Question 1

What is Africlaunch?

Accepted Answer

A community platform for launching tech products for Africa. Makers showcase their products, the community votes and comments, and a ranking highlights the most-voted launches. It is built by Africans, for Africans, with the ambition to open up to the world.

Question 2

What's the difference between a product and a launch?

Accepted Answer

A product is your permanent page. A launch is a dated event attached to that product: a new product, an update or a major new feature. A product can have several launches. Votes and comments belong to the launch.

Question 3

Do I need an account to use the site?

Accepted Answer

Not to read: the home page, the store, product pages, profiles and archives can be browsed without one. You need an account to act: vote, comment, follow, save, publish or sponsor.

Question 4

Is the site open yet?

Accepted Answer

Africlaunch opens in stages: the team opens pages and features as the pre-launch moves forward. The pre-launch page gives the opening date with a countdown.

Question 5

Which languages is the site available in?

Accepted Answer

French and English: English addresses start with /en. If you don't see English yet, it isn't open yet. What makers write (products, launches, comments) is never translated.

Question 6

How do I create an account?

Accepted Answer

From the sign-up page, with your email and a password, or with Google or GitHub. You then confirm your address with the link sent by email.

Question 7

I didn't receive the confirmation email.

Accepted Answer

Check your spam folder first, then ask for a new link: the previous one is then invalidated. A link is valid for 24 hours. The number of requests per hour is limited.

Question 8

I forgot my password.

Accepted Answer

On the sign-in page, choose “forgot password”: you receive a link by email. For security, the site always answers the same way, whether the address is known or not.

Question 9

How do I change my email or password?

Accepted Answer

In settings, under the account tab. Your current password is required, and an email change is confirmed with a link received by email.

Question 10

How do I stop receiving emails?

Accepted Answer

In settings, you choose the emails you receive. News and the weekly digest are off by default, and they include an unsubscribe link at the bottom of the message.

Question 11

How do I delete my account?

Accepted Answer

In settings, under the account tab, with your password. If you sign in with Google or GitHub, you receive a confirmation link by email. The account is anonymized and can no longer sign in. Your comments stay, signed “deleted user”.

Question 12

How do I get a copy of my data or have everything erased?

Accepted Answer

Write to contact@africlaunch.com from your account's email address: we handle your request within 48 hours. Erasure removes everything except your payment history, kept without your name or email for accounting. Ask before deleting your account: afterwards, we can no longer link it to your address.

Question 13

Who can launch a product?

Accepted Answer

Any maker with an account, whether based in Africa or in the diaspora. What matters is that the product helps people in Africa.

Question 14

Is publishing free?

Accepted Answer

Your first product, in your own name, is free for life. While the site is launching, extra free spots are offered to the first makers. Further products are paid: the price is shown to you before you publish. Creating an account, voting and commenting stay free.

Question 15

How do the free spots work?

Accepted Answer

The site first uses a product gifted by the team, then a spot from the launch reserve (limited for the whole platform and per person), and keeps your permanent free product for last. An organization has no permanent free product. A confirmed email is required to use a free spot, and deleting a product doesn't give the spot back.

Question 16

How do I pay to publish a product?

Accepted Answer

When no free spot is available, the site shows you the price and offers to take payment. As soon as the payment provider confirms it, the product is published. If it is still a draft after a few minutes, write to us with the date and the amount.

Question 17

What is a draft?

Accepted Answer

A product that is saved but not published yet. Only you and the members of your organization can see it, you can finish it later, and the number of drafts is limited per person. A product must be published before it can be launched.

Question 18

Do I need to create an organization?

Accepted Answer

No, it's optional. By default, you publish as yourself. You can create or join an organization at any time.

Question 19

Is my launch reviewed before it goes live?

Accepted Answer

No. A launch goes live as soon as you submit it, or on the date you chose, updates included. Moderation happens afterwards: anyone can report content.

Question 20

Can I choose my launch day?

Accepted Answer

Yes, with the calendar: the launch becomes visible that day and enters the current ranking. The team can limit the number of launches per day or per week: a full day is crossed out, so pick another. Days are counted in UTC.

Question 21

Can I relaunch a product that's already published?

Accepted Answer

Yes: a product can have several launches over time (an update, a major new feature), each with its own votes and comments.

Question 22

Who checks the “Africa impact” rule?

Accepted Answer

Each product declares the countries or markets it targets. There is no review before publication: a product that doesn't follow this rule can be reported, then removed by the team.

Question 23

Can I edit or delete my product?

Accepted Answer

Yes, from “my products”: you edit the page and each launch, and members of your organization can too. Deleting a product also deletes its launches.

Question 24

My category doesn't exist.

Accepted Answer

In the product form, you can request a new category: the request goes to the team. In the meantime, pick the closest one.

Question 25

How do I vote?

Accepted Answer

On a launch page or in the current launches card, with the “N votes” button. You get one vote per launch, and you can take it back by clicking again. Without an account, a small window lets you sign in on the spot.

Question 26

When does the ranking reset?

Accepted Answer

Every Monday at 00:00 UTC: launches from the same week, Monday to Sunday, compete together. The week's ranking is then frozen; you can still vote, but those votes no longer change it. When votes are tied, the launch published first comes ahead. Previous weeks stay in the archives.

Question 27

Does paying move me up the ranking?

Accepted Answer

No. The ranking is based on votes, for everyone. Sponsored placements are separate and always labeled “Sponsored”.

Question 28

Can I comment on and rate a product?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You comment on a launch, reply to other comments, and can rate a product from one to five stars (and remove your rating). The number of messages per minute is limited.

Question 29

How do I report content?

Accepted Answer

Every launch, post, comment or review has a “report” button. Once five different people have reported it, the content is hidden until the team has reviewed it, and the team can remove it or restore it.

Question 30

My launch has disappeared.

Accepted Answer

If five people reported it or the team removed it, it is hidden: only you can see it, in “my products”, with the “hidden” label. Write to us from the contact page.

Question 31

How do I invite people?

Accepted Answer

Your personal invitation link and a shareable image are in settings. People who sign up through your link automatically follow you.

Question 32

How does sponsorship work?

Accepted Answer

You top up a prepaid wallet, then create a campaign: the product, the placement, a budget and a daily spending cap. Each counted click takes the click price out of your credit. Only an already published product can be sponsored.

Question 33

How can I tell a sponsor?

Accepted Answer

A sponsor always carries the “Sponsored” label. There are never any in search results, and ads stay rare: a single placement per format on a page.

Question 34

How do I top up my wallet?

Accepted Answer

On the wallet page, you choose the amount and the payment method offered for your currency (mobile money, African card or international card, depending on the case). A wallet has a single currency, and there is never any conversion between currencies.

Question 35

My payment went through but my credit hasn't changed.

Accepted Answer

The site re-checks the payment with the provider: this can take a few minutes. A late payment is credited up to 30 days afterwards. An unfinished top-up stays under “Payments in progress” as long as its payment page is valid. Otherwise, write to us with the date and the amount.

Question 36

What counts as a click?

Accepted Answer

A real visitor's click on your card, counted once per visitor per 24-hour period. Repeated clicks are not charged.

Question 37

Why did my campaign stop?

Accepted Answer

There are three possible causes. The daily cap is reached: it resumes by itself after midnight UTC. Your balance is used up: it resumes after a top-up. Your total budget is used up: it does not resume on its own. Nothing is charged beyond your credit, your budget or your cap.

Question 38

Can the click price change?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the team sets it. A campaign keeps the click price it had when it was created.

Question 39

How do I contact the team?

Accepted Answer

From the contact page. The number of messages per hour is limited. For a payment, include the date and the amount; for a piece of content, the link to the page.

Question 40

I found a bug or I have an idea.

Accepted Answer

Write to us from the contact page with as much detail as possible: the page concerned, what you did, what you expected and what happened.

Question 41

Where are the terms of use and the privacy policy?

Accepted Answer

In the footer of every page: terms of use and privacy policy.

FAQ

Discovering Africlaunch

My account

Publishing a product

Voting, comments and ranking

Sponsorship and wallet

Help and contact