Alexander Odhiambo, Co-founder of Solutech Limited, in this photo taken on March 10, 2025, is revolutionising Africa’s manufacturing and distribution sectors with its Sales Force Automation (SFA) solutions, helping businesses streamline sales, gain real-time insights, and accelerate growth.
What if businesses across Africa could streamline sales, gain real-time insights, and accelerate growth? Solutech Limited is driving digital transformation in the African tech ecosystem, offering cutting-edge Sales Force Automation (SFA) solutions for manufacturers and distributors.
In 2014, Kenya’s rapidly expanding manufacturing and distribution sectors exposed critical operational challenges, including limited field visibility, inefficiencies, and a lack of data-driven decision-making. These barriers stifled business growth and reduced workforce productivity.
Recognising these gaps, four visionary entrepreneurs, Alexander Odhiambo, Mutie Mule, Rayyidh Bayusuf, and Jinal Savla, developed Solutech SAT (Sales Automation Tool) to support businesses of all sizes across Africa.
The rapid growth of Kenyan manufacturers and distributors shaped the company’s initial vision. Their evolving Route-to-Market strategies demanded agile, adaptable solutions—something off-the-shelf and foreign software providers could not always offer.
“To differentiate ourselves, we positioned the company as Africa’s trusted sales and distribution partner. ‘Trusted’ reflects the integrity required to handle vast amounts of business data, while ‘partner’ signifies our dedication to innovating alongside clients as their organisations evolve,” he says.
Recognising the challenges faced by manufacturers and distributors, Solutech SAT provides a comprehensive suite of features designed to streamline operations.
Its core functionalities include van sales, order collection, and payment processing, with ETR printing and M-Pesa integration. The platform also supports retail auditing for merchandisers in supermarkets, providing accurate data collection and compliance monitoring.
Additionally, logistics load planning and route optimisation enhance delivery efficiency, while custom reports and data analytics integrations enable businesses to make informed, data-driven decisions.
These capabilities are further strengthened by AI and machine learning, enabling smarter automation and predictive insights.
Developing a solution to these industry challenges required both technical expertise, constant innovation and resilience, qualities that defined the founding team. He, Mutie, and Rayyidh studied together at university before joining the same company, which shut down within a year.
"Faced with unemployment, we recognised our expertise in technology and problem-solving. With zero capital, we founded the company. Our biggest challenge was gaining the trust of potential clients while keeping pace with the rapidly evolving business landscape," he shares.
As a little-known Kenyan startup, the company faced scepticism about the viability of locally developed solutions in an industry dominated by global tech giants. Also, many manufacturers and distributors hesitated to adopt digital tools, fearing high implementation costs.
Today, Solutech SAT is a comprehensive Salesforce Automation platform supporting over 100 enterprise clients across 11 African countries.
Its success is driven by a dedicated team of 50 professionals committed to innovation and business growth.
The company idea emerged from Odhiambo’s passion for technology and drive to tackle critical challenges in Africa’s manufacturing and distribution sectors. He saw how the lack of efficient, agile and scalable systems was limiting business potential, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Determined to close this gap, he and his partners envisioned a technology-driven solution to streamline operations, enhance sales efficiency, and empower businesses with data-driven decision-making. This vision led to the founding of the venture and the development of its flagship product, Solutech SAT.
"Our growth has been largely driven by referrals, from managers moving between organisations to field users recommending our solution. Many of our customers operate across multiple countries, and our exceptional service has earned their trust in new markets," he says.
He notes that the platform’s adaptable features support diverse Route-to-Market models, while its dedication to customer service ensures close collaboration as an innovation partner.
“Proudly made in Kenya for Africa, we bring deep expertise in the continent’s sales and distribution landscape to deliver impactful solutions,” he says.
The journey to establishing the company came with its fair share of challenges, particularly in the early stages.
Gaining buy-in from manufacturers and distributors was a hurdle, as many were hesitant to adopt digital tools due to perceived high implementation costs.
Financial limitations, access to great talent and long sales cycle, posed difficulties in our growth process.
Despite these obstacles, the team continued refining their solutions to provide businesses with greater operational visibility and control.
What began as a simple idea to streamline sales processes has evolved into a sophisticated Sales Force Automation tool, designed to help field sales agents sell smarter by leveraging AI insights and in the process help businesses manage sales teams.
The platform can track inventory, and access real-time insights, and continuously improves through user feedback.
“Over time, we innovated beyond basic sales tracking to include advanced reporting, AI powered selling, customer relationship management (CRM), payment processing and major ERP integrations. This adaptability has made our company a vital asset for manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, regardless of their size or market reach,” he notes.
Its expansion in East, West and Southern Africa has been driven by the growing demand for sales automation tools, rapid digital transformation, and the need for scalable solutions. Customers with operations in multiple countries have also played a significant role in this growth.
Understanding varied business environments and tailoring offerings to specific market needs have strengthened the company’s presence in key markets, including Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zambia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
With a vision to 'paint Africa blue,' the company is focused on strengthening partnerships and expanding its presence across the continent.
“Our goal is to become the trusted sales and distribution partner for businesses across Africa, adapting to the evolving needs of the manufacturing and distribution sectors. This includes powering end-to-end technology ecosystems for both B2B and B2C models, streamlining operations across all sales channels,” he says.
As digital transformation reshapes industries, it plays a key role in guiding manufacturers through this journey, helping them understand the impact of technology and data on long-term sustainability.
Beyond providing sales automation tools, the company is expanding into the data space, offering analytics as a service to support informed decision-making. Recognising that many businesses struggle to access experienced data analysts, this initiative aims to bridge the gap.
The company is also exploring emerging technologies such as IoT and telematics to enhance its offerings and further empower African businesses. Innovation and continuous improvement are deeply embedded in its culture, with significant investments in AI through Project EVA.
This initiative integrates advanced features like predictive analytics, gamification, smart insights, shelf image recognition, and agentic AI to enhance Solutech SAT.
Sales force automation in Africa is evolving, with businesses shifting toward B2B models with fewer field agents, while AI-driven solutions shape industry trends. Changing consumer preferences toward healthier products are also influencing manufacturing and distribution strategies.
“We are proactively supporting this shift with scalable, tech-driven solutions. To expand our impact beyond our current 100+ clients, we are strengthening our presence in key markets by deploying business development executives and leveraging regional partnerships,” he concludes.
