4 ms·

> Which one would you prioritize? I'd absolutely prioritize doing three easy things if I'm strapped for cash, can't hire new developers and need all focus on m

> Which one would you prioritize? I'd absolutely prioritize doing three easy things if I'm strapped for cash, can't hire new developers and need all focus on my initial market. I totally understand why nobody immediately starts offering their product globally. But when your product has matured, you've secured the next $10m (or $50m or $100m) in funding, you no longer have a single product manager, you can rent offices in Nigeria and hire locals who know the market and the requirements, and you can hire additional developers to deal with local quirks etc, why wouldn't you? Is the attention at the C-level spread so thin that even choosing someone who will set up a local team is taking too much away from growing the core product? I have no doubt that it's easiest to wait, have somebody else develop the market and then buy them. But it also costs a lot of money. Is not having to figure out how to work with M Pesa worth $200m?

Kalium 6y ago
> I have no doubt that it's easiest to wait, have somebody else develop the market and then buy them. But it also costs a lot of money. Is not having to figure out how to work with M Pesa worth $200m? I think that would depend a lot on your scenario. If you're not currently doing business in Kenya, the ability to accept payment through MPesa is probably worth close to $0. If you're operating in Kenya, the ability to accept payment through MPesa is probably quite high. My takeaway from this is that the ability to accept MPesa payments is one part of a system that, as you say, can be incredibly valuable and worth lots of money. It's just possible that it's only worth anything in a context where accepting MPesa is valuable. Regardless, international expansion is not something to be taken lightly. It's perhaps not always as simple as the local market being the same as yours modulo a few minor local quirks.

Kalium 6y ago

> I have no doubt that it's easiest to wait, have somebody else develop the market and then buy them. But it also costs a lot of money. Is not having to figure out how to work with M Pesa worth $200m? I think that would depend a lot on your scenario. If you're not currently doing business in Kenya, the ability to accept payment through MPesa is probably worth close to $0. If you're operating in Kenya, the ability to accept payment through MPesa is probably quite high. My takeaway from this is that the ability to accept MPesa payments is one part of a system that, as you say, can be incredibly valuable and worth lots of money. It's just possible that it's only worth anything in a context where accepting MPesa is valuable. Regardless, international expansion is not something to be taken lightly. It's perhaps not always as simple as the local market being the same as yours modulo a few minor local quirks.