Egyptian startup beXel has developed a cloud-based inspection management software that is being used by companies across Africa and the Middle East to digitise their workflow.
Formed in 2016, beXel helps inspection companies go paperless and complete tasks ten times faster. The startup’s platform automates the entire operational business of its customers.
“beXel was a normal software product until we decided to test the market, and we have seen amazing results in digital transformation,” said Ayman Abou Regeila, the startup’s founder and chief executive officer (CEO).
“That’s when we took the decision to be more focused and keep enhancing and developing further versions and updates.”
The focus beXel chose was on inspection services, which Regeila said was an underserved market.
“All over the world, oil and gas and construction companies run mega projects that span across different locations using thousands of types of industrial equipment on a daily basis,” he said.
“Safety is critical, and this equipment cannot be used unless tested and certified. So they have to hire inspection companies to test equipment and generate safety certificates that need to be renewed every six months.”
beXel helps inspection companies to automate their processes, in the process earning recurring revenues from its software as a service (SaaS), subscription-based product.
The startup has 15 full-time employees and more than 10 clients. Based in Cairo, it services customers across Africa and the Middle East, in markets such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Malaysia, and Nigeria. With most of its competitors located in the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK), beXel has a ready addressable market in the region.
Self-funded, last year the company took part in – and secured some funding from – the Cairo-based Flat6Labs accelerator programme, which Regeila said assisted it in enhancing its product features and expanding into new markets.
“Flat6Labs has moved us to another level, helping us get more exposed to a different world of investors, mentors and many more,” he said.
Now beXel is planning on expanding to a host of new markets within the Middle East and Africa region, but Regeila is aware the startup will have to remain on its toes to keep refining its product to its customers’ needs.
“It is a new product and we have faced challenges in developing it to meet our customer requirements,” he said. “But because we understand the business very well, we were able to build a very flexible dynamic solution for our customers.”
