Kenyans are known for their resilience and determination. The story of Diana Muturia is one that depicts just that. From doing domestic jobs in the United States to suffering the indignity of homelessness and rising to establish a startup that went on to emerge among winners of the Impact Accelerator for Underrepresented Founders by Amazon Web Services (AWS). Her start-up earned
Here is the story of the founder of Clyn-how she won Sh27 million-as told by WoK.
Journey
Diana Muturia first relocated to the USA while aged 18 years old to join college to pursue a course in maths and chemical engineering. She was supposed to buy textbooks worth USD200 which she couldn’t afford at the time forcing her to take up domestic jobs such as cleaning people’s houses and pet-sitting to cover her expenses.
She dropped out of college during her last year due to financial constraints. Due to her heavy accent, it proved difficult to get formal jobs forcing her to continue cleaning houses full time to put food on the table. While she was working in Phoenix, Arizona, she met other cleaners who shared their stories and how they came to their present conditions. Speaking to those immigrants, Diana saw similarities between her story and theirs and thought to do something to help them hence the birth of Clyn.
Establishing Clyn App
Clyn is a platform founded in December 2015, which connects homeowners to home-service providers. During a past interview with one of the local publications, Diana explained that Clyn comes through for cleaners who hustle every day to put food on the table.
“If you don’t have the resources for a marketing team, for an accounting team, for a finance team, Clyn says, ‘Listen, do what you need to do in terms of cleaning the homes. We’ll get that sorted for you.’ I think it’s fair to say Clyn is the Microsoft of the Cleaning industry, because the industry is so mismanaged and fragmented, while Clyn is a one-stop product which helps home-service providers get jobs and manage their business at the same time,” she told Authority Magazine.
Clyn app helps cleaners get insurance cover, dictate their prices and rates. The app works in a way clients can search for cleaners or other home service providers in their area. For cleaners, it gives them an opportunity to easily market themselves while clients have the option to save money by providing their own supplies. The company also runs an online store where they sell branded cleaning merchandise such as silicon scrubbers, sling bags and anti-fog face cover. Today the company has five employees, two in Kenya while three are based in the USA. Apart from Clyn, Diana hosts the Boss Lady events in Phoenix which brings together incredible women in the area to bond and share their expertise in different fields.
Winning the Ksh27 million
In April Amazon Web Services (AWS), which is owned by Billionaire Jeff Bezos, announced an accelerator fund valued at Ksh3.6 billion. The fund targeted under-represented founders where each successful startup would receive up to USD225,000 as well as training, mentoring and technical guidance. On October 3rd 2022, Clyn was selected for the first cohort of the accelerator program for female founders. The company is among 25 companies picked for an eight-week program that kicks off this week. After the program, all the 25 startups are expected to receive a lump sum amount of USD 225,000 (Ksh 27 million).
