Mstudio

Mstudio is a mobile-focused startup studio founded in 2022 and headquartered at the Ivoire Trade Center in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. It is the first mobile-focused startup studio in francophone West Africa. Its purpose is to adapt proven mobile-first business models from anglophone Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America to the informal economy of French-speaking West Africa, which accounts for more than 80% of the region's economy.

The studio's method is systematic. Its team has researched over 400 proven business models from anglophone Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America, from which it selects and localises opportunities. The stated ambition is to launch 10 startups annually. A 10-person multidisciplinary core team provides the operating capability behind that cadence, spanning mobile-first product development, UI/UX design, product development, growth marketing, talent acquisition, corporate finance, and business model research and adaptation.

Two programmes form the core of its work. The Entrepreneur in Residence programme recruits exceptional entrepreneurs and provides financial support, mentorship and infrastructure to validate ideas, build prototypes and pitch to an investment committee. The startup studio acceleration programme then gives admitted startups 12 months of intensive support from the core team across design, finance, product, talent and growth.

Mstudio states a particular focus on empowering women and youth as founders and leaders in the tech ecosystem, and works across the informal economy, mobile technology and tech entrepreneurship verticals in French-speaking West Africa.