Hustle, the first mobile platform designed for the creative economy in Kenya, has announced Sauti Sol as co-founders.

Hustle enables creators to sell directly to their audiences and get paid instantly. Hustle aims to empower 100,000 creatives across Africa by 2025. 

Launching as a mobile app, Hustle, is a central hub for creatives to manage the entirety of their business from creating storefronts, adding physical and digital products, recording orders, and accepting payments.

Creatives can share their unique store link with their audiences on social and messaging platforms and start earning from their fans immediately. 

“We’re building mobile-first tools to empower creators to grow their business, build relationships with their fans, and manage their finances,” explains CMO Rizz Jiwani, adding,  “We’re excited that Sauti Sol has joined our team. Their success as artists and passion for the creative industry aligns perfectly with our mission.”

Sauti Sol is a Grammy-certified music group who started their career in Nairobi over a decade ago. Their experiences in the local and global creative industry helped shape the Hustle platform.

“We want it to be a creative’s best friend that can cater to all of their business needs,” says Sauti Sol member Bien.

Adding “You can visit my site at bienaime.hustlesasa.shop and purchase my merchandise, album and a special NFT for his newly released EP ‘Bald Men Love Better’. This is the future and we’re excited to take this journey together.”

The creative economy in Kenya is a key contributor to economic growth and employment - it accounts for more than 5% of Kenya’s GDP. This sector includes music, books, performing arts, film, fashion and software industries among others. 

“Hustle enables every creative to build an independent business with no setup costs and no monthly fees,” says Sauti Sol member Savara. “We want to make it easy for creators to build business around their passions.”

In addition to Sauti Sol, Hustle is currently powering commerce for creatives in music such as H_art The Band, Harry Kimani, Yaba, and Sylvia Ssaru; digital artists like Kidd Volt and Njero Hanzo; chefs like Ma Phoebe’s and Bagel Studios; fashion designers like Vinzarts and Sharon Otieno, and beauty brands like Ythera and Washindi Naturals.