Meet the Team
Caitlin was introduced to Ken through a mutual friend in Nairobi, April 2022. With $10,000 invested, 6 months wasted, no actual product and dwindling initial funding; she was STRESSED. After one particularly unrestful, anxious night she patiently waited until 8am to phone a friend who set up the fateful lunch. After hours long meetings explaining her why and vision, Ken came on board. By July 2022 our beta was in the field and by August we were pivoting into our MVP. Since then it has been an unbelievable experience, with all of the challenges that a journey like ours requires.
Caitlin Seandel, co-founder/ CEO
Caitlin is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and has been living in East Africa since 2017. Leading up to her move, she worked in tech sales for two years, taught English in Phnom Penh and worked through college in bars and restaurants. She moved to Buyobo, Uganda in 2017 as the Fellow for Women’s Microfinance Initiative where she was first introduced to informal sector businesses, microlending, and the dynamics at play for these business owners. It was in this experience that she got the idea for Kuungana. She moved to Kenya at the end of 2019 and started to build Kuungana in 2020. She is a graduate of San Diego State University (BA Women's’ Studies, BA International Security & Conflict Resolution).
Kenneth Waweru, co-founder/CTO
Ken is originally from Nyeri, Kenya, he has lived in Nairobi since graduation. He went to Digital Age Institute, a polytechnic school, with the support of his parents to learn coding, skipping the traditional route of university. At Digital Age Institute he discovered his passion for coding and how talented he is with a keyboard! He has built over 20 android apps and has experience working for banks, startups and private sector businesses. He is also Github’s #1 Kotlin contributor in Kenya and is an algorithmic genius. He is married with two kids and continues to help in his Dad’s small business of rollercoaster rentals at fairs in Kenya.
Meet the Board
Tina Nyamache
is a social enterprise warrior who has worked with Village Capital accelerator helping early-stage impact startups get ready for scale and was a co-founder with Raise. She is now an independent fundraising consultant for different levels of organizations. She believes Kuungana will be even bigger than we imagine and is excited to be joining us at the beginning of our growth journey.
Timothy Laku
is a proven CIO/CTO with over 20 years of expertise in leading large-scale technology transformation initiatives that accelerate growth and foster innovation. With a career spanning the private and nonprofit sectors, he has successfully delivered more than 100+ high-impact technology projects, transforming the operational landscape of organizations across Africa, impacting millions. He is excited to bring Kuungana’s technology to the next level.
Adamou Moussa
works with large companies to turn them around into profitable entities. Currently, he is managing director of a tech company in West Africa working across teams to provide functional solutions that improve efficiencies. He is excited about Kuungana as it aligns with his belief that small businesses are the real economy and developing them is the only way to develop Africa.
Elizabeth Hunt
is a non-profit executive who specializes in creating strategies for impact, fundraising and partnerships. Lizzie wants to do as much good as she can in her life and is excited about what Kuungana is setting out to accomplish.