Startup Map Hub, a platform founded by Nairobi-based software engineer Duncan Muriithi, is moving beyond its original role as a directory of funding opportunities to offer paid support for founders preparing applications.

The venture launched in October 2025 after Muriithi identified difficulties faced by founders searching for funding, checking eligibility and repeatedly completing similar application forms. It was previously operated as Startup Map Africa, a free directory covering startups, funding opportunities and technology events.

“The directory brought the traffic, but the real bottlenecks are knowing whether you qualify and the hours each application takes,” Muriithi said.

Startup Map Hub opened to founders outside Africa in August after being renamed. Muriithi said the change followed a shift in the platform’s online audience. “Google was showing us to as many Americans as Africans, but almost none clicked a domain with ‘Africa’ in it,” he said.

From discovery to preparation

The platform can recommend five funding programmes and assess whether a startup meets their requirements. Its services may also include pitch-deck reviews, application drafting and workspace tools for preparing submissions through a funder’s own website.

Muriithi began building readiness checks and an application-drafting workspace in March 2026, followed by a pitch-deck editor the next month. Startup Map Hub does not create missing financial figures or submit applications on behalf of founders.

The company began accepting payments in February 2026. Its Basic plan costs $4.99 for one week, while Growth and Premium done-with-you services cost $250 and $999 respectively.

According to figures reported by the company, Startup Map Hub has registered 2,415 founders, with at least 35 paying customers. Muriithi said the business generated more than $2,000 after payments were introduced.

Usage records show 2,260 readiness checks, 182 pitch-deck reviews and 494 applications started in the platform’s workspace. Of those applications, 143 were completed. The company also maintains a directory of 279 investors.

Early results and unanswered questions

Muriithi has bootstrapped the business and remains its only employee. He said three Growth purchases at $250 each produced more revenue than 26 Basic purchases at $4.99 each combined. About one in five customers who purchase a Basic week make another purchase, according to Muriithi.

He reported that Soko Guide, a tourism startup run by Peter Nyaga, reached the second stage of a Baobab funding application after working with Startup Map Hub. Muriithi also said Hadaa.app secured $2,000 in Google Cloud credits and $5,000 in AWS credits with the platform’s help. These outcomes have not been independently confirmed.

Startup Map Hub has only recently begun systematically following up with applicants to record their results. The company has not yet established how frequently users secure funding, meaning its activity figures do not show whether the platform improves founders’ chances of raising money.

Nyaga described the difficulty of applying before using the platform. “Each application took me more than four hours and asked for the same things in different words,” he said. He added that Soko Guide had submitted hundreds of applications without progressing beyond a first stage.

Customer acquisition also remains concentrated. Muriithi said almost every paying customer comes through Google or an AI assistant, leaving the business exposed to changes in how those services direct traffic. “If those platforms change how they send traffic, we feel it immediately,” he said.

For now, Startup Map Hub is attempting to turn interest generated by its directory into paid application-preparation services. Its early registration and usage figures indicate demand, while its limited customer base and lack of established funding-success data leave the platform’s longer-term impact uncertain.