Upendo

What Upendo does

Upendo (legal entity UPENDO SAS, registered in France) is a Paris-based independent media group operating three integrated entities under one roof: Upendo Média, an editorial platform producing impact journalism and seven distinct shows (interviews, portraits, geopolitical analysis, business capsules, music) targeted at African and diaspora changemakers; Upendo Studio, a soundproofed production atelier equipped with broadcast-grade hardware (Sony A7S III 4K 120fps, Canon C70, Shure SM7B, Zoom F8n) and post-production tools (Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve) offering podcast recording/editing/mastering, event capture, corporate talks, documentary production, and space rental; and Upendo Agency, a creative services arm providing brand strategy, brand films, commercials, social campaigns, event coverage, and B2B podcast production for "Afro-engaged" brands.

The company was co-founded in 2020 by Lionel ABA (in memoriam) and Charles Cerito, with Moïse Mounkoro serving as editor-in-chief of the Média arm. It has spotlighted over 600 talents since inception and reaches approximately 21,000 YouTube subscribers and 33,000 newsletter subscribers. The company is privately held, discloses no funding rounds, and operates with 11–50 employees.

Upendo generates revenue through three mechanics: media advertising, sponsorship, and content distribution via Média; professional studio services priced hourly, daily, or per project via Studio; and quote-based creative agency engagements via Agency. Go-to-market is sales-led and community-led, with direct contact forms per entity (24–48 hour response time), YouTube and newsletter as top-of-funnel demand generation, and Instagram/LinkedIn for brand awareness. Pricing for studio services is publicly listed as "TBC — Alpha," and no paying enterprise clients are named in available sources. The company is RGPD-compliant and operates without disclosed parent companies, investors, or M&A activity.

Name

Upendo

Legal name

UPENDO SAS

Website

https://upendo.africa

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Upendo is a Paris-based independent media group operating Upendo Média (African/diaspora impact journalism), Upendo Studio (broadcast-grade podcast and video production), and Upendo Agency (creative services for Afro-engaged brands), founded in 2020.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Media Production and Creative Services

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (541820)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Activation/Experiential Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Entertainment AVOD Platforms (MPACAAAB)

Keywords

• Media production
• Creative agency
• Editorial journalism
• Podcast studio
• Brand storytelling

Headquarters

HQ city

Lusaka

HQ country

Zambia

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Upendo Média Subscriptions/Advertising: Media division generates revenue through editorial content distribution on YouTube (21K subscribers) and newsletter (33,000 subscribers). Revenue likely derives from advertising, sponsorships, and premium content access.
2. Studio Production Services: Professional studio services including podcast recording/editing/mastering, event capture, corporate talks, documentary production, video capsules, and space rental. Offered hourly, daily, or per project. Paris-based soundproofed studio.
3. Agency Creative Services: Creative agency services for Afro-engaged brands including creative strategy, brand films, commercials, short-form content, social campaigns, event coverage, and B2B podcast production. Project-based engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Upendo is a Paris-based media group operating three entities under one roof: Upendo Média (impact journalism featuring in-depth interviews, portraits, geopolitical analyses, and business capsules for African and diaspora changemakers), Upendo Studio (a soundproofed production atelier in Paris offering podcast recording, multi-camera HD video capture, event coverage, and post-production services), and Upendo Agency (a creative agency serving Afro-engaged brands with brand storytelling, video production, digital campaigns, and B2B podcasts).

Product overview

Upendo operates as a unified media group with three distinct but complementary entities: Upendo Média (the editorial media arm), Upendo Studio (the production atelier), and Upendo Agency (the creative agency). Founded in 2020, the group serves African and diaspora voices through impact journalism, professional content production, and brand storytelling. All three entities operate under one roof in Paris, with shared resources and a unified mission to spotlight underrepresented talents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Upendo Média: Impact journalism media platform featuring interviews, portraits, geopolitics analysis, and podcasts for African and diaspora changemakers.
• Upendo Studio
• Upendo Agency

Products and services

• Upendo Média Editorial media platform producing impact journalism for African and diaspora changemakers through in-depth interviews, portraits, geopolitical analyses, business capsules, talk shows, and music discovery. Seven editorial shows including Interview Unique, L'Instant Géopolitique, Capsule Business/UP&BIZ, La Minute Juridique, Open Space Show, A table!, and Instant Musique. Distributed via YouTube (21K subscribers) and email newsletter (33,000 subscribers).
• Upendo Studio Soundproofed production atelier in Paris providing podcast recording/editing/mastering, event capture, corporate talks, documentary production, video capsules, and studio space rental. Equipped with Sony A7S III (4K 120fps), Canon C70 cinema line, DJI RS3 Pro stabilization, Rode NTG5, Shure SM7B, Zoom F8n, and post-production in Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Logic Pro X. Available hourly, daily, or per project.
• Upendo Agency Creative agency for Afro-engaged brands offering creative strategy, brand storytelling, brand films, commercials, short-form content, social campaigns, event coverage, digital experiences, art direction, and B2B podcast production. Engagements are project-based and emphasize authentic African representation over exoticism or media tokenism.

Quantifiable outcome

• 600+ talents given visibility since 2020
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• OkayAfrica: Digital media platform covering African music, culture, and creative talent with editorial features, video content, and a newsletter — directly comparable to Upendo Média's editorial proposition for African and diaspora audiences.
• Boiler Room: Global music and culture media platform producing live sessions, documentaries, and editorial content with strong ties to African and diaspora music scenes — a peer in the cultural-impact editorial space with overlapping audience demographics.
• AJ+: Al Jazeera's digital-first short-form video platform focused on underrepresented voices and impact-driven storytelling — directly comparable to Upendo Média's mission of spotlighting African/diaspora changemakers through digital video.
• Jeune Afrique: France-based leading African news magazine and media group with print, digital, and events — the closest French-anchored, Africa-focused editorial peer to Upendo Média in terms of geography and editorial positioning.
• Brut: Global short-form digital video media company producing news, culture, and human-interest content distributed primarily via social platforms — a peer in the digital-first, social-distributed media model that Upendo Média follows on YouTube and Instagram.
• The Africa Report: Pan-African editorial media covering politics, business, and society with deep African expertise and an established international subscriber base — a more established and business-focused peer to Upendo Média's editorial offering.

Broad incumbents

• ARTE: European public-service media with a strong multicultural and francophone mandate, producing documentaries, journalism, and cultural programming across Europe — an incumbent peer in European multicultural editorial media with documentary production capabilities overlapping Upendo Studio's service.
• Canal+: France-headquartered media group with extensive African operations via Canal+ Africa, spanning TV channels, production, and digital content — a broad incumbent competing for the same French-anchored, Africa-engaged audience and advertising budgets.
• Vice Media: Global digital media and production company spanning editorial content, documentaries, and branded content for brands — a broader incumbent that demonstrates the integrated media-plus-agency model Upendo is pursuing at a much larger scale.

Emerging players

• Dazed: Independent digital media platform covering fashion, culture, and creative communities through editorial features and video content — a peer in the independent culture-media space targeting creative communities, comparable to Upendo's editorial-creative positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@upendo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upendo-africa
• Instagraminstagram.com/upendo.tv
• Facebookfacebook.com/upendo.africa.zambia

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Upendo