Silicon Savannah: Nairobi's tech story, 1993 to 2026
An interactive pixel-art city that builds itself. Every building is a real Kenyan tech business, from the first mobile networks and internet providers of the 1990s through mobile money, iHub and the funding boom to the collapses of 2023 to 2026. Landmarks such as KICC, Upper Hill, Westlands, Thika Road, the Nairobi Expressway and Uhuru Park are in their real districts, and M-Pesa and Airtel Money agent shops fill the streets as those networks grow.
Eras
The Analogue Years, 1993 to 1999
Mobile Takes Off, 2000 to 2006
M-Pesa and the Cables, 2007 to 2009
The Silicon Savannah, 2010 to 2013
The Funding Boom, 2014 to 2019
The Pandemic Sprint, 2020 to 2022
The Shake-Out, 2023 to 2026
Made by David Amunga (@davidamunga_). Data from StartupList Africa, Business Daily, Citizen Digital, The Standard, Techweez, Safaricom and NBER.
WATCH THE CITY BUILD, 1993 TO 2026. DRAG TO LOOK AROUND. TAP A BUILDING FOR DETAILS.
ADD YOUR STARTUP
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SILICON SAVANNAH
Nairobi tech, 1993 to 2026, as a pixel-art city that builds itself. Every building is a real Kenyan tech business: telcos, ISPs, fintechs, farm-tech, health, logistics and more. When one closes, its building falls and the next one rises.
Telcos and early ISPs (1993 to 2013), landmark years and the era names are researched from public history and are editorial: treat dates as approximate
GOOD TO KNOW
Logos belong to their owners and are shown only to identify each company
Where a logo could not be found, a colour monogram stands in
Click or tap any building, landmark or agent shop for details and links. Drag to look around, scroll to zoom