Stears transitions to B2B, launches intelligence solutions for businesses

Stears, a pan-African source for economic and industry data and insights, has shifted its focus from a B2C (Business-to-Consumer) model to a B2B (Business-to-Business) approach, Yvette Dimiri, director at Stears, told Bendada.com.

This means that Stears will no longer be offering its data product to individual subscribers but to organisations with a licence to access these new intelligence solutions.

“This change was prompted by continuous customer research into their evolving needs. When we combine this feedback with our vision to establish a prominent presence in the African data ecosystem, this transition became imperative,” Yvette explained.

Individual users who currently hold active Stears subscriptions will maintain access to the platform's insights until their subscriptions expire. “We will keep producing articles that remain freely accessible to individuals with accounts, particularly during pivotal moments when anxiety levels are high,” she added.

The transition comes on the heels of Stears' expansion across Africa, as demonstrated by the release of inflation forecasts for Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya, as well as the development of proprietary models and indices such as the Stears Approval Rating and the Consumer Sentiment Index for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Looking ahead, Yvette disclosed that in the upcoming months, Stears will broaden its coverage to encompass macroeconomic issues in more countries across West and East Africa, as well as Southern and Northern Africa, starting with South Africa, Egypt and Morocco.

Furthermore, Stears has unveiled its plans to introduce intelligence solutions tailored for professionals and businesses. These solutions will encompass market sizing estimates, predictive forecasts, consumer indices, and comprehensive macroeconomic datasets. “We regard our efforts as intelligence solutions. Over the past two and a half years, our output has mainly comprised articles and our Elections Data product. However, our aim is to enhance and broaden the spectrum of data solutions that we offer,” Yvette told Bendada.com during a call.

“African economies present exciting growth opportunities. However, access to reliable, granular, financial, and economic data ranks consistently as one of the toughest parts of doing business in Africa,” says Preston Ideh, CEO of Stears. “The evolution of Stears into this new era of intelligence solutions represents our commitment to equipping businesses and professionals with the tools and information they need to thrive.”  

A year ago, Stears raised $3.3 million in seed funding, the organisation said it would do three things: identify all existing sources of data, design a shared language to understand all the data; and combine public and proprietary datasets to create new views of African markets.

“We believe that businesses and professionals deserve access to the best possible information to make informed decisions. Our new intelligence solutions take this to the next level, offering a comprehensive view of the African market, enabling our clients to navigate it with confidence,” according to Yvette Dimiri.

Currently, Stears can boast a subscriber base that includes several reputable companies, such as the United Nations Development Programme, European Investment Bank, Infracredit, PZ Cussons, and Piggyvest.

“As a Government Affairs professional covering Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa, understanding policy, Macro and Microtrends, and the facts behind the figures are my stock in trade. Stears has been my secret weapon and go-to source of reliable data,” says Funmi Ogunlesi, head of government affairs at Citibank Nigeria, a long-standing subscriber of Stears' intelligence solutions.