Many new ideas are coming in every week via the VC4Africa website. On a regular basis the VC4Africa team places a new venture in the spotlights. Let’s meet Alex Wondergem, co-founder of Ghana’s first online food service: TakeAwayGh.
Please describe your venture and explain why this will be a game-changer in Ghana?
“TakeAway.Gh
is an online food delivery service that targets over fifteen restaurants and fast-food services in Accra, Ghana. Online users can make food placement orders that can be directly delivered to their doorsteps. Our website also acts as an online reference to both well-known restaurants and as a means to discovering new places to eat at and order from in Accra.
TakeAway.Gh is unique and introduces a new kind of online ventures in Ghana. To date, we do not have any form of competition in the same field of expertise. But as the number of Ghanaian targeted and owned websites is steadily growing, it is probably just a matter of time. However, it is important to note the difference between existing Ghanaian websites and ours; the ability to translate an online service into a materialized one.”
Can you tell us a more about yourself and the rest of your team?
“I am of Ghanaian decent and have Dutch heritage. An earlier part of my life was spent traveling because of my father’s work. But as the family moved back to Ghana during my essential years of education, I have a deep connection with Ghana as a homeland.
My business partner, Samora van der Horst, is also of Dutch and Ghanaian heritage and he studied at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. Samora and I grew up as family friends and we now work together on TakeAwayGh as co-founders. Samora handles a lot of the human-relation aspects while I deal with the technical aspects of web designing.
Samora had pre-gained experience from helping to manage his food production companies: ‘Samora Meat’ and ‘Farm Fresh Gh’. His experience helped us in tackling lots of issues when establishing the website and finding participants in running the online service. The combination of experience in the fields of the food industry and the web and graphic-design world, along with our team of human relation advisers, is what makes us a very ambitious and upholding team of young entrepreneurs.”
Who are you targeting?
“TakeAwayGh was established to provide delivery services to any Ghanaian with access to the internet who is looking to get a meal delivered. The breakthrough of mobile internet helps in widening the options. To us it means that the future is enabling more people to access internet services, such as ours, in an ‘on the go’ manner.”
About 10% of the Ghanaians are online. How are you serving the off-line group?
“With Ghana being a developing country there is always the plausibility of this percentage rising in just a matter of a few years or even months. As our company is in its growing stages, that rise in percentage will grow side by side as new internet users discover that there is a Ghanaian targeted service for them. For now we only cater for online customers. However, as we grow and expand we plan on setting up a system for enabling offline users and or encouraging the use of our online services through advertisements.”
How are you planning to monetize this idea?
“TakeAwayGh is an online service that very much monetizes itself by existing online. The internet works as a book that is open to be used by all that choose to pick it up. We work in close relation with our restaurant partners, who tell us what they expect their potential customers to be exposed to on our website. We act as the middleman vessel that communicates customer orders directly to the restaurants.”
Do you see Ghana as an entrepreneurial hotbed for the region?
“Definitely, Ghana is an up and coming entrepreneurial hotbed for the region of West Africa. TakeAwayGh was founded on that faith and belief in Ghana`s potential to become a more capable and modern gate to businesses in West Africa. A new generation of Ghanaians is coming back after their studies abroad to help make this a reality. Likewise, the rise in Ghanaians that decided to stay to endeavor and study in the motherland is inspiring.”
How can VC4Africa members contact you?
“VC4Africa members are welcome to contact me via my VC4Africa profile, my website, email: alex [at[ takeawaygh.com and Twitter.”