Uber’s Shark Strategy: Good or Bad for Kenyan Economy?

Suppose you are an entrepreneur who has just discovered a technology of producing arguably the best ice-cream in the world and you have only two outlets in the town. Suddenly you receive customers who, upon enjoying your delicacies, offer to supply this ice-cream to their entire supermarkets, restaurants and other retail outlets across Eastern Africa - a possibility Sh3 billion market. When you say you don’t have capacity, they offer to provide all the necessary capital. What would be your take?

Eataly, founded by Oscar Farinetti in Alba Italy in 2004, and comprising a variety of restaurants, food and beverage counters, bakery, retail items, and a cooking school made the aforementioned offer to several entrepreneurs that had innovated eateries. But it was a trap. Some took the offer and later regretted, some looked foolish not to take the offer but are now not in Osca Farinettis net, while larger ones took the offer and it worked.