BEHIND THE CASE // Zoona Mobile Money
Case writer Cynthia Rayner reflects on the winner of the 2016 CEEMAN/Emerald Case Writing Competition
“Zoona Mobile Money” is one of the CWC’s prized social enterprise cases from the research team at the GSB’s Bertha Centre for Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship. The case focusses on the decisions made by the management team at Zoona, a mobile money and financial services provider in Zambia. Zoona emerged as one of the first successful fintechs enabling financial inclusion for the large population of unbanked individuals in Africa through a tech-enabled on-the-ground distribution network.
The case tracks the real story of a successful Series A investment by multiple impact investors in one of the most socially innovative tech startup in Africa. This deal was one of the first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa and undoubtedly the first of its kind in Zambia.
The Zoona case is the product of graduate research by John Bazley, GSB MBA class of 2014, co-written with Cynthia Rayner, Professor Thomas Hellmann, and Aunnie Patton Power. Co-author Cynthia Rayner reflects on the process of bringing Bazley's research to life as a teaching case, which won the 2016 CEEMAN/Emerald Case Writing Competition.
Get the case, both part A and B, from Emerald.
I remember opening up GSB MBA graduate John Bazley's case thesis and getting really excited about the story of Zoona. All of the elements of a great story were there: determined characters (CEO, Mike Quinn – also a GSB MBA graduate – and co-founders Brad and Brett Magrath), an impactful product (a mobile money solution that solved an everyday problem), and a tricky management situation (a shortage of cash for a fast-growing startup).
John had done an amazing job with the interviews and analysis, and the narrative felt like a natural extension of his excellent work. Writing a good case can feel like crafting a movie script as you can hear the voices of the protagonists in your head. I feel lucky to have been part of telling Zoona's story!
Cynthia Rayner
