AI start-up Cloud23 expands into Africa

Nsuku Khosa
By Nsuku Khosa, ITWeb intern
Johannesburg, 20 Nov 2025
Ram Ramakrishnan, the founder of Cloud23.
Ram Ramakrishnan, the founder of Cloud23.

Cloud23, an artificial intelligence (AI) advisory firm founded in Johannesburg in 2021, has rapidly expanded its operations to 15 African countries, showing the continent's growing demand for the technology. 

The company, which focuses on helping large businesses use AI to increase efficiency and cut costs, reported double-digit revenue growth as it pushes its services across key markets including South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda.

When it comes to skills, Cloud23, which has 200 employees, says that much of its workforce is African.

Ram Ramakrishnan, founder of Cloud23, adds that the firm is committed to developing African talent to solve local challenges.

“By blending local expertise with international best practice, we have scaled rapidly while keeping operations nimble and cost-efficient,” says Ramakrishnan.

The firm believes that by helping local businesses adopt AI, it is positioned to support a growth wave that, according to projections from the Brookings Institute, could potentially double the GDP growth rate of African countries by 2035.

The firm's client list includes several large multinational corporations and financial institutions, including Standard Bank, Capitec, Stanlib, and Absa.

One of Cloud23’s key innovations is an AI-powered Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) system, named Fallon. This system offers a strategic revenue guidance solution for a fraction of the cost of traditional CRO roles.

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