African mobile social network 2go has shot to fame in Africa’s tech scene owing to its rapid growth.

The service, which offers both anonymous chat rooms and instant messaging services, has gone on to reach over 20 million registered users. Feature phone users have been registered the largest level of takeup for the startup.

But after the launch of an Android app, 2go is firmly looking to expand its smartphone reach as well.

ITWeb Africa assistant editor Simnikiwe Mzekandaba has interviewed one of the co-founders of 2go, Alan Wolff.

SIMNIKIWE MZEKANDABA: What was the motivation behind the launch of 2go?

ALAN WOLFF: We had worked on a few small software projects together throughout university and realised we had great working chemistry. We shared the desire to launch something which could have global impact and ultimately enrich people’s lives. At the time the mobile social networking market was starting to grow, so we saw this as an opportunity to launch the product and aim for substantial market share.

SIMNIKIWE MZEKANDABA: And what type service does 2go provide?

ALAN WOLFF: 2go is a mobile social network designed to be cross-platform, with a focus on feature phones and low-end smartphones. It allows people around the world to message each other and socialise online at a fraction of the cost of SMS.

SIMNIKIWE MZEKANDABA: How has the response been like?

ALAN WOLFF: The response has been very positive - 2go has over 20 million registered users across South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria of which 10 million are active in Nigeria and 1.5 million in South Africa. 2go currently delivers over 7 billion messages per month.

SIMNIKIWE MZEKANDABA: How big is the team? How many people were/are involved in kick starting 2go?

ALAN WOLFF: The team is currently consists of +- 15 people. Ashley and Alan were the drivers behind launching the business, friends and family would assist with sharing technical knowledge and other resources.

SIMNIKIWE MZEKANDABA: What was the starting process like did you experience any hurdles along the way?

ALAN WOLFF: The process was gruelling since we soon realised that in order to grow a company offering a great product, we would need to drastically improve both our software development and business skill sets. We’ve had to pour immense time and energy into developing a great product alongside a scalable backend system. That being said, it’s been a fun ride.

SIMNIKIWE MZEKANDABA: Did you even imagine that the take up of the 2go service would be so quick and popular?

ALAN WOLFF: We knew that if we produced a good enough product, we would have a good chance at gaining substantial market share. Once we were satisfied with the quality of the product, we started to experience exponential growth.

SIMNIKIWE MZEKANDABA: How important is the mobile phone industry in Africa's technology space?

ALAN WOLFF: Very important – the scenario right now is that mostly across Africa the mobile phone is the only way for people to reach the internet and thus connect to the rest of the world. This is because the mobile phone is affordable, portable and powerful as a communication device.

SIMNIKIWE MZEKANDABA: Do you think more entrepreneurs should look at mobile as platform in which to start technology startups?

ALAN WOLFF: Definitely – there is potential to reach millions of people throughout the world, it’s also a fun space to be in.

SIMNIKIWE MZEKANDABA: How would you like to expand your business further?

ALAN WOLFF: We will continue to focus on our core social offering and continuously improve the user experience and add more features.

We’re focused on growing our team in order to achieve these goals.

We plan on launching in other countries as well as offer our product on more mobile platforms. This means evolving with our users as they shift from feature to smart phones.

SIMNIKIWE MZEKANDABA: What are your thoughts on the technology startup space in Africa?

ALAN WOLFF: There aren’t enough startups – the mobile market in Africa has many wonderful opportunities, more entrepreneurs should enter the space in order to take advantage of them.

SIMNIKIWE MZEKANDABA: In terms of competition what is like in this industry?

ALAN WOLFF: It’s highly competitive, we realise we need to offer a great product in order to compete. We work hard every day in order to improve our offering and to satisfy our users.

SIMNIKIWE MZEKANDABA: How is 2go setting itself apart from the rest?

ALAN WOLFF: We’re an African company focused on Africa. Most companies are focusing on high-end smartphones.

We’re trying to build the best feature phone based social network out there since it’s still the most popular device in Africa. We’re also targeting low-end Android devices which are gaining popularity throughout Africa. This will allow current feature phone users to migrate to our smartphone app.

SIMNIKIWE MZEKANDABA: Would you encourage someone to get involved in establishing a technology start up?

ALAN WOLFF: Definitely, it’s probably the best way to rapidly grow as a person and can be used as a platform for you to share your vision with the rest of the world.