Nairobi News

All too often I hear about an event that has happened and wonder how I missed out. I tend to keep an ear to the ground but there’s always one or two that evade my diary. So, this week I discovered my new favourite website – MapJam.

Oriented towards business, artists and events, MapJam allows artists, designers and event organisers, to advertise their gigs, events, create profiles, interact and share ‘what’s happening’ with Nairobians.

The product of two great minds, Harvey Herr and Steven Mutua, it is a site that came together over two years. It has allowed people to capitalise on their talent and connect with others in the industry.

For example, if you’re an artist with a gig or exhibition you could get other interested parties together (other artists or sponsors) using the site, this saves a lot of time. Advertisers can also see all the events that are going on in Nairobi and, based on attendance, back the event.

So how did it all get started? More than a few years ago, Harvey Herr used to run DJ nights and a small record label in Nairobi. While he was in college he started recording bands from the National Theatre and would come back after every term to try to make things work.

This experience taught him that talented artists are working in a difficult environment because it was difficult to connect with people and because there weren’t many services to support talent. Essentially, a lack of promotion, connection and services.

I am not an artist but as a user interested in knowing what’s going on in the city, what I really like is that I can see all the events that are and also where across the city. This feature is encapsulated in their slogan ‘Don’t get Lost, Find it’.

MapJam is currently a semi-finalist in this year’s Pivot East, East Africa’s premier mobile startups pitching competition. All the best to them!