About: User-generated content is becoming an increasingly important source of information during emergency events while traditional media continues to play a pivotal role in documenting events as they unfold. These trends are expected to continue well into the future. The challenge, then, becomes filtering this growing torrent of information. There is an apparent tradeoff between crowdsourcing (opening the floodgates) and validation (the filter). One of the strengths of crowdsourcing is the ability to collect a high volume of information from diverse channels like Twitter, Email, News sites, blogs, and SMS.

SwiftRiver acts as the verifying filter for these different channels and is possible precisely because of the volume of information available from these sources. The more information generated, the more the community interacts with it, and the easier it becomes to identify mutually trusted sources.

Our Role: Appfrica staff members are the core developers responsible for this open source projects continued development and progress. Jon Gosier handles system architecture, roadmap, UX, UI, visualization, and manages the project’s open source community. Matt Griffiths handles Technical Architecture, lead development and scalability. Ivan Kavuma handles additional development on the platform.

Awards: n/a

Appfrica Labs began as a software consultancy that develops innovative solutions for developing countries. We serve a global list of clients, working to collaboratively develop creative solutions for some of the region’s most challenging problems. The company was founded in 2008 after CEO Jon Gosier arrived in Kampala, Uganda and saw the untapped potential of Kampala’s skilled tech sector. This leads to ‘brain-drain’ as Uganda’s best and brightest go abroad for work. Appfrica was founded to indentify individuals with talent, passion and training, picking up where the university leaves off to help them improve their technical skills, while mentoring their growth and solidifying their business skills. Appfrica is entirely self-funded and has operated and scaled solely on revenue earned.

As a self-funded venture, we operate with a two-part business model. As an incubator, we support promising entrepreneurs with both funding and expertise, supporting them through the process of turning good ideas into successful technology products. As a software company, our full-time staff consults with global clients to develop unique social networking, ‘mobile-to-web’ software and hardware solutions, often incorporating the residents of our incubator into this work. We are proud to be able to serve clients with high value services while seeding unique ideas and funding innovation in Uganda.

Appfrica’s offices in Uganda are also an open environment for any young business to ‘nest’ while they are trying to grow. We call this our 10K Space. In the same tradition, our 10,000 Hour Initiative is an effort to get professionals to mentor and nurture creativity amongst youth. To find out more click here.

What the Press has to Say

CNN “Founded in 2008, Appfrica Labs is a unique space in Kampala, offering jobs and startup support to young Ugandan developers with bright ideas.”

PCWorld “…African technology gurus.”

New York Times “…a sort of technology incubator called Appfrica Labs, which provides budding entrepreneurs with investment capital, a stable salary, a structured workplace…”