My Founder Journey: From a Student Problem to Utagy

By Yona Massawe, Founder of Utagy

My journey with Utagy started when I was a student at the Tanzania Institute of Accountancy (TIA). I struggled to find good and affordable accommodation, and I realized that many other students were facing the same problem.

I didn't know how to build a technology product, so I started learning. I spoke with developers, attended meetings, and eventually began building the product myself using new AI tools like Lovable.

I pitched Utagy at a TIA business competition and became one of the winners. That opportunity took me to South Africa, where I visited Wits University and shared the idea with people there.

After returning home, I continued building. My friends Ansi and Joseph supported me along the way.

The journey wasn't easy. There were times when I worked from my grandmother's church, using the internet and computers there, and even slept on the floor while building Utagy.

I also tested the idea in the real world by taking a room in a place where I was staying and turning it into a small hostel operation. It generated more than one million Tanzanian shillings, giving me my first real proof that the idea could create value.

I'm still building Utagy, still learning, and still facing challenges.

What started as a problem I experienced as a student has become a bigger mission: using technology to solve real problems and create better opportunities in Africa.