How Teelink is building a digital community for Africa’s golfers
Teelink co-founder Atoni Azibayam spoke with First Daily Sports on the inspiration behind the golf application, its plans for Africa, the response from golfers and clubs around the world, and why he is seeking investors to scale.
The digital platform designed to help golfers connect, communicate and manage their golfing activities, is seeking to bridge what its Co-founder describes as a gap within the golfing community.
Interestingly, Azibayam said his interest in the sport began about two years ago after a friend introduced him to golf. That experience gave him an opportunity to observe how golfers interacted and networked, eventually inspiring him to develop a technology solution for the community.
In this interview, Azibayam discusses the inspiration behind the technology, its potential in African golf, plans to expand beyond Kenya, its booking system for golf clubs and his search for investors.
First Daily Sports: Mr Azi, tell us about your passion for golf that led you to launching the Teelink app.
Atoni Azibayam: Thank you for the interview and thank you for the question. Actually, I was not really a golfer before I came up with Teelink. I developed a passion for golf about two years ago when a friend introduced me to the sport.
As I started learning golf, I noticed the strong networking culture among golfers. Everyone was interested in meeting people and building relationships, but I also noticed there was a gap in that space. There wasn’t really a platform that allowed golfers to easily connect and get to know one another.
I also discovered that golfers can be quite reserved when it comes to their space. So I came up with the idea that if I created something that could make it easier for golfers to connect, it could really help the community.
That’s what Teelink is trying to do. It is trying to close that gap between golfers. You cannot always just approach another golfer on a course. Instead, you can use Teelink to connect with that person.
What personal experiences led you to build Teelnk?
I come from a technology background. I studied cybersecurity for my first degree and I also run a technology startup in Nigeria called icaptchatek.
Because of my background and passion for technology, I felt I should find a way to translate that passion into golf.
Golf is an area that I feel people have not really explored from a technology perspective. So I felt the need to create something that could make an impact in the golfing community by helping golfers connect with one another.
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What opportunities do you see in African golf that the global industry may be overlooking?
I think one of the biggest opportunities is the networking aspect—connecting with people, showcasing products and building relationships.
From my research, I noticed that golfing culture can be different in some parts of the West. People can be more focused on playing individually outside competitions. But when you look at the African side, there is a strong desire for competition, sponsorship, networking and meeting other golfers.
People want to showcase their products. They want to get to know more golfers and they want to find ways to support one another. I believe that is one of the opportunities in African golf that may not be receiving enough attention.
How do you envision Teelink transforming the wider golf ecosystem over the next five years?
In the next five years, I see Teelink becoming more than just an application for connecting golfers.
Teelink already allows users to chat, make video calls and send voice messages. So I see it becoming a communication tool where golfers have a place to communicate and relate with one another.
For example, when you are playing with other golfers through Teelink, the platform creates a group chat for the players. You can communicate with the members of your group and add them to your contact list. Even after the game, you can continue communicating. You can share documents, have video calls and do other things.
So, in the next five years, I see Teelink not only as a golfing platform but also as a communication tool for the golf community. The main idea, however, remains connecting golfers and creating a sense of community.
Are there plans to expand Teelink to other African countries?
Yes. The API Teelink is built on has the capability to support about 42,000 golf courses around the world, not just in Africa.
For now, because we are starting in Kenya, we have disabled other locations so that we can see how the application performs in the Kenyan market. Once we understand how users are responding to it, we can begin opening it up to other countries.
We are also thinking about launching in Nigeria before the end of the year. Kenya is essentially our testing ground. We want to spend the next two or three months studying how the app responds to users there before expanding into other African markets.
What has the reception been like among stakeholders in the golf industry?
The reception has been amazing. Since I started Teelink, I’ve spoken to more than 50 golfers in Kenya and, honestly, I have not received a single negative response.
Most people ask me how I came up with the idea. They see it as something unique that is not available in many other golf applications. Most of my friends are also ready to support the project.
There is another aspect of Teelink that I haven’t mentioned—the platform also has a booking system for golf clubs.
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Tell us more about the booking system.
Teelink has a booking system that is designed for the clubs themselves. When you make a booking through the app, the information is sent to the golf club through the booking system. We have already conducted training with three golf clubs, and they are open to using the system.
We have also completed development of the web application. The web app is designed for golf clubs rather than individual users. It allows the club to receive and manage information coming through the platform.
There is a significant gap in this area because many golf courses in Africa still use manual booking systems, where people have to call to book games and tournaments. That is one of the gaps Teelink is trying to close.
The response from Kenyans has been very encouraging. People have supported us by connecting us with golf clubs and introducing the platform to other golfers.
Are you open to investors?
Yes. I’m currently looking for investors. The challenge is that most investors want to see financials and revenue running, which can be difficult for a new application.
I’ve spoken to one or two people, and while they like the idea and believe it is unique, they also want to see the financial performance before making a decision.
But I am very open to investors. Whether they are from Nigeria, Kenya or anywhere else in the world, if someone believes in Teelink and wants to invest, I’m open to that. The investment would help us scale the platform and expand into other markets.
What are the revenue opportunities for Teelink?
There are four major areas where Teelink can generate revenue. The first is advertising. There is an advertising section within the app where businesses can promote their products. However, we don’t want to rely on intrusive pop-up advertising. The idea is to have advertising that runs within the platform without becoming annoying to users.
The second is subscriptions. The subscription feature is already built into the application, but we have temporarily disabled it. We plan to introduce full-scale subscriptions after about six months, once we have built sufficient traffic and a strong user base.
The third area is betting-related services, where commissions can be generated from transactions. The fourth is the golf club booking system. We have discussed a commission structure with clubs, where Teelink receives a percentage from bookings made through the platform.
The system is designed to automate this process, so the commission is deducted automatically from transactions rather than requiring us to approach clubs at the end of every month.
These are the four major areas we believe investors can look at as we scale Teelink.
