platform launched in Somalia providing displaced and marginalized women traders with free, real-time access to market prices, weather forecasts, early warnings, exchange rates, and protection services.

Products and services

• Sauti Trade and Market Information Platform Mobile USSD/SMS platform delivering real-time market prices, exchange rates, trade procedures, documentation requirements, taxes, tariffs, and border experience reporting to traders across East Africa. Accessible via basic feature phones without internet connectivity.
• Sauti Trade Insights Interactive data dashboard enabling users to analyze, segment, and extract actionable insights on East African cross-border trade. Crowdsources data from over 100,000+ traders in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania; used by researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.
• Sauti Collect End-to-end mobile data collection solution for designing, testing, and deploying survey and monitoring tools remotely via USSD, SMS, and WhatsApp channels. Used by partner organizations such as the Danish Refugee Council for market monitoring and price collection.
• Sauti Soko Virtual marketplace platform connecting farmers and traders with buyers and sellers via USSD shortcode, accessible on any phone without internet, designed to improve last-mile market connectivity for women traders and smallholder farmers.
• Usheeg Mobile platform launched in Somalia providing displaced and marginalized women traders with free, real-time access to market prices, weather forecasts, early warnings, exchange rates, and protection services.
• Climate Information Service (CIS) Mobile-based climate information service leveraging USSD, SMS, and WhatsApp to deliver real-time weather forecasts, seasonal climate hazards, agricultural adaptation strategies, and climate risk management tools to women smallholder farmers.
• BORESHA Information Platform Custom mobile information platform designed and deployed for the BORESHA project supporting businesses in the Kenya-Somalia-Ethiopia border regions, providing market prices, weather, and finance opportunities to border communities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Users reached: 168,000+ in low-technology environments
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HiiL (The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHiiL Justice Accelerator provides mentorship, business development support, and funding. Sauti won the 2016 HiiL Innovating Justice Award and participated in the Justice Entrepreneurship School. Partnership focuses on expanding access to justice through technology.
• EASSI (Eastern African Sub-Regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint pilot implementation at Busia and Malaba border crossings. EASSI provides network of over 4,000 women cross-border traders, existing trade associations, and Resource Centres. Partnership combines Sauti's technology with EASSI's community reach and training infrastructure.
• TradeMark East Africa (TMEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwo-year project under Women in Trade Programme targeting 8,000+ women traders in Kenya. Consortium with Partner Africa and TruTrade implementing digital platforms and market linkages. TMEA WiT programme contributes to greater inclusion of women in trade across East Africa.
• AGMARK (Agricultural Market Development Trust)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership builds on existing work supporting smallholder farmers and cross-border traders through training, networking and access to information. AGMARK has regional presence in 18 African countries. Joint efforts increase reach and impact across East Africa.
• EAWiBP (East African Women in Business Platform)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partnership to increase uptake of IT and digital platforms among women in business across the EAC. EAWiBP brings together women entrepreneurs across East Africa Community.
• Partner AfricacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsortium partner in TradeMark East Africa Women in Trade Programme. Partner Africa provides ethical audits and assessments supporting women in agricultural trade in Kenya.
• TruTradecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsortium partner in TradeMark East Africa Women in Trade Programme. TruTrade focuses on integrating smallholder farmers into sustainable digitized value chains. Joint COVID-19 rapid response in Uganda with medical experts Response-Med.
• Thomson Reuters FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrustLaw membership provides pro bono legal services. Thomson Reuters Foundation supports Sauti's mission through legal assistance and justice sector connections.
• UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSauti's data featured in UNCTAD's Economic Development in Africa Report 2021 on trade potential under African Continental Free Trade Area. Contributed trade and market insights covering East Africa's cross-border trade context.
• UNDP (United Nations Development Programme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on report comparing business activities of youth and female-owned businesses before and after COVID-19. Report presents quantitative understanding of trends and patterns in informal cross-border trade in East Africa.
• Busara Center for Behavioral EconomicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership under GI-ACE programme exploring feasibility of crowd-sourced data and mobile technologies for community monitoring of border management.
• Columbia Climate SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership under GI-ACE programme studying border management and corruption dynamics in East Africa.
• Danish Refugee CouncilminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSauti Collect piloted with Danish Refugee Council through Market Monitoring project for food security. Price collection activities conducted in Nairobi, Kakuma, and Dadaab.
• BORESHA (Building Opportunities for Resilience in the Horn of Africa)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSauti designed and launched mobile information platform for BORESHA project supporting businesses in Kenya-Somalia-Ethiopia border regions. Platform provides market prices, weather, and finance opportunities.
• East African Community SecretariatminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEAC Secretariat tasked with monitoring and eliminating non-tariff barriers. Sauti provides data on NTBs faced by small-scale traders for high-level policy discussions among EAC Ministries, Customs Agencies, and Heads of State.
• Council of Governors (Kenya)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCouncil of Governors invited Sauti to train women on mobile business information platform during COVID-19 sensitisation workshops in Vihiga county. Intend to carry out workshops in all 47 Kenyan counties.
• Nairobi GarageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwarded 6 months of free office space as part of Women in Tech Pitch Competition. Provides co-working space and startup support ecosystem.
• Infotrade UgandaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMet with Infotrade during Kampala visit to explore potential collaboration areas for trade information services.
• Farmgain UgandaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStakeholder meeting during Sauti's Kampala visit to discuss agricultural information sharing partnerships.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• iCow: iCow is a Kenyan mobile information service for smallholder farmers delivered via SMS and USSD, providing breeding, feeding, and market information. It is comparable to Sauti as an SMS/USSD-first agricultural information platform targeting similar feature-phone-using farmers in East Africa.
• Wefarm: Wefarm is a farmer-to-farmer information network operating via SMS and mobile across East Africa, enabling smallholders to share agricultural knowledge and market information. It is comparable to Sauti in target user (smallholder farmers in East Africa), delivery channel (SMS/low-tech), and information-services business model.
• M-Farm: M-Farm is a Kenyan mobile platform providing real-time market prices, input sourcing, and group-buying for smallholder farmers via SMS and web. It is comparable to Sauti as a Kenyan-rooted mobile agricultural market information service targeting similar end users with SMS-first delivery.
• Farmerline (formerly Esoko): Farmerline is a Ghana-based agritech company that delivers market prices, weather information, and agronomic advisory to smallholder farmers via SMS, voice, and mobile apps. It is one of the most direct comparables to Sauti—both operate mobile market information platforms targeting African smallholder and cross-border traders with multilingual, low-tech delivery.
• Infotrade Uganda: Infotrade is a Ugandan market information service that collects and disseminates agricultural commodity prices via SMS and web. It is directly comparable to Sauti as a regional market information platform serving East African traders with mobile delivery—Sauti's own data cites Infotrade as a stakeholder.

Regional players

• Tulaa: Tulaa is a Kenya-based agtech platform combining mobile agricultural advisory with input financing and market access for smallholders. It overlaps with Sauti in serving smallholder farmers via mobile and providing market linkages, though Tulaa adds a fintech layer.
• TradeDepot: TradeDepot is a B2B distribution platform operating across Africa that connects informal retailers with consumer goods manufacturers via mobile ordering. It is comparable to Sauti in operating mobile-enabled trade infrastructure for African informal-sector merchants, though it is Nigeria-anchored and serves a different geography and product category.

Broad incumbents

• Twiga Foods: Twiga Foods is a Kenya-based B2B agricultural distribution platform connecting farmers with vendors via mobile-enabled supply chains. It is comparable to Sauti in operating mobile-driven agricultural market infrastructure in Kenya, though Twiga operates at far larger scale and is supply-chain-focused rather than information-focused.

Others

• TruTrade: TruTrade is a Kenyan social enterprise that integrates smallholder farmers into digitized value chains via mobile sourcing and trading. It is comparable to Sauti as an ecosystem partner (consortium member on TMEA Women in Trade Programme) targeting similar women smallholder farmers in cross-border East African trade.
• mPedigree: mPedigree is a Ghana-headquartered mobile technology company using SMS/USSD for product verification and information services across Africa. It is comparable to Sauti in pioneering low-tech mobile information services for African end users via USSD/SMS delivery in similar market conditions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sautiorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sauti-africa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Sauti