Ethiopian Startup Kelemat Ads Launches Platform to Streamline Telegram Advertising
An Ethiopian startup is aiming to formalize and simplify the fragmented digital advertising ecosystem on Telegram, the country's most widely used messaging app.
Kelemat Ads, a newly launched web-based platform, offers businesses a centralized space to browse Telegram channels, view audience data, and place ad orders without relying on informal contacts or complicated processes.
Founded by Yonatan Haylemelkot, a computer science graduate from St. Mary University, the platform currently features over 65 Telegram channels with a combined subscriber base of more than 85,000. It enables advertisers to automate posting and pay commissions securely via the locally popular mobile money service, Telebirr.
The idea for Kelemat was born out of Yonatan’s earlier struggles to market a now-defunct ed-tech startup.
“I have been building the network of channels for the past two months,” Yonatan told Shega.
He cites a lack of accessible digital marketing tools and a limited understanding of the advertising landscape as major barriers that contributed to its failure. With Kelemat, he hopes to bridge that gap for other small businesses, particularly those with minimal digital literacy.
“We want to make digital marketing available for people with minimal digital literacy,” he noted.
Despite Telegram's rollout of Sponsored Messages in 2021, a formal ad service for public channels with over 1,000 subscribers adoption in Ethiopia remains limited. The platform’s requirement for cryptocurrency transactions and upfront payments has proven inaccessible to many. As a result, most local businesses still rely on informal, peer-to-peer deals to advertise on Telegram.
Kelemat Ads offers a localized alternative, charging commission fees only when successful ad placements are made. Current listings show ad prices ranging from 10 to several hundred Birr per post. The startup aims to scale by onboarding high-reach Telegram channels in the coming months, positioning itself as a vital digital marketing partner for Ethiopia’s small business sector.