// startup autopsy
BurundiFin
Burundi fintech for a country with $270 per capita income and 5 years of frozen international investment from the 2015 political crisis
macro politicalMarket Exit
Fatal mistake: Burundi post-2015 political crisis (coup attempt, Nkurunziza third term) froze international investment from 2015-2020. Lumicash (Lumitel) and EcoCash Burundi held 80% of mobile money. 12M population with 90% rural subsistence agriculture. GDP per capita $270 (lowest in Africa). No viable commercial digital financial services market.
// the model, blind
Evaluating only BurundiFin’s profile at its peak — without knowing the outcome — the model ranked Macro / political as the #1 likely cause. That’s exactly how it died.
Key Events Timeline
FOUNDING
CRISIS
MILESTONE
SHUTDOWN