Santam buys home services startup Kandua

Gloria Tapon-Njamo, Acting-CEO of Santam’s Partnership Solutions business unit | image supplied

Kandua will merge with Santam’s existing home service offering, Home+, forming a wholly owned, independent subsidiary of the insurer.

“Kandua’s talent, technology and customer base are valuable assets for our business, as it opens up new avenues for client growth and digital innovation.

The business has an established technology and extensive network of customers,” says Gloria Tapon-Njamo, CEO of Santam Partnership Solutions.

“Critically, this is a strategic acquisition aimed at accelerating our digital innovation and expansion into new market segments.

This acquisition expands the impact that Santam can have on informal artisans and small businesses, through access to training, enabling business growth, job creation, financial inclusion and introducing products tailored for their needs,” she added.

Kandua was founded by entrepreneurs Sayo Folawiyo and Arjun Khoosal in 2014 to help small businesses grow, through connecting professional services firms with consumers.

On a monthly average, Kandua connects over 40,000 vetted home service companies to about R50m worth of work opportunities from individual and business customers.

The Kandua.com website offers an online marketplace for home services that enable consumers to connect with, compare and hire professionals across hundreds of service types, such as plumbers, electricians, carpenters, and more.

Service providers can use the ‘Kandua for Pros’ app to find new customers and manage their core business processes.