Ramani: Iain Usiri

In the bustling markets and neighbourhoods of Africa, a network of distributors forms the backbone of countless businesses, providing essential goods to communities far and wide. Behind the scenes, these distributors often face operational challenges that hinder their growth.

Ramani set out to change how distributors operate. Its supply chain management tools help them manage inventory and generate the data that unlocks access to financing: letting them scale, replenish stock, and contribute to the economic growth of their communities.

We sat down with Iain Usiri, who leads Ramani.

What motivated you to start this company, and what gaps did you see in the market?

I was born and raised here in Tanzania, and my dream had always been to come back and make a positive impact. My college essay was about returning home and building infrastructure for my community.

After experiencing world-class education at Stanford and being part of a remarkable institution like Salesforce, I felt self-actualised. I wanted to provide that feeling and opportunity to people from my home. I understood the profound impact a great institution can have on a community, a society, and on individual lives. So I set out to build an institution here at home.

My brother, one of my co-founders and a close friend, shared the vision. We discussed the risks and the potential rewards of giving up our immigration status in the U.S. and returning home. We realised that even if we failed, the impact of success here would be far more meaningful than any success we could achieve in the U.S. That conviction led us to book a one-way flight home in 2019.

Once we returned, we asked ourselves which problems have the most significant impact on people’s lives in Africa. Our focus turned quickly to retail, particularly consumer packaged goods, because it touches the lives of everyday Africans. We went through three iterations, including starting as a distributor ourselves and later offering SaaS to third-party distributors. We settled on providing SaaS and credit services together.

What strategies did you use to secure funding, and what advice do you have for other founders?

My brother and I leveraged our savings from previous work. We lived frugally and set that money aside as seed capital. It gave us confidence when we returned to Tanzania. Founders should enter the battle prepared: not just for the possibility of failure, but to endure the uncertainty that comes your way. Whether it is savings or a partner who can support you, a financial backup is critical.

We were the first investors in Ramani. The plan was always to return home, identify a problem, generate traction, get into an accelerator, and kick-start from there. That worked more or less as intended: the traction became our stepping stone into Y Combinator.

On fundraising advice, my core principle is traction, traction, traction. It is essential, particularly in emerging markets. Concentrate on executing and gaining traction; the capital follows, because undeniable traction is a compelling argument. That is my strategy: tangible proof rather than elaborate storytelling.

You always intended to join an accelerator. What motivated that choice?

I am a big fan of accelerators. We are members of Y Combinator and StartX, the Stanford accelerator community. StartX does not take equity or provide capital, but the value is the community: you become an alum with access to a vast knowledge base, and it lends credibility and connections.

As a founder it can be a lonely journey, and being part of these communities can make a world of difference. I have seen African startups succeed without them, so it is a personal choice, but it is something I always aspired to do.

What obstacles did you encounter while scaling, and how did you address them?

The most significant obstacle was finding the right talent. It was not about intelligence or work ethic: smart, hardworking people are everywhere. The real need was for people who had seen and managed fast growth. In environments that had not previously seen that kind of growth, the tribal knowledge was missing.

In the early stages, a small, nimble team with skilled founders can get the job done, especially once you have found product-market fit. But as you scale quickly you need people who know how to run a growing organisation and can consistently deliver. In mature markets there are people with experience in small businesses or large, slow-growing corporations, but they lack expertise in hypergrowth. Sourcing that talent has been a real hurdle.

As a leader, how do you keep your team motivated and engaged?

Three things. First, personal connection: I make an effort to be highly accessible, to sit and eat with employees, and to build real relationships. Second, employee wellbeing: we focus on the details and make sure everyone, from guards to senior staff, feels comfortable and cared for. Third, rituals: monthly all-hands meetings and CEO office hours build trust and buy-in, and carry the vision through the company.

Can you share a decision that had unexpected negative consequences?

Not all my decisions have produced the outcomes I wanted. One recent example was moving from a flexible remote culture to a more rigid return-to-office policy. We had allowed people to work remotely as long as they hit their targets and contributed to their teams, and that approach had led to incredible growth.

I made the executive decision to bring everyone back with fixed hours, to improve collaboration and information flow and make people more accessible to each other. It faced more pushback than I anticipated: it felt like we were taking something away after two and a half years. Time will tell whether it was the right call and what it did to our culture and our ability to attract talent.

How have you incorporated customer feedback into your product?

The clearest example is our shift to mobile. Initially we provided a web dashboard for owners, and the mobile experience was designed for salespeople and inventory managers. Feedback from owners told us they needed a stronger mobile experience.

Building a dedicated app brought its own challenges: downloads, competing for device memory. So we built a WhatsApp interface instead. Owners interact with us through WhatsApp and receive procurement data and sales reports there. We then extended it, using WhatsApp as a gateway to our web portal: users start a chat bot conversation, select menu options, and move into a mobile web experience. That change significantly improved engagement, and it came entirely from users.

How do you balance innovation against financial stability?

Largely on intuition. My co-founders and I have developed a sense of when the company is ready to experiment and when it should focus on fundamentals.

Right now the priority is becoming cash flow positive, which means hyper-focusing on our industry and go-to-market. This is not the time for experiments. We will open up again when the company is in a stronger position. We consider the balance sheet, runway and the marginal cost of experiments, but ultimately it is a judgement call. There is no fixed formula.

What achievement are you particularly proud of?

Our national camera network. It is the high-tech infrastructure Ramani always dreamed of building: cameras in the warehouses of every distributor and customer, allowing real-time inventory tracking. Reaching 99% uptime was a significant accomplishment, and the setup is cost-effective because CCTV hardware is built for reliability.

We are adding an AI layer that captures and processes passive data for collateral management, enabling real-time tracking and discrepancy detection. It genuinely sets us apart.

What were your biggest hardships getting here?

Fundraising. Raising substantial capital as an early-stage company in an emerging market: with a model that is well established in Korea or the United States but less proven in our region: has been a challenging journey. Building investor trust and convincing them to commit at scale was not easy, but we managed it.

What advice would you offer founders starting or expanding into Africa?

Two things.

Understand local market economics. Comprehend the economic dynamics of the market you are targeting. In emerging markets labour costs are far lower than in developed regions, and that changes your business model, value proposition, sales cycles, customer acquisition cost, retention and pricing. You have to examine the implicit assumptions built into your product and ask whether they hold here.

Leverage proven business models. Investors favour models that have worked elsewhere. It may not be the most exciting approach, but adapting a successful model to the African context is a smart move. It instils confidence, because investors already understand the model’s potential.

What legacy do you hope Ramani leaves?

I want Ramani to be to Tanzania what Samsung is to South Korea. Samsung is not just a business; it is a transformative force in the country’s development, part of the story of how businesses contributed to the economic transformation of a society.

For Ramani, the goal is to replicate that. We want young Tanzanians to find opportunities for growth, self-actualisation and value creation. We want to instil the right values and empower people economically. And we want Ramani’s success to put Tanzania on the world stage as a significant player, creating value across the African continent.

The ultimate impact goes beyond financial success. It is about societal transformation and economic empowerment.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Remember that a business is a collection of people working toward a shared goal. As an engineer, my instinct was to focus on systems and processes, looking at people as parts in a larger machine. But organisations are composed of people with their own incentives, strengths, weaknesses and experiences.

The key takeaway is the significance of choosing the right individuals to travel with. In the end it comes down to the quality of the people you surround yourself with. Prioritise people and their wellbeing: they are the foundation of any successful organisation.