A digital studio built on doing the work ourselves

The Baobab Collective is a Nairobi-based design and software studio. We handle websites, desktop applications, and brand identities from strategy to launch. No outsourcing, no middlemen, no surprises.

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FOUNDED

2021

Nairobi, Kenya

DELIVERED

130+

projects and deliverables

PRODUCTS

commercial desktop app shipped

APPROACH

100%

built in-house, never outsourced

OUR STORY

15 years in practice. 5 years as a studio.

The Baobab Collective was founded in 2021, but the practice behind it goes back to 2010. What started as one developer building websites for Nairobi businesses grew into a studio that ships custom websites, native desktop applications, and complete brand identities under one roof.

The path was never planned. Websites were one-time work, so we picked up design to keep clients close. Then briefs grew bigger, so we built portals from scratch. Then we needed tools that did not exist, so we built those too.

2010

Fat-hi starts building websites

2021

Baobab Collective Ltd founded

2023

First desktop app in development

2026

ChatXport ships, 130+ deliverables

MEET FAT-HI

Fat-hi

Founder, Creative Director, Lead Developer

Fat-hi started as a coder in 2010, building websites for Nairobi businesses. Sites are one-time projects though, and clients went quiet after launch. So he moved into graphic design: banners for those same websites first, then social media work that needed a designer week to week. Over time the practice grew to cover both ends: brand identity and the websites those brands lived on.

Today he leads every project the studio takes on, from first conversation to final ship. He shares work in progress on LinkedIn and TikTok if you want to see how the studio actually builds things.

15 years in practiceDesign and development since 2010

Designed FiRe Award–recognised annual reportsTwo editions for a Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed company

ChatXport on Microsoft StoreTauri v2 + Rust desktop app

130+ deliverablesWebsites, brands, reports, campaigns

LinkedIn TikTok Facebook

OUR PRODUCTS

We build software, not just websites.

ChatXport is our first commercial product, currently live on the Microsoft Store. It is a privacy-first desktop tool for analysing exported WhatsApp archives, built for lawyers, HR teams, and journalists who need to work with chat evidence offline.

Building our own software keeps the practice honest. It forces us to ship, to support real users, and to own every technical decision. The lessons feed back into the client work we do.

ChatXport

Live on the Microsoft Store

Tauri v2 + Rust

Native desktop, not a web wrapper

100% offline

Files never leave the user's machine

1 shipped, 1 in development

PesaLens is up next

What we believe in

Not corporate values on a wall. The decisions we make every day.

Privacy is not a feature

Our desktop apps work offline. We do not collect data. Your data stays on your machine.

Code over shortcuts

Real code, not drag-and-drop builders. When something breaks, we know exactly where to look.

Ship and support

Every client gets training, documentation, and ongoing support. We stand behind what we build.

Long-term clients

Most of our clients come back. That is the metric that matters most to us.

A digital studio built on doing the work ourselves

15 years in practice. 5 years as a studio.

2010

2021

2023

2026

Fat-hi

A few projects we are proud of

Sameer Africa

TireProz Autoz

ChatXport

We build software, not just websites.

ChatXport

Tauri v2 + Rust

100% offline

1 shipped, 1 in development

What we believe in

Privacy is not a feature

Code over shortcuts

Ship and support

Long-term clients

Our tech stack

Want to work with us?