It may be a long way from home but it took just two years for a trio of young techies to take their web-based startup from a classroom in Ghana to the world 's technology capital , California 's Silicon Valley . In November 2011 , Ghanaian entrepreneurs David Osei , Kamil Nabong and Philips Effah founded Dropifi , an online tool that helps businesses sort customer feedback online . About 20 months later , it has become the first African company to join the 500 Startups program , a Silicon Valley-based seed accelerator and investment fund . `` I never thought of moving to the Valley as soon as this , because basically we want to build a global startup company right from Ghana that is going to service the whole world , '' says Osei , Dropifi 's chief executive . `` But coming to the Valley is definitely a step ahead of what we had imagined . '' Read this : 10 African startups you need to know . The team 's journey to the world 's biggest startup ecosystem started at the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology in Accra , Ghana 's capital . `` David approached me and said , 'this is the idea , ' '' remembers Effah , Dropifi 's chief technical officer . `` He realized that businesses lose a lot of information online because of this long and scary contact form ( on their websites ) . I realized that there is a huge potential for it . '' That idea became Dropifi , a widget that seeks to replace what it describes as `` the era of long and scary website 'contact us ' forms '' and `` still deliver business-critical insights and a spam-free customer engagement . '' The tool helps business monitor customer feedback . It analyzes demographics , industry trends and the emotions behind the messages , to help companies respond effectively to customers . It also taps into social media platforms so companies can have a broader customer reach . `` We have the person 's social media profiles online up here , '' says Nabong . `` This gives you different channels that you can even contact people from , '' he adds . `` So I can just go to this person 's Twitter profile and tweet to him , or maybe send him a Facebook message , and this makes multichannel communication very easy for you . '' Read this : Tech hub working on 'Nigeria 's next big idea ' The entrepreneurs received their first batch of funding for the company after taking part in the Accra Start-Up Weekend , a competition for entrepreneurs . `` We came out as the winners of it , particularly because we were able to convince about 20 companies in Ghana to become paying clients of the service , '' says Osei . Dropifi also took first place in the Global Start-Up Open Competition in 2012 and won the top prize funded by the U.S.-based Kauffman Foundation . The team flew to Brazil earlier this year to claim that award and it was there that they first met Dave McClure , founder of the 500 Startups program . Osei did n't hesitate to lobby McClure . `` I particularly was impressed by David ( Osei ) and him coming out to me and trying to pitch me something that was maybe a little bit too much of a long shot , '' recalls McClure . `` Initially I was really cautious , thinking 'OK , what is this guy is from Africa doing in Rio , trying to pitch me . ' Then it was like , well , I 'd sort of heard of the accelerator before so we knew they were kind of legit ( and ) the product offering sounded pretty much on target with our investment philosophy . '' Read this : Why tech innovators are Africa 's future . About twice a year , 500 Startups picks a group of around 30 companies to fund . It brings them together for a four-month `` boot camp , '' where companies learn everything from marketing strategies to sales tactics , to help them grow their business and attract investors . McClure says this was the program 's first direct investment into a company from Africa . `` For some people maybe when you are investing in a new region they are more cautious about that ; for us it was an opportunity and we were really excited , '' he explained . Dropifi today has over 6,000 clients in more than 30 countries . The team now hopes to expand their company globally with the skills and knowledge they acquire from their Silicon Valley experience . `` Our immediate goal is building a sustainable product that is going to deliver continuous value to our business , '' says Osei . `` Currently we are focused on the U.S. and international market -- the U.S. , UK , Canada -- but in a couple of years we want to become leaders in Africa . ''
Dropifi is the first African company to join the Silicon Valley-based 500 Startups program . It is an online tool helping companies monitor customer feedback . Launched in 2011 , Dropifi has over 6,000 clients in more than 30 countries .