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The Spark | Ignite/Connect/Achieve www.thesparkng.com became obvious to me that the only way to prove my hyper-local coverage hypothesis was to start something that was laser-focused on local startups.. There are tech websites everywhere. How were you able to grow Techcabal to become a primary resource for industry information? My decision to write about local start-ups and entrepreneurs seemed strategically counterintuitive at the time. In 2013, Techcabal essentially zigged when everyone else was zagging. Today in <strong>2018</strong>, writing about African start-ups makes all the sense in the world, and tech blogs emerge everyday. This is a very good thing. Africa is not a country, and there are hundreds of local tech ecosystems across the continent that need the kind of visibility that only hyper-local media can provide. Where do you think technology in Nigeria is headed and what innovations are there to look forward to? Right now, everyone is going nuts about fintech, and for good reason. But the things I care most about are education -- building an army of developers, creators and problem solvers that will solve the problems of this age and the next; Policy -- creating enabling environments for innovative start-ups with forward-thinking legislation. How best can techies leverage technology for the future? By solving problems. From when wheels were invented to the age of flying cars, the purpose of technology has always been to solve humanity’s problems and help people live longer, healthier and happier lives. What technological trends do you believe can change the Nigerian economy if leveraged? The most important technological trend that needs to be leveraged on right now is fixing electricity in Nigeria. It isn’t rocket science. Fix electricity, and watch Nigerians do the rest. Next, let’s get broadband to the last mile by getting the state and local governments to align sensibly on those pesky right-of-way fees for laying fibre. New tech gadgets spring up back to back. How do you think gadgets are affecting the technological space in Nigeria? The proliferation of gadgets, which I’m assuming in this context, are mobile phones, is a huge driver of economic activity and opportunity in Sub-Saharan Africa, contributing more than 7 percent to GDP. Cheap smart phones are bringing millions of Nigerians online each year and affording them access to credit and financial services, educational content, jobs, and entrepreneurial opportunities. In a country where only 40 percent of the adult working population have bank accounts, where only one in five people who sit JAMB will gain admission into University, and where unemployment is at over 14 percent and rising, mobile phones and access to the internet are a chance to transcend the challenges of one’s immediate environment. I am proof of this but, that’s a story for another day. How do you think Nigeria can take advantage of the innovations in gadgets production to improve the economy? Are we receptive to these tech innovations? Companies like Innoson and Andela have proven that we can make things and export world class talent. But, until the underlying issues of infrastructure and education are fixed, Nigeria will continue to be a net importer of technology and innovation. That is the real challenge we need to rise up to. What advice do you have for potential entrepreneurs in the tech space? I think that if you build something that solves problems, everything good will come. 30 @thesparkng
www.thesparkng.com The Spark | Ignite/Connect/Achieve START UP Being a Founder Tomi Davies is the “Collaborator-in-Chief” of technology services company TechnoVision which advises clients on technology-led transformation and early stage entrepreneurship in Africa. He sheds light on starting up as a tech entrepreneur. - By Harry Tomi Davies (TD) Starting out as a Tech Start-up As a guide to answering this question of “Where do I start?” especially if you really want to get your start-up funded, the question of what exactly it is that you’re building, measuring and learning should start with some old-fashioned thinking about what you see in the future — YOUR VISION! I mean taking yourself through a process that recognises you’re preparing to build a business (and that’s exactly what your start-up is!) that can change the world!It is critical to begin with a think-through of the journey you are starting on while you’re still a start-up because once you’ve started, while you might evolve, pivot and scale you’re never going to get to start the same company again. For how to do this, take a look at my article “What’s the vision for your startup?”on Medium - http://bit. ly/2NmoHnh Demonstrate Your Mastery as a Start-up Entrepreneur It is your responsibility as the founder and owner of the venture’s vision to figure out and be sure to document how the business will function from a process and procedures standpoint. At the minimum, you should be able to describe the buy-side (i.e. procurement, vendor management etc), inside (i.e. human capital, design, development, production etc) and sellside (i.e. marketing, sales, customer relations, etc.) of your operations. It is important to demonstrate your mastery (and as appropriate lack of knowledge) of your envisioned (or semi-built) organisation in anticipation of helping potential investors, partners and employees understand how you see it all working operationally to deliver your proposition.Research, think through and get advice if need be to bring to life on paper just how you expect your startup business to work, highlighting key roles and responsibilities of the different units that will make up the company. You should also (if possible) identify the main activities that will make up the daily operations of the business and any issues associated with them that you foresee. Courses and Programs for Tech Start-up Entrepreneurs Personally, I’m a big fan of Eric Ries’“Lean Startup” and the “Build, Measure, Learn” process which is evolving as I write, thanks to the likes of Steve Blank. The VC4A Startup Academy is a FREE online resource dedicated to the next generation of African startup founders; you can take your business to the next level by learning about the latest insights and listening to advice from 35 experts like me active in the African early stage ecosystem. It can be found at https://academy.vc4a.com/ Mentorship At each stage of my personal development, I have been privileged to have an amazing array of mentors throughout my life including my late brother Akin Ogunmade-Davies who built Nigeria’s first ever indigenous Public Relations firm ROD Publicitywith his two partners, Jim Obi who built Equitable Life Insurance - the most lucrative Agency in New York, and Nicholas Negroponte, a co-founder of MIT’s Media Lab who created the One Laptop Per Child organization. Today I still benefit from the mentorship of both senior and junior mentors who guide me in building businesses and their industry expertise. Start-up Quick Tips Make sure, as I said earlier, that you have a compelling vision that is sustainably innovating the solution to a problem in a compelling way; choose great co-founders who share your vision enough to build it with you then launch fast; let your proposition to the market evolve with your understanding of your customers; Avoid distractions to your strategic focus while making sure delivery of your offer delightscustomers. Spend pragmatically and measure everything you can in the business. Above all, don’t get demoralized and don’t give up. @thesparkng 31
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July 2018

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