By turning local mapping into a game-like experience, we empower
communities to
collect valuable
insights that reshape how brands and media agencies invest in Africa's
townships.
Independent field verification in township & informal markets
Know where to send your field teams — and prove what happened.
timbuk2 sends trained local people into township and informal markets to verify what’s really trading — then turns it into a map, a ranked shortlist and a clear next action, with photo, GPS and timestamp proof behind every point.
FIELD-VERIFIED GROUND TRUTH
Verified demandSiteLow-data zone
15greenfield territories
18.9kgreenfield households
100%priorities in low-data
HOW IT WORKS
From field proof to business action.
Trained local people verify what’s really trading on the ground. We structure it with mobility and context data and turn it into maps, ranked lists and a clear next action — so reps, devices and spend go where the market is actually alive.
Ground-Truth Data
Verified, on-the-ground data captured continuously by local contributors — not stale desktop estimates.
Market Penetration, Mapped
See where you already cover and where demand is untapped — down to the corridor and the street.
Route With Confidence
Direct field agents and media spend to real customers, with measurable reach and defensible audiences.
Physical distribution intelligence
Census shows where they sleep.
Not where they transact.
Conventional siting data sees the formal grid. timbuk2 field-verifies the informal economy — where most of Africa actually trades — block by block, so you deploy against real demand instead of the member list.
- 8%
- of live trade falls in “low-data” zones your data can’t see
- 15
- greenfield territories surfaced per corridor
- 3×
- partner ROI in pilot corridors vs. list-led siting
PROOF ON THE GROUND
2M+
FIELD CONTRIBUTORS
Local contributors capturing live
demand,
street by street
15M+
MOBILITY SIGNALS / MO
Device movements powering
catchment and
footfall models
52+
MARKETS MAPPED
Township and peri-urban corridors
— not
just the metros
100k
VERIFIED DATA / DAY
Fresh ground-truth points added
to the
demand map daily
Watch Our Highlight
Our growth is proof that inclusion and profitability can go hand in hand.
OUR STORY
Ground Truth for the Unmapped Economy
Ground Truth for
the Unmapped
Economy
timbuk2 was born out of a simple idea: the people who live in Africa's townships understand them best. Using a gamified mobile experience, community members capture 3D scans of their surroundings — from spaza shops and transport hubs to high-traffic corners and billboards.
From everyday city streets to investable data insights.
THE timbuk2 TEAM
BOARD, ADVISORS & LEGAL
Trusted & procurement-ready
Enterprise-ready from day one.
Backed by
- AWS
- Ninety One
- Endeavor SA
- Exxaro
- Kaleo
Working with
- Old Mutual
- Sanlam
- Primedia
- African Union
- CoGTA
- Altron
- POPIA-safe
- B-BBEE / ESD
- AWS-backed
- InfoSec summary
- Fixed-scope SOW
Featured in Fast Company · Bizcommunity · Africa Tech Festival
The starter pilot
Where should your first team go, what should they prioritise, and why?
We answer that in one corridor, in 10–14 working days, for a fixed fee. No open-ended retainer and no platform to adopt — a scoped, verifiable proof you can take straight to your exec committee.
- Scope One corridor
- Timeline 10–14 working days
- Commercials Fixed fee · fixed scope
What you walk away with
- A field-verified map of the corridor
- A ranked priority list — where to go first, second, third
- Photo, GPS & timestamp evidence for every point
- Field notes captured on the ground
- A clean data spreadsheet you keep
- A recommended first move, argued from the evidence
Book a scoping call You own the data. We hand it over and step back.
Have a Question?
Have a Question?
timbuk2 is redefining how we understand the streets we live and work in. We'd love to tell you more!
timbuk2 ai
Market intelligence for Africa’s real economy
