How AI helps city startups turn M-Pesa data into smart business insights

Peter Chege trimming a client's hair./HANDOUT

For many Nairobi entrepreneurs, running a business means juggling spreadsheets, guessing customer behaviour, and hoping cash flow will balance.

And for Njoki Njoroge, founder of Mandevu Beard Care, it was no different. That was until an AI-powered app gave her real-time insights into her sales.

“Now I know my repeat customers, peak buying hours, and where demand is strongest,” she says. “You’re moving from guessing to knowing.”

Peter Chege, owner of Master Stylists Hair Salon and Barbershop, says the tool helps track customer frequency and spending patterns, enabling targeted discounts and smarter staffing.

The improved visibility has supported revenue growth and even a recent salon expansion.

This transformation is powered by Auni, an AI mini-app developed by Nairobi-based startup Fastagger and integrated into the M-Pesa Business Super App.

Within three months, Auni has on-boarded over 3,500 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), turning everyday M-Pesa transactions into actionable business intelligence.

“Big corporations pay people to understand the market,” Chege notes. “With this, we get that insight for far less.”

Mandevu production workstation./HANDOUT

According to Fastagger CEO Mutembi Kariuki, Auni converts M-Pesa PDF statements into structured dashboards using optical character recognition and lightweight AI models. The lightweight AI models are optimised for low-cost smartphones and low-connectivity environments. Entrepreneurs can visualise sales patterns, cash flow trends, and customer behaviour without any IT expertise.

With MSMEs accounting for 90 per cent of African businesses and 70 per cent of employment, access to affordable AI can strengthen resilience, protect jobs, and boost profitability. Kariuki said even a five per cent increase in customer retention can translate to a 25 per cent profit boost.

Looking ahead, Fastagger plans to expand Auni into healthcare, manufacturing, and agriculture, introducing generative AI that allows business owners to ask natural-language questions about their operations and receive instant insights.

For Nairobi’s small businesses, AI is no longer a distant tool for big corporations — it’s a practical partner, turning everyday transactions into smarter decisions and growth opportunities.