AdNetwork
GjirafaVideo
About Us
Gjirafa is an Internet services juggernaut in Balkans. As an Albanian language search engine, a content platform, and e-commerce company, Gjirafa dominates or leads a variety of Internet consumer services in South East Europe. Launched for the first time in February 2013 and failed a week later. Re-launched on October 8th 2014, and since Gjirafa has been growing exponentially.
Our vision is to build and facilitate the Internet Economy in the Balkans, by focusing on core Internet services that lack in the region, for a market of around 12 million people. As such we are focused on the following space: online marketing (gjirafa.com and gjirafa AdNetwork), online retail and marketplace (gjirafa50.com, gjirafa50.al, and gjirafamall.com), online video content and TV (gjirafavideo.com), offline to online services (gjirafa.biz, gjirafa bus schedule, and gjirafa classified), online payment processing (gjirafaWallet, currently in development), and Albanian AI (voice and text, coming soon).
So far, until the end of 2017, Gjirafa has over 3 million unique active monthly users, spanning from Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia, and from the Albanian speaking diaspora from Germany, Switzerland, United States, Italy, Turkey, Greece, and from another 50+ countries globally. As a pioneer in many products for the region, Gjirafa has seen revenue growth between 500% - 1,200% year to year for the past 3.5 years. At the core is the Gjirafa team - a group of entrepreneurs, with unmatched passion, hard work, and persistence that push their own boundaries on daily basis. Together with our partners, investors, our clients and users, we experience the impact on daily basis in literally digitalizing the region and create things that at first seem impossible, while building technology that is world standard.
Products
Gjirafa.com, is the first product launched by Gjirafa, Inc. The Albanian search engine, accompanied by News Aggregator and news search, classified ads, bus schedules data, and weather data. Gjirafa has over 200 million Albanian pages indexed, and aggregates news from Balkans on minute by minute basis.
GjirafaPikBiz containts a business directory of around 80,000 businesses and interest points in Kosovo and Albania; data collected physically in the field, where for over 90% of businesses this is their first time being present online. Maps and navigation is built on top of open street map, while Street View (covering around 90% of Kosovo, while Albania coverage is in process) is build in house, with Gjirafa Cameras and Cars. GjirafaPikBiz has built a transactional system on top of business directory - allowing users for instance to book a hotel, rent a car, or communicate directly with a business about offers or business reviews.
Gjirafa50 is the biggest electronic e-commerce business in Kosovo and Albania, with a stock of over 40,000 SKUs.
GjirafaMall is an online marketplace, selling across all verticals except groceries and pharmaceutical products. Recently launched, and has over 65 local merchants covering over 30,000 unique products.
gjirafaVideo a video streaming platform, with exclusive content support by GjirafaStudio, regional producers and filmmakers, and local media/tv channels. gjirafaVideo is getting closer to changes in user behavior to consume content on demand, while moving away from traditional TV consumption.
GjirafaAdNetwork is an online marketing platform covering DSP, SSP, and DMP. Covers the client side for highly specialized targeting, and is used by just about all major publishers in Kosovo and Albania (currently around 60 local web portals). The strength of Gjirafa AdNetwork is that it specialized in Albanian language processing, where some of the methodology is published in international peer reviewed journals.
Gjirafa Lab is a startup factory, made for Internet entrepreneurs who lack access to resources and market. As a startup factory, the Lab will provide the space, mentoring, networking, technology, talent visibility, and funding to competent Internet entrepreneurs, creating solutions for the Kosovo, Albania, and FYR Macedonia market. Unlike others, Gjirafa Lab is made of people who have done it before.
Our Partners
News
Gjirafa Raises a $6.7M Series B from Rockaway Capital to digitise the Balkans
techcrunch.com" Gjirafa, Inc., is the fastest-growing company in the region, and the growth is impressive at 314 percent CAGR"
Kosovo’s long, slow recovery
www.economist.com"It has prospered by filling niches deemed too small to bother with by the world's internet giants."
Search Startup Gjirafa Scores $2M To Bring Albania Online
techcrunch.com"You’d be forgiven for thinking that Google has search all sewn up, but that’s not necessarily the case in Albanian-speaking countries"
Internet Economic Development Partnership
www.usaid.gov"The end goal is to successfully launch these new ideas/products and to grow employment, investment, and revenue in the region’s internet economy."
Kosovo is open for business!
jfcnaples.nato.int"Most striking was their complete commitment to their homeland"
Albanian Search Startup Gjirafa.com Gets $2 Million in Largest Ever Tech Investment in Albanian Region
rockawaycapital.com"This investment is more than just a bet on the explosive growth potential of the Balkans’ internet economy"
Mergim Cahani
techcamp.america.gov"Gjirafa is working to build the Internet Economy and bring state of the art e-commerce solutions to emerging markets"
Meet the 2014 Founders: Gjirafa, Albania/Kosovo’s answer to Google
startupyard.com"Based on our web mining data, the Albanian web is still in the early stages of development, but it has doubled in the past year and it is continuing its growth rapidly."
Team
Mergim Cahani
Founder & CEO
Ercan Canhasi
Co-Founder & CTO
Diogjen Elshani
Co-Founder & COO
Edi Demaj
Partner USA
Shqipron Sezallari
Head of Product Development
Drilon Kastrati
Principal Software Architect
Arlind Terpeza
DevOps & Principal Front-End Engineer
Festim Cahani
Product Manager
Agon Daku
Lead Software Engineer
Debatik Hoxha
Head of Business Development
Nuridin Selimko
Senior Mobile Developer
Gazmend Kepuska
Software Engineer II
Doresa Rexha
Head of Gjirafa Video
Brikena Rexhaj
Head of Gjirafa50 and GjirafaMall
Arita Thaqi
Graphic Designer
Hakan Shehu
Lead Software Engineer
Elbasan Kadrija
Senior Front End Developer
Sherif Gjini
Front End Developer
Blend Halilaj
Senior Software Engineer
Vjosa Daku
Project Manager
Abdullah Veliu
Project Coordinator
Romana Safedini
Senior Office Administrator
Riad Asllani
Senior Software Engineer
Nik Raja
Software Engineer
Shqiponje Zogaj
Software Developer
Blerton Krasniqi
Operations Manager
Greta Kamberi
Talent Recruiter Specialist
Dren Shabani
Head of Business Intelligence
Gentiana Sahiti
Lead Operations (e-commerce)
Abetare Rexha
Lead Customer Support (e-commerce)
Labeat Fejza
Product Marketer
Blerta Lataj
Partner Development
Trashegim Mavraj
Social Media Associate
Molos Morina
Operations Support
Arta Kepuska
Lead Linguistic Annotator & Translator
Dardan Kastrati
Senior Graphic Designer
Arianit Osmanollaj
Software Developer
Fiona Pepiqi
Senior Business Analyst
Granit Sekiraqa
Operations Assistant
Meridian Miftari
Penetrator Tester
Tahir Rashiti
Senior Fulfillment Courier
Ermir Hoxha
Partner Development
Aulona Myrseli
Operations Assistant
Rinor Gashi
Client Success Analyst
Adele Gjoka
GjirafaVideo Coordinator
Abetare Qarri
Customer Support Assistant
Arbnora Gashi
Content Assistant
Ardian Sallauka
Front End Developer
Ihsibi Osmonaj
Android App Developer
Festim Kajtazi
Collections Associate
Shpetim Hajrullahu
Warehouse Supervisor
Latif Gerguri
Fulfillment Courier
Naxhije Beka
Internal Accountant
Gentiana Gubetini
Office Administrator Assistant
Valma Latifi
Customer Support Assistant
Yll Bytyqi
Software Developer
Dalian Zogaj
Linguistic Researcher
Albion Krasniqi
Senior Business Intelligence Analyst
Urim Haxhiu
Android Developer
Andi Gashi
Product Support Associate
Myhedin Zika
Software Developer
Taulant Shatri
Software Developer
Adelina Vinarci
Operations Assistant (e-commerce)
Frederik Berisha
Graphic Designer
Board Advisors
Esther Dyson
Torsten Suel, PhD
Jay Nathan, PhD
Cedric Maloux
Location
Gjirafa, Inc.,-Dega ne Kosove
Address: Ahmet Krasniqi, Veranda C2.7 Hyrja II, Location 7, Prishtinë, Kosovo
Tel: +377 (0) 44 991 206
e-mail: [email protected]
Gjirafa Shqiperi SHPK
Address: Tirana Business Park, Rruga Rinas, Tiranë, Albania
Tel: +377 (0) 44 991 206
e-mail: [email protected]
