Revolutionizing Tanzania's 
food 
economy
We’re building the largest food and wellness ecosystem in East Africa, connecting home chefs, restaurants, suppliers, and health-conscious customers through technology that creates opportunities for everyone.
0 M
Urban adults aged 35-64 seeking healthy food
$2.8M
Annual revenue potential from just 1% market penetration
Hey there, Foodie,
You know how everything starts with an idea? Well, Agiza24 was no different. And for some of you (maybe even you, reading this right now!), you’ve already experienced our services. We actually had over 300 registered restaurants and served a grand total of 10,000+ customers, all while racking up 20,000+ downloads on Google Play and the App Store!
And get this… all of that happened in just three short years.
So, what happened next?
Grab your popcorn and settle in, because I’m about to share a story with you. It’s a sad one, yes, but it’s also packed with lessons that even my closest friends and family don’t know.
I’ve decided to lay it all bare because I’m committed to building this business on a foundation of complete transparency.
I mean…
The crazy story behind Agiza24
How we failed spectacularly, lost everything, and built something 1000x better from the ashes
👋 Hey, I'm Lusabara
And I'm about to tell you something most CEOs would never admit
I failed. Miserably. Publicly. And it nearly destroyed me.
But here’s the thing – that failure just made us build something that’s going to change Tanzania forever.
Most startup founders will tell you their sanitized success story. The “we had this great idea, raised money, and grew 10x” bullshit.
I’m going to tell you something different. The real story. The one with blood, sweat, tears, and nearly 33 kilos of stress weight gain.
Because if you’re going to trust us with your meals, your business, or your investment… you deserve to know exactly who we are and what we’ve been through.
So grab a cup of chai. This is going to be a long one.
May 2020: The launch of our "Amazing" business
Picture this: It’s May 2020. COVID-19 has just hit Tanzania. Everyone’s stuck at home. And my co-founder and I think we’re geniuses.
“Let’s democratize the restaurant business!” we said.
“Let’s help talented chefs transform their home kitchens into food hubs!” we said.
“We’ll only take 10% commission… wait, let’s make it 5%… and charge customers just TZS 500 per order!” we said.
Sounds amazing, right? We thought so too.
Within three months, we had 150 home chefs registered. Sixty percent of them were super excited and started cooking immediately.
Some of the local news covered us. People were talking about Agiza24. We felt like we were changing the world.
We were idiots.
The reality check that crushed us
We simply couldn't generate enough customers.
Our brilliant chefs were cooking amazing food… for nobody. They were losing money. They were losing hope. And they started leaving our platform one by one.
The sound of 90 chefs telling you “I can’t afford to keep cooking for your platform” will haunt you forever.
But did we give up? Hell no. We doubled down on stupidity.
We thought: “Maybe the problem isn’t our model… maybe it’s our chefs!”
So we pivoted to traditional restaurants. Because restaurants weren’t 100% reliant on our orders, right? They had their own customers!
This decision would cost us everything.
The delivery motorcycle mistake that almost killed us
Here’s where it gets really painful…
Every time you change your business strategy, it comes with its own challenges and costs. We had to hire more staff. We started with bicycles for deliveries, but soon realized we needed motorcycles.
Why not use boda boda drivers like everyone else? Because we were perfectionists who didn’t want any delays.
So we bought motorcycles. And hired drivers. With our own money.
No investors. No bank loans. 100% bootstrapped by two founders who thought they knew better than the market.
The numbers that should have scared us
- Monthly motorcycle payments: TZS 800,000
- Driver salaries: TZS 1,200,000
- Fuel and maintenance: TZS 400,000
- Platform development: TZS 600,000
Total monthly burn: TZS 3,000,000
Monthly revenue: TZS 800,000
Monthly loss: TZS 2,200,000
We ran this “business” for THREE YEARS.
Three years of losing money every single month. Three years of lying to our families about “how well the business was doing.” Three years of watching our savings disappear.
The business wasn’t making a profit. We weren’t making a profit. We were slowly dying.
But the worst part? We were too proud to admit we were wrong.
The day I gained 33 kilos and lost my dream
You want to know what failure looks like? I’ll show you.
The physical toll of Startup stress
May 2020: 60 kg, healthy, optimistic
May 2023: 93 kg, diabetic risk, burned out
Weight gain: 33 kg in 3 years
Cause: Stress eating, no exercise, surviving on cheap fast food while building a “food business”
The irony was killing me. I was running a food business while eating like shit and destroying my health.
I was at late 30s, gaining weight like a balloon, and pretending everything was fine while my business burned through our life savings.
But the breaking point came when I had to face my father…
“Between June and December 2024, we were caring for our father who suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure at hospital. It was incredibly difficult to find suitable food for him.
Imagine trying to find a restaurant that uses Omega 3 oils. Imagine trying to find food prepared specifically for people with diabetes. Imagine trying to find meals that don’t spike blood sugar.
There was nothing. Nowhere. No options.
And that’s when I realized… we had been solving the wrong problem all along.”
⚠️ Shocking Reality Check ⚠️
- 2.9 million Tanzanians have diabetes.
- 34.8% of urban adults are overweight.
- 9.4 million urban adults aged 30-64 can’t find healthy food anywhere.
And I almost died becoming one of them.
The million-dollar lesson hidden in plain sight
Eventually, we had to face the truth. We closed the books. We shut down operations. The heartbreak was real.
But for me, that dream didn’t die.
I continued seeking foreign investors. Some showed interest. We had a $1 million investment deal lined up…
It fell through because of Tanzania’s startup environment. The laws weren’t on our side. The infrastructure wasn’t there. The regulatory framework was a nightmare.
But here’s what I learned during those dark months of 2024:
Lesson #1: Health is wealth, and a niche market awaits
After gaining 33 kg, I became obsessed with getting my health back. It took me two years of hard work to return to 60 kg.
During that journey, I became very disciplined about what I ate. And I stopped eating at restaurants because they rarely had food that aligned with my health goals.
Sound familiar? It should.
That’s when the real breakthrough happened…
I did the math. Tanzania’s urban population is approximately 24.6 million. An estimated 3.7 million people are in our target demographic: health-conscious individuals aged 30+, with disposable income.
Even a conservative 1% market penetration translates to nearly 37,000 potential customers.
37,000 people like me who want healthy, customized meals but can’t find them anywhere.
That’s when I realized: We weren’t solving a big enough problem. We were solving the wrong problem entirely.
Lesson #2: Empowering restaurants with better sourcing
During our three years of struggle, we noticed something interesting. Some restaurants struggled during high seasons due to lack of capital. They bought supplies from markets at retail prices because they couldn’t afford wholesale.
The result? Very little profit. Constant cash flow problems. Missed opportunities during peak demand.
We also received calls from suppliers asking us to help collect payments from sales. We couldn’t help them because we had no system in place.
That’s when I realized: There’s a massive opportunity to help restaurants purchase directly from producers at lower prices while guaranteeing producer payments.
Lesson #3: Extending support to mama ntilie
Once you have a credit system for restaurants, it’s natural to extend it to Mama Ntilie (local food vendors).
They also buy goods at retail prices from shops. If you give them access to wholesale prices, you give them a chance to grow from bus stands to owning restaurants.
This isn’t just business – it’s economic empowerment on a massive scale.
The phoenix moment
Rising from the ashes
After three years of failure, 33 kilos of weight gain, a million-dollar deal falling through, and watching our savings disappear… I made a decision.
I was going to build a new system based on everything we learned. But this time, we weren’t going to make the same mistakes.
This time, we had data. We had experience. We had scars that taught us exactly what NOT to do.
Most importantly, we had identified the REAL problems:
But here’s the genius part – solving one problem makes all the others easier to solve.
When health-conscious customers can describe their exact meal requirements and chefs bid to create them, everyone wins:
- Customers get perfect meals at competitive prices
- Chefs build profitable businesses with premium pricing
- Successful chefs need working capital to scale
- Growing chefs need reliable suppliers
- Suppliers get guaranteed payments and predictable volume
It’s not three separate businesses – it’s one ecosystem where each piece strengthens the others.
The new Agiza24
Built on failure, powered by data
Target health-conscious customers
Customers at 1% penetration
Food delivery market size
Current market penetration
Why this time is different
You might be thinking: “Lusabara, you failed for three years. Why should we trust you now?”
Fair question. Here’s why this time is completely different:
Building the best place for people to work
Our first version was a solution looking for a problem. This time, we have 3.7 million people with a specific problem we can solve.
We’re not hoping people will use our platform. We’re building for people who are already desperately searching for what we offer.
We have multiple revenue streams
Before, we relied on delivery commissions. Now we have:
- Marketplace commissions (17% on custom meal orders)
- Supply chain financing (8% interest on 7-day loans)
- Premium subscriptions (advanced features for chefs and customers)
- Data and analytics (business intelligence for partners)
We're building on Tanzania's strengths
Instead of fighting against Tanzania’s infrastructure, we’re leveraging it:
- 99% mobile penetration – everyone has a phone.
- 63.21 million mobile money users – payments are solved.
- 95% of micro-entrepreneurs use mobile money – perfect for our market.
- Cultural preference for custom food – Tanzanians love personalized meals
We have battle-tested experience
Three years of failure taught us exactly what doesn’t work. We’ve made every mistake possible and learned from each one.
Most importantly, we understand the Tanzanian market because we ARE the Tanzanian market.
The proof that we're on the right track
I know what you’re thinking: “This sounds good, but do you have any proof?”
Here’s the data that proves we’re building something real:
Pre-launch validation
0
Talented home Chefs applied to join
0
Customers pre-registered
0
Restaurants signed LOIs
$ 0 M
Financing requests
But here’s what really matters – we have paying customers.
Our 3-month pilot program generated $47,000 in GMV with 94.3% customer satisfaction and 87% repeat customer rate.
People aren’t just interested – they’re paying. And they’re coming back for more.
Grace M.
"I've been cooking professionally for 15 years but never made more than TZS 400,000 per month. With Agiza24's bidding system, I earned TZS 980,000 last month working from home."
Dr. James K.
"Finally! Someone who understands that I need exactly 45g carbs and no sugar for my diabetes. Every meal is perfect for my needs, and the bidding system means I always get the best price."
The future we're building
Here’s what keeps me awake at night (in a good way this time):
We’re not just building a business. We’re creating the infrastructure for Tanzania’s food economy transformation.
Imagine a Tanzania where…
- Every health-conscious person can get meals perfectly tailored to their needs.
- Every talented chef can build a profitable business from home.
- Every food business has access to working capital when they need it.
- Every supplier gets paid on time and can scale their operations.
This isn’t just about food delivery. This is about economic transformation for millions of Tanzanians.
And yes, I know it sounds ambitious. But remember – I’m the guy who failed for three years and still didn’t give up.
The difference is now I know exactly what doesn’t work. And I know exactly what does.
Our growth roadmap
Q2 2025
Launch with 500 chefs and 2,000 customers in Dar es Salaam.
Q4 2025
Expand to 5 cities with supply chain financing.
2026
National coverage with 100,000+ users.
2027
Regional expansion to Kenya and Uganda.
2030
The backbone of East Africa's food economy.
Bold? Yes. Impossible? Not even close.
We have the team, the technology, the market validation, and most importantly – the scars that teach us exactly how to win.
My personal promise to you
If you’re reading this, you’re considering trusting us with something important:
- Your health (if you’re a customer)
- Your business (if you’re a chef or restaurant)
- Your money (if you’re an investor)
Here’s my personal promise:
- I will never again build something that doesn’t solve a real problem for real people.
- I will never again burn through money without clear unit economics.
- I will never again ignore the market in favor of my own assumptions.
- Most importantly: I will never give up on creating a better future for Tanzania’s food economy.
Because the thing about failure is – it only makes you stronger if you learn from it.
And trust me, I’ve learned everything.
Ready to join the real food revolution
This isn’t just another startup story. This is a battle-tested team with a proven model, real customers, and the scars to prove we know how to win.
This isn’t just another startup story. This is a battle-tested team with a proven model, real customers, and the scars to prove we know how to win.
Built by Tanzanians, for Tanzanians. Tested by failure. Powered by persistence.
⚡ Early access spots limited to first 10,000 users
📱 Works with M-Pesa, Tigo Pesa, Airtel Money, Halopesa
🛡️ TFDA certified chefs • BoT licensed financing • Full insurance coverage
Want the full story?
"People always ask me about Agiza24. My answer? 'We're still working on it.' But this time, we're building something that will actually work."
Lusabara,
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