Unseen Nairobi

What Unseen Nairobi does

Unseen Nairobi operates a rooftop cinema, restaurant, and bar venue atop Yaya Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, founded in 2018 and employing 11 people. The core offering combines curated screenings of independent, documentary, foreign, and African cinema with an on-site full-service restaurant and bar. The cinema uses a surround sound system in a vintage-chair setting; ticketing is handled through Mookh.com, and all transactions are cashless via M-Pesa or card. The venue operates seven days a week from 10am to 11pm, with regular screenings typically at 7pm.

The business generates revenue from four streams: ticket sales for film screenings (including kids' Mini Mornings at 650 KSH/child), food and beverage service from the restaurant and bar, private cinema hire at three tiered price points (KSH 3,000-10,000 per hour), and private event packages (KSH 600-2,000 per person). The Unseen Gems Film Club operates on a pay-what-you-can-afford model (100-550 KSH) with WhatsApp-based film voting. Customer segments include families with young children, independent film enthusiasts, filmmakers needing screening space, corporate and institutional clients booking private events, and local dining patrons.

Distribution is exclusively physical at the single Nairobi rooftop venue, supplemented by online ticketing through Mookh and community-driven marketing via Instagram (@unseen.nairobi), an email newsletter, a Letterboxd archive, and a WhatsApp group. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding, parent entity, or institutional investors, and operates solely in the Kenyan market with no geographic expansion signals.

Name

Unseen Nairobi

Legal name

Unseen Nairobi

Website

https://unseen-nairobi.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Unseen Nairobi operates a rooftop cinema, restaurant, and bar atop Yaya Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. It serves film enthusiasts, families, filmmakers, and corporate clients with curated independent cinema screenings, private venue hire, and community programming including a monthly film club.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Cinema and Restaurant Venue

NAICS

Motion Picture Theaters (except Drive-Ins) (512131), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative Content Exhibition (Live Broadcasts, Concert Films, Sports, Opera) (MPADAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Screenings & Venue Rentals (Corporate, Parties) (MPADAKAJ), Nightclub & Small Live Venue Operations (Clubs, Bars with Stages) (MPAGALAF)

Keywords

• Independent cinema
• Rooftop dining venue
• Film screenings
• Private event hire
• Community film programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Film Screenings and Tickets: Revenue from selling tickets to film screenings including special premieres, regular films, Mini Mornings (kids), and film club events. Non-refundable ticket policy.
2. Food and Beverage: Full-service rooftop restaurant and bar with breakfast, lunch, dinner menus plus cocktails, spirits, wines, beers. Accepts M-Pesa and card payments.
3. Cinema and Venue Hire: Private cinema bookings at three pricing tiers (Filmmakers KSH 3,000/hr, Individuals KSH 5,000/hr, Organizations KSH 10,000/hr) with 2-hour minimum and 50% non-refundable deposit.
4. Film Club Membership: Monthly film club with 'pay what you can afford' pricing model - booking fee 550 KSH or subsidized 100 KSh.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Unseen Nairobi is a rooftop cinema, restaurant, and bar venue in Nairobi that screens independent, foreign-language, and African films while serving food and beverages to guests during screenings. It complements its core cinema offering with private venue hire for events, community programming such as quiz nights, open mic events, film club sessions, and parent-and-toddler mini morning screenings. The kitchen operates as halal-certified, and bookings are processed through the Mookh online ticketing platform.

Product overview

Unseen Nairobi is a rooftop cinema and restaurant venue in Nairobi, Kenya offering a unified experience combining film screenings, food service, and community events. The core offering comprises daily cinema screenings of independent and documentary films paired with an on-site restaurant and bar. Supplementary offerings include the Unseen Gems Film Club for monthly curated screenings, Mini Mornings for children's programming, Movie Quiz Nights, and private hire options for both cinema and event spaces. Tickets are sold through an external ticketing platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rooftop Cinema Screenings Regular film screenings of independent, foreign, and African cinema shown on a rooftop cinema with surround sound and vintage armchair seating, with food and beverages served during screenings. Targeted at Nairobi-based film enthusiasts and casual cinema-goers.
• Restaurant and Bar On-site halal-certified restaurant and bar offering food and beverages to cinema guests and walk-in diners at the rooftop venue in Nairobi.
• Private Cinema Hire Hourly rental of the rooftop cinema space for private screenings, with three pricing tiers: Filmmakers at Ksh 5,500/hr, Individuals at Ksh 11,000/hr, and Organizations at Ksh 22,000/hr. Targeted at independent filmmakers, private groups, and corporate or organizational clients in Nairobi.
• Private Event Venue Hire Booking of the rooftop venue for private events such as corporate gatherings, celebrations, and group functions, leveraging the cinema, restaurant, and bar facilities together.
• Mini Morning Screenings Parent-and-toddler friendly daytime film screenings priced on a pay-what-you-can basis, designed for families with young children in Nairobi.
• Quiz Nights Hosted quiz night events at the rooftop venue led by host Mugambi Nthiga, combining entertainment with food and beverage service.
• Film Club Recurring community film club sessions featuring curated screenings followed by discussion, with hosted sessions by film lecturer Matthew Daintrey-Hall. Targeted at film enthusiasts seeking deeper engagement with curated cinema.
• Open Mic Events Open mic events hosted at the rooftop venue, leveraging the cinema, restaurant, and bar space for live performances.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• iPic Entertainment: US premium cinema operator combining luxury seating, in-theater dining, and boutique programming. Comparable premium cinema-dining hybrid positioning, though at broader US scale.
• Alamo Drafthouse Cinema: US-based cinema chain known for in-theater dining, curated programming, and strict no-talking policies. Comparable as a cinema + food + curated content operator, though at much larger scale.
• Everyman Cinemas: UK boutique cinema chain with bar-restaurant attached to each venue, showing a curated mix of indie and mainstream content. Comparable cinema + restaurant + curated programming model.

Direct peers

• Luna Cinema: UK outdoor and pop-up cinema operator showing curated independent, classic, and blockbuster films in unique venues. Comparable niche film curation and experiential positioning to Unseen Nairobi.
• Backyard Cinema: London-based immersive cinema operator running themed screenings in unusual venues with food, cocktails, and community programming. Comparable to Unseen's curated, atmosphere-driven cinema-as-experience positioning.
• Prince Charles Cinema: London independent/arthouse cinema showing cult, classic, and international films with community programming. Comparable single-venue indie/arthouse cinema with loyal enthusiast community.
• Secret Cinema: UK immersive cinema operator turning film screenings into themed theatrical experiences with set design, costumes, and community. Comparable in building event-driven, community-engaged cinema experiences rather than passive screening.
• Rooftop Cinema Club: UK-origin rooftop cinema operator running seasonal rooftop film screenings at premium venues with food and beverage service. Directly comparable to Unseen Nairobi as a rooftop cinema + dining experience targeting urban experiential consumers.

Regional players

• Ster-Kinekor: South Africa's largest cinema chain with multiplex locations across the country. Comparable as an African cinema operator with physical exhibition venues, though at national commercial scale rather than boutique positioning.
• Century Cinemax: East African cinema chain operating multiplex locations in Nairobi and other Kenyan cities. Comparable cinema operator in the same Nairobi market, though at mainstream commercial scale rather than curated indie positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/unseen.nairobi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unseen-nairobi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Unseen Nairobi