Exclusive Q&A with Kenan Mobayed, Founder of Keno, following successful fundraise
Kuwait-based technology company JustClean, announced their recent participation in the most recent round of funding for Keno, a Dubai based car care on demand application. MAGNiTT sat down with Kenan Mobayed, Founder of Keno, who gave us some insights following their successful fundraise.
Q: Tell us briefly about Keno. In layman's terms, how exactly does it work?
A: Keno started as an on demand car wash application granting our users the power to summon one of our highly skilled ninjas to their homes, offices or any location of their choice in order to get their rides cleaned up and shined. Thanks to our world class dry washing technology formula, we use no more than a regular glass of water per wash while still leaving a protective long lasting finish our users enjoy. As a result, our users have helped save upto 10 million liters of water since we’ve launched in 2017 while still getting the quality service they deserve. Now, Keno has expanded its service offering to on demand vehicle maintenance, detailing ,polishing and tinting. There is also much more to be offered on the way to building the most trusted automotive services platform in MENA.
Q: Why did you decide to start this company?
A: I was sick and tired of queuing for long hours at washing stations to get a proper car wash.
Q: What were you looking for from your investors, beyond capital?
A: Founder friendliness and a deep understanding of what truly works for ventures in our region and space.
Q: What's something or someone that really helped you fundraising?
A: Building a product and an experience so good that force investors to knock on our doors instead of wasting valuable time fundraising.
Q: What are your biggest challenges to scale?
A: The are several challenges but I would say the biggest challenge is building enough workforce and infrastructure to accommodate current and future demand.
Q: How do you plan to use this investment? Can we expect to see Keno expand beyond Dubai?
A: Keno has already expanded to Abudhabi and is currently working on the rest of the Emirates and should be live all over the UAE before the end of the year. Also, we have just set in motion our expansion to Kuwait & Saudia Arabia. There is also a possibility of launching in India next year but that is still undergoing further analysis.
Q: What advice would you give yourself 5 years ago?
A: Believing in yourself takes a ton of serious work so start grinding.
With this investment, JustClean has solidified their commitment to upgrading the cleaning sector through technology.
“Upgrading what is considered to be a large and underdeveloped sector through this technology. Furthermore, we’d like to see JustClean listed on a major international stock exchange.” said Mohammed Jaffar, CEO of JustClean.
“We invested in Keno for many reasons.” Athbi Al Enezi, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of JustClean, told MAGNiTT. “Besides the obvious synergies, our ultimate goal is trying to digitize the professional cleaning industry through our investment or future investments, our marketplace app, our SaaS, and our full logistics and delivery support.”
Speaking about the most exciting things happening in the cleaning-technology space, Nouri Al Enezi Co-Founder and Managing Partner of JustClean said “On a regional level, we are noticing the rise of different applications targeting different sectors of the cleaning industry, that are gaining major funding. This can only translate into progression of technology into the space. Recently two major players internationally merged which brought good news to our part of the world, and the market as a whole. There are many changes that are happening within this industry and we believe the market will totally be online within the next 5 years.