PressOne Africa, a Nigerian customer insight platform launched in 2021 by Opeyemi Shokunbi and Mayowa Okegbenle, has reached a significant milestone in its short but impactful history. The platform, designed to facilitate the rapid setup of professional phone systems for businesses of any size, now serves over 3,000 enterprises across the continent.
The origins of PressOne Africa are rooted in a personal experience faced by Okegbenle, who encountered difficulties in obtaining an official business phone line that could offer a professional greeting and disseminate relevant business information. Frustrated by the lack of suitable, readily accessible solutions outside of traditional network providers, Okegbenle and his co-founder Shokunbi embarked on the creation of a platform that would allow businesses to set up their phone systems with minimal effort and maximum efficiency.
PressOne Africa’s offering allows businesses to secure a dedicated phone number, along with access to a web-based solution that enables comprehensive oversight of team communications. The platform provides businesses with the tools to configure customer interactions, monitor calls, and annotate conversations, all within a matter of minutes.
Initially launched with an Android application, PressOne Africa has since broadened its availability to include Web, iOS, and Chrome platforms. The solution is also integrated with widely-used customer engagement tools such as Zoho, Hubspot, and Freshdesk. According to Okegbenle, the market landscape lacks alternatives that prioritise the accessibility and affordability of business phone solutions to the extent that PressOne Africa does.
Since its inception, PressOne Africa has secured backing from notable investors, including Ventures Platform, Techstars, Voltron Capital, Impact Hub, and a consortium of angel investors, raising in excess of US$1 million. The platform’s success in Nigeria has emboldened it to pursue ambitious expansion plans, including the provision of phone numbers from an additional 25 countries and the extension of its services to Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa.
Beyond its core offering, PressOne Africa has diversified its product suite to encompass services such as Voice OTP, Bulk Voice Campaigns, and embeddable voice technology. These advancements enable developers and product owners to integrate phone call capabilities directly into their applications, a feature particularly useful for sectors such as logistics and e-commerce.
PressOne Africa’s business model revolves primarily around subscription revenue, supplemented by usage-based earnings from services like Voice OTP and Bulk Voice Campaigns. As it continues to grow, the platform remains steadfast in its commitment to providing accessible and efficient business communication solutions across Africa.
