OMG Digital is basically BuzzFeed for Africa

OMG Digital, a West Africa-based startup founded by Prince Boakye Boampong and Jesse Arhin Ghansah, is on a mission to bring relatable content to African millennials. The two are currently participating in Silicon Valley accelerator Y Combinator, with the hopes of becoming the BuzzFeed for Africa, or, a media site known for highly shareable content.

OMG Digital launched its entertainment vertical, OMGVOICE, about five months ago and has grown to 3 million monthly unique visitors, with 70% of those people coming back every month. It’s on track to become the biggest African consumer website by September.

OMGVOICE sees a lot of its traffic from Facebook because “a lot of people spend most of their time on Facebook in Africa,” OMG Digital co-founder Jesse Arhin Ghansah told me. “Some people there think Facebook is the internet. That’s where we’re getting most our engagement.”

OMG Digital currently serves three African countries, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria, and has its eyes on launching soon in Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia. Later this month, OMG Digital will launch a tech vertical to cover tech startups and culture. In addition to covering tech, OMG Digital will host tech conferences and startup pitches across all of the countries it serves in an effort to “bridge the tech community in Africa,” Ghansah said.

“The idea is to connect the startup ecosystem at these events and create a platform for investors and people interested in the African space, and try to learn more about what’s going on here,” Ghansah said. “Silicon Valley doesn’t really know what’s going on in Africa.”

omg digital

In the next couple of months, the media site will launch a food vertical. In August, OMG Digital will also launch original video that covers all of the site’s verticals, touching on everything from tech to comedy to food recipes.

Like most media companies, OMG Digital also has its eyes on digital marketing. To date, it is already working with a few brands in Africa around sponsored content and premium ad placements.

OMG Digital currently employs two freelance workers in Kenya, three in Nigeria and three in Ghana. After YC, the plan is to bring all of the freelance writers on full-time. Post YC, the company is also looking to raise a seed round of funding.