Africa's Sexy Tech: Death By Innovation? by lordZOUGA(m): 5:53pm On Apr 30, 2013 |
I saw this article here and thought I should share n Africa, we worship at the altar of innovation Innovation is the fountain from which most African entrepreneurs drink -- their raison d'etre. This is hardly surprising on a continent that leapfrogged the tech scene, producing insanely useful mobile solutions. It seems it is only logical that the continent will build the next big thing. But innovation has become quite formulaic for the quick-talking 20- somethings just itching to change the world. Just like any formula, it has strict rules: find a problem, build an app to solve it, develop for smartphone and add social integration. Read more: Why tech innovators are Africa's future The tech ecosystem is desperate to set itself up as the next Silicon Valley -- a playground for mavericks, dropouts and wheeler-dealers who want to turn an industry on its head. The current atmosphere is electrifying with possibilities for a continent primed as an innovation and entrepreneurial destination. But businesses are so desperate to innovate that solid business models seem to be missing in their plans to take over the world. Good, solid businesses are become boring, and making money is an afterthought. Right now there is nothing sexier than Africa's trendy and attention-grabbing tech scene. It's like the hero of a great tale: down and out, talented, with nothing to lose. Innovation is the watchword. Investors make no secret that they prefer companies that are innovative, mentors recommend it and journalists dedicate headlines to the most innovative companies. Like a ferocious monster, its appetite is insatiable and most startups are victims of it. At this stage we might have to rename Africa "the place where good companies die of too much innovation." Read more: "Africa's tallest building" set for $10 billion tech city I recently attended an event where a group of startups in an incubator pitched their companies after eight weeks in the program. One of the companies that was profitable in the beginning with a solid business model (but which could be considered run of the mill) had pivoted so it could do something more innovative. Truth is, chances of the new business making money are very unlikely. In an environment where all the other companies around it seemed to be innovating in an interesting way with new technology, the pressure to innovate killed a good business. Solve a real problem, damn it Interestingly, Africa's key drivers in terms of innovation came from very simple products that wanted to solve real problems. The continent that brought Ushahidi, M-Pesa and EC2 cloud found a real gap in the market and developed solutions for it. Africa's pool of talented developers and entrepreneurs want to prove that they can compete on the same stage with more mature markets. They can, but the rules are different. Africa hasn't solved some of the basic problems that mature markets have solved. Building bandwidth-heavy apps is not a good idea because the majority of the continent just isn't ready. As much as almost everyone in Africa uses a mobile device, the data problem is still a key thought. So perhaps, for one unimaginable moment, we should forget about building the next Facebook, Google or Apple. Think about using your vast technical skills; solve the simplest problem Africa faces -- service delivery. Think of the innovation that would come with that, think how very big that would be. Hipsters don't build boring companies In Africa's tech entrepreneurship scene everyone walks around like mavericks, but it is all a show. There is a fundamental lack of passion. In a bid to be different there is sameness. Being a tech entrepreneur seems to be more about joining the sexy cool kids in the ongoing exclusive party where the tech scene is glamorized, workaholism is something to boast about and arrogance slowly becomes familiar. How to run a real business seems to be of very little consequence. More entrepreneurs need to consider bootstrapping their companies with the many free services out there until they are profitable enough to invest in more infrastructure. A crazy idea like that might work and even attract the much sought-after foreign investment that entrepreneurs covet. Read more: Africa hungry for homegrown online content Before I get charged with treason, I'd like to point out that there is nothing wrong with innovation. However, not all businesses are meant to be crazy innovators. Some of the more successful businesses work on an old- fashioned business model that comes with a twist. Bells and whistles or fancy technology aren't always cool, but a good, sensible way of doing business that provides jobs is. It's easy to get caught up in Africa's tech scene, to feed its appetite for innovation, to hype up the novelty while encouraging the wannabe mavericks. But first, perhaps, it is time for tech entrepreneurs to ask what Africa needs. |
Re: Africa's Sexy Tech: Death By Innovation? by lordZOUGA(m): 5:56pm On Apr 30, 2013 |
The punctuation might be a little messed up, but you can always refer to the original article . . I have never heard Africa being classified as over innovative. |
Re: Africa's Sexy Tech: Death By Innovation? by ciphoenix: 7:12pm On Apr 30, 2013 |
well, this is surprising |
Re: Africa's Sexy Tech: Death By Innovation? by expertfingers(m): 8:01am On May 01, 2013 |
Source? |
Re: Africa's Sexy Tech: Death By Innovation? by lordZOUGA(m): 10:23am On May 01, 2013 |
expertfingers: Source? CNN website. The link is in the first post. |
Re: Africa's Sexy Tech: Death By Innovation? by Kennyinusa(m): 7:04pm On May 01, 2013 |
Thanks @poster...
I think that i would just go with the flow and provide a local content app for the Microsoft 9japps challenge... |
Re: Africa's Sexy Tech: Death By Innovation? by Ajibel(m): 10:46pm On May 01, 2013 |
What if u have a crazy startup idea u intend building in Africa with d European market as ur main target? |
Re: Africa's Sexy Tech: Death By Innovation? by Picomon(m): 9:47am On May 03, 2013 |
Don't really grab what d author was trying to say. Can u pls elaborate a bit? |
Re: Africa's Sexy Tech: Death By Innovation? by lordZOUGA(m): 12:32pm On May 03, 2013 |
Picomon: Don't really grab what d author was trying to say. Can u pls elaborate a bit? She is saying that making innovation a priority when investing in a startup is not always a good idea and that not all innovative ideas are useful. She says that is what is killing Africa. 1 Like |
Re: Africa's Sexy Tech: Death By Innovation? by Picomon(m): 1:04pm On May 03, 2013 |
lordZOUGA: She is saying that making innovation a priority when investing in a startup is not always a good idea and that not all innovative ideas are useful. She says that is what is killing Africa. Thanks for the reply. But do you accept that notion? |
Re: Africa's Sexy Tech: Death By Innovation? by lordZOUGA(m): 2:03pm On May 03, 2013 |
Ajibel: What if u have a crazy startup idea u intend building in Africa with d European market as ur main target?
How are you going to implement that? |
Re: Africa's Sexy Tech: Death By Innovation? by lordZOUGA(m): 2:05pm On May 03, 2013 |
Picomon:
Thanks for the reply. But do you accept that notion? I will, if there are loads of innovations going on but there isn't. |
Re: Africa's Sexy Tech: Death By Innovation? by Ajibel(m): 8:41pm On May 09, 2013 |
lordZOUGA: How are you going to implement that? uhm dont u think by leveraging on social networks/ networking with europeans could get ur idea appreciated by them. BBC have tech correspondent always on the look out for bright/crazy startups they'd discuss... |
Re: Africa's Sexy Tech: Death By Innovation? by Urine: 10:09pm On May 09, 2013 |
Ajibel:
uhm dont u think by leveraging on social networks/ networking with europeans could get ur idea appreciated by them. BBC have tech correspondent always on the look out for bright/crazy startups they'd discuss... Mate, you just proved the writer of the article right. It's good to dream big but don't you think its wiser to target and conquer your local market before you think of expanding to other parts of the world? |
Re: Africa's Sexy Tech: Death By Innovation? by Ajibel(m): 10:28pm On May 09, 2013 |
Urine:
Mate, you just proved the writer of the article right. It's good to dream big but don't you think its wiser to target and conquer your local market before you think of expanding to other parts of the world? what if the idea you've dreamt of is mostly suitable for the european market and you dont have much fund to travel out,set up a base then expand...what option would u then consider.btw,i agree with the writer of the article but i'm just thinking from a different perspective 'cuz i have mates who have some wonderful ideas but cant "conquer" the local market(Nigeria/Africa) 'cuz of the low percentage of users with internet across the country/continent. |
Re: Africa's Sexy Tech: Death By Innovation? by lordZOUGA(m): 10:35pm On May 09, 2013 |
Ajibel:
what if the idea you've dreamt of is mostly suitable for the european market and you dont have much fund to travel out,set up a base then expand...what option would u then consider.btw,i agree with the writer of the article but i'm just thinking from a different perspective 'cuz i have mates who have some wonderful ideas but cant "conquer" the local market(Nigeria/Africa) 'cuz of the low percentage of users with internet across the country/continent. The percentage of internet users increases daily |
Re: Africa's Sexy Tech: Death By Innovation? by Ajibel(m): 10:43pm On May 09, 2013 |
lordZOUGA: The percentage of internet users increases daily Yep i know that but lets say your developing a GPS powered app,would u consider African or European market as a place where ur app would be better appreciated? |
Re: Africa's Sexy Tech: Death By Innovation? by Urine: 2:48pm On May 10, 2013 |
Ajibel:
what if the idea you've dreamt of is mostly suitable for the european market and you dont have much fund to travel out,set up a base then expand...what option would u then consider.btw,i agree with the writer of the article but i'm just thinking from a different perspective 'cuz i have mates who have some wonderful ideas but cant "conquer" the local market(Nigeria/Africa) 'cuz of the low percentage of users with internet across the country/continent. I get your point,let us sit down and see what we can develop for our immediate environment first. Our target should be the pockets of Nigerians. When Dangote and co started their business do you think they were thinking of Europe and America? |