Solo Founder Project · Nairobi, Kenya

About Fikra API

We are closing the access gap. AI inference optimized and hosted locally in Kenya, built specifically for developers locked out of global payment infrastructure.

10x

Cheaper Inference

$2/1M tokens vs. $15/1M globally.

Native

African Languages

Localized support for Swahili, Sheng, and regional contexts.

M-Pesa

Local Rails

Top up with local options directly. No credit card required.

Direct

Support Line

Talk directly to the person writing the code.

// Why Fikra Exists

"I kept watching developers across East Africa hit the same wall — Stripe not supported, $20 minimum too steep, no card at all. The tools to build exist. The access doesn't. That's the gap Fikra API is closing."
JM

James Miano

Founder & CTO, Roniki Systems · Nairobi, Kenya

// Under the Hood

Low-Level Weight Optimization

To achieve our 10x pricing advantage without burning cash, we optimize the execution model directly. James is one of the few ML engineers globally developing custom pipeline optimization for Ternary Weight (1.58-bit) LLM architectures.

By quantizing model layers into simple values of -1, 0, and 1, we eliminate memory-intensive matrix multiplications entirely. Hardware runs fast, power consumption drops, and you save.

Follow Ternary Weights Progress on LinkedIn
1_58bit_quantize.rs 
// Quantize matrix weights to ternary states (-1, 0, 1)
fn quantize_1_58bit(weight: f32, scale: f32) -> i8 {
    let normalized = weight / scale;
    if normalized > 0.5 {
        1
    } else if normalized < -0.5 {
        -1
    } else {
        0
    }
}

// Inference matrix addition replacing multiplication
for weight in model_layers {
    match weight {
        1  => output += input,
        -1 => output -= input,
        0  => continue,
    }
}

// The Founder

James Miano

  • ▪ Self-taught AI/ML engineer focused strictly on inference optimization and scaling.
  • ▪ Designing integrated Groq-accelerated backend architectures.
  • ▪ Advocating for localized infrastructure ownership in the global South.
Connect on LinkedIn GitHub Profile

// Contact Direct

Get in Touch

Whether you're looking for pricing optimizations, architectural insights, or want to discuss enterprise integrations, you can reach out directly.

[email protected]
+254 702 794 345
Nairobi, Kenya

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