Meet Kudoti

Kudoti (Zulu word meaning “in the trash”) is a digital platform for managing waste in Africa, providing tools for waste companies of all sizes to better manage their operations through a SAAS solution. The Kudoti platform digitizes and automates waste management operations from start to finish through SMS interactions and web-based interfaces. 

The solution is designed for maximum simplicity and ease of use, allowing waste companies to be more profitable and grow their operations through more efficient use of their assets and more streamlined processes. It was essential for Kudoti to build their solution with the challenges of managing waste in Africa in mind, which is why the platform can be integrated for use with both feature phones and smartphones.

Gift started Kudoti based on his experience living in Tembisa, situated in Gauteng (one of the largest townships in South Africa), where he came to understand the significant challenges that many communities across Africa experience with waste. In particular, Gift had the opportunity to speak to many informal waste workers and see first-hand the value that they provide to society, including meeting a woman who was putting her two children through school by collecting waste. 

As the saying goes, “one man’s trash is another man’s fortune.” This sparked interest in Gift to learn more about the waste industry and the opportunity that it represented for growth and development in Africa. Through extensive research, Gift realized that technology could significantly improve how waste is managed throughout Africa, though it remains underutilized in the waste industry today. From there, he began his journey with Kudoti to find value in waste and recycling through technology.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Kudoti saw the opportunity to implement a platform type solution to solve the African waste challenge. This solution is designed to be implemented within individual waste companies for increased operational efficiency. The platform can also be used across multiple waste actors to facilitate coordination for waste services in places where there are none. This has enabled Kudoti to operate in both formal and informal waste environments through their current clients.

In South Africa, they realized that many waste actors still relied on outdated processes, with many companies using paper-based processes for planning their operations. The Kudoti team had to come up with innovative ways to stand out in an industry that has often operated the same way for decades, such as allowing companies to automate their scheduling processes which could often take several days of manual work before. 

Kudoti identified its gap and opportunity because its technology is built with the waste management value chain in mind and is affordable for companies of any size, something that isn’t offered locally by international software providers.  

The waste management market in South Africa is currently valued at R24.3 billion. Kudoti calculates that its current addressable market for efficiency software is R250 million. This does not include the larger opportunities for digitizing the informal waste sector, which currently employs over 80,000 people, nor does it include the opportunity to generate value from waste as a resource. According to the latest Greencape report, R11.5 billion could be generated from diverting waste from landfill. 

When looking at the African market as a whole, the estimated value of waste generated annually is R133 billion, of which 96% is currently lost by not being recycled. The long-term vision for Kudoti is to use its platform solution to enable greater value extraction from waste.

LEARNING 

Since the start of Kudoti, Gift and his team have learned many things. He shares this advice, “One should not hold onto one’s initial idea too closely, but rather focus on what the customer wants, and build one a solution around that.” Kudoti has had to pivot from their initial idea too as it simply wasn't addressing urgent issues such as reducing costs and increasing efficiencies. 

KEY THOUGHT

I want the world to always remember that there is value in waste, that we don't have to choose between sustainability or profits because we can have them both. This is how I want the world to remember our company. 

WHAT IS NEXT FOR KUDOTI?

The Kudoti team is currently working to further commercialise its solution and expand beyond its first implementation partners. Through this commercialization, Kudoti will accelerate its tech development to add new features such as route planning for drivers as well as data analytics for optimization analysis within companies. 

Beyond its short term goals, Kudoti is looking to expand its offering to enable users to make waste transactions for reselling recyclable waste and build out a marketplace for recyclable materials. 

FOLLOW KUDOTI

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Contact Kudoti via email contact@kudoti.com