Over 20 women-led and women-dominated teams took part in the 2021 HiPipo Women in FinTech Hackathon. Among these teams was one named Belle Beauty. At the end of the Hackathon, this team came out with a minimum viable product (MVP) of a platform that would connect beauticians with customers.
But that was just an MVP! Alice Sharon Namugerwa, the founder of Belle Beauty, knew that she had to put a team together to transform this MVP into a functional product that would contribute to Uganda’s economy through connecting beauticians to an already market. Indeed, from 2021 to December 2023, Belle Beauty was redeveloped, made market-ready, and officially launched in January 2024.
Originally conceptualized as a digital platform that connects customers to beauticians like makeup artists, hairdressers, and many others, Belle Beauty has since grown to offer beauty services, sell beauty products, and also do event ticketing.
“In simple words, Belle Beauty is a digital platform that connects its users to beauty and lifestyle solutions. Belle Beauty was conceived as a viable idea four years ago in the HiPipo Women in FinTech Hackathon, the class of 2021. We did the feasibility about two years ago and have since gone on to launch. At first, we were only doing services, then added products and now we have added event ticketing services. Belle Beauty is accessible as an APP downloadable on Google Play and Apple store and also accessible through the website,” Ashley Ainomugisha, the Belle Beauty Publicity Relations Officer said.
She added: “When one downloads the Belle Beauty APP and registers, they can start to place their orders; be it products or services or tickets. At the end of the order, a customer checks out and then the order is received by the service provider. At the checkout point, the customer can then complete the transaction by making a digital payment either through mobile money or a bank transaction. Our services and products are pre-ordered and pre-paid. As Belle Beauty, we ensure that after the payment is made, the service provider completes the service, after which we remit the payment.”
She noted that, so far, Belle Beauty is serving more than 2,000 unique customers and has over 100 listed service providers, product manufacturers, distributors and sellers.
Belle Beauty has featured on Day 11 of 40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative Season 5.
Run under HiPipo’s Include Everyone program that also encompasses other initiatives such as FinTech Landscape Exhibition, Women in FinTech Hackathon, Summit & Incubator, and the Digital and Financial Inclusion Summit and Digital Impact Awards Africa; the #40Days40FinTechs platform aptly provides a setting for the various players and stakeholders involved in digital and financial technology to exhibit their products and services. It also gives players a platform to share their ideas on how the unserved and underserved by the present financial systems can be brought into the fold.
“We are happy to kick off Season Five of 40 Days 40 FinTechs. Last year, we focused on end-user experiences, and this year, we will focus on the innovativeness of the FinTechs. We are having candid discussions with FinTechs about their innovations and latest upgrades and what impact they envision these products and services and upgrades will have on their customers,” Innocent Kawooya, the HiPipo Chief Executive Officer noted.
With over 150 participants in the last four years, #40Days40FinTechs continues to be the world’s premier showcase event for innovations that are enabling underserved populations to join the digital economy space. We know that this can only get better owing to the inspiration and collaboration of our partners; Level One Project, Mojaloop Foundation, INFITX, Cyberplc Academy, Ideation Corner, and Crosslake Technologies. Most importantly, the initiative owes its continued success to the generous support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.