Every startup founder shares the same silent dread: building a brilliant product is one thing, but finding the first users who will try it, test it, and share honest feedback is often the hardest step. That treacherous leap from ‘great idea’ to ‘great product’ is the exact space we set out to conquer with our Beta Space Programme.
We facilitated the first edition of Beta Space in September 2025. It is designed to give startups a safe space to test their ideas with real people, early adopters who are curious, open-minded, and willing to give constructive feedback. It’s about creating a community where innovation can grow stronger through collaboration and honest feedback.
Our debut session kicked off with the vibrant team from Everything Zimbabwean, who were ready to unveil their new e-commerce platform. Participants had the chance to explore, shop, and navigate the site while sharing insights that will help refine the platform before it scales. This led to genuine user experiences, practical suggestions, and a startup team empowered with the knowledge to improve and grow.
Next up, we hosted Choto Energy, a truly game-changing platform transforming how communities access and share off-grid solar power. The session was a powerful, hands-on walkthrough. Our audience got to explore how easily communities could rent power banks, and access solar cold storage, through Choto’s platform. We then welcomed Sekai Finder, a restaurant discovery platform built to redefine convenience for the everyday person. What makes one restaurant finder truly convenient over another is never what the engineer thinks. It was fascinating to dive into the core of user desires, what they genuinely deem important when they’re hungry and looking for a meal. The Sekai Finder team walked away with a crystal-clear map of user priorities, ensuring their platform doesn’t just list restaurants, but genuinely simplifies the user’s life.
At its heart, Beta Space bridges the gap between vision and reality. For startups, this means access to early adopters who can shape their products into something truly user-friendly. For participants, it’s an opportunity to be part of innovation from the ground up. We are incredibly excited to continue this journey and watch how many more bold, world-changing ideas will evolve into impactful, user-tested solutions, all with the collaborative power of our Beta Space community.
