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Interview With The co-founders Of Vuuqa, Horesia Nyawade and Tshiwela Ncube

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Tshiwela Ncube and Horesia Nyawade co-founded Vuuqa, an online African emporium store that sells African brands with the goal of connecting African creators to customers. They met at the Wits Business School, Johannesburg, South Africa. It was during their frequent interactive and ethnically diverse networking sessions that they realized the demand of, and difficulty of access to African products made by Africans. In this interview with  Alaba Ayinuola  of Business Africa OnlineHoresia and Tshiwela shared their passion for African brands, why they launched Vuuqa, the development of Africa eCommerce ecosystem amongst others. Excerpt.

 

Alaba: Kindly tell us about VUUQA and the gap it’s filling.

Tshiwela & Horesia: Vuuqa is an online marketplace that sells African brands. We are a 100% African woman owned company. We identify and position ourselves as a Pan African brand name. Our aim is to digitally connect African creators to the world by facilitating them with the best online shopping experience. Our renowned products are those made in Africa by Africans to be sold globally.

Africans are becoming more creative and innovative, introducing new brands into the market. Vuuqa provides access to market through the online marketplace that is purely dedicated to these brands. Selling your products on Vuuqa gives you your own website at an affordable rate and capitalizes on the power of numbers ensuring sales.

 

Alaba: What was your startup capital and how were you able to raise it?

Tshiwela & Horesia: Our startup capital was R40 000, which was bootstrapped from friends, family and savings.

 

Alaba: What are the challenges and how are you overcoming them?

Tshiwela & Horesia: When we first launched Vuuqa, we based our business on the drop-shipping model, commonly used with platforms such as Amazon and Alibaba. We believed that it would be a better sell to the brands if we allowed them to keep their stock and only sold the products once they were ordered by the customer. We quickly found out that Africa’s infrastructure, in terms of affordable data connectivity and transport/logistics, wasn’t optimum for this model. Another challenge we encountered was discovering that most brands would easily breach the contract and sell items that were on the platform without updating Vuuqa.

This caused problems in terms of the promised product or time associated with its delivery. These incidents made us switch our model to instead start accepting consignment from the different brands. We also continue to define Afri-commerce, which is e-commerce that considers the culture, infrastructure and financial conditions of the different countries within the continent.

 

Alaba: What advice would you give potential entrepreneurs who intend to start a business or invest in Africa?

Tshiwela & Horesia: You cannot copy and paste models that have worked in other continents in Africa. It is important to do thorough market research, as much as we can learn from other countries, it is important to remember to adjust those models to fit the African market.

 

Alaba: What’s the future for your business and what steps are you taking in achieving them?

Tshiwela & Horesia: We see ourselves as the future of retail buying not only to Africans but to anyone who loves and supports Africa. To achieve this, we started early by setting out our strategy, processes and action plans. We are ensuring that we stay funder ready, stay professional and provide quality service to our customers. We believe in research and believe that it will keep us ahead of the game.

Alaba: How is your business contributing to the development of Africa?

Tshiwela & Horesia: At Vuuqa, we are building an ecosystem and pushing the narrative of grow Africa, buy Africa, by Africans. Encouraging the creation and purchase of locally produced brands, with local resources, by locals ensures that the money generated in made in and remains in the economy – thus fueling the development of our continent.

 

Alaba: What’s your view on the development of Africa eCommerce ecosystem?

Tshiwela & Horesia: We believe we still have a lot of work to do, however more companies with an ethos like Vuuqa coming up, shows progress. Some of the challenges faced include includes finding the right payment methods as a majority of Africans are unbanked. Another big challenge is logistics due to infrastructural issues in Africa, however this goes to show that there is room for innovation and those innovations will certainly be developed in Africa.

 

Alaba: How do you feel as an African entrepreneur?

Tshiwela & Horesia: I feel that it is truly Africa’s time, I mean its always been Africa’s time, but I feel we are ready for it now. I feel great, confident and ready to take all the opportunities that Africa has to give.

 

Alaba: How do you relax and what books do you read?

Tshiwela & Horesia: We love going out to eat and socialising and going on getaways away from the city. We also love watching documentaries.

We read a lot of African authors and most times prefer to read non-fiction story books to relax. We challenge each other at least read one book a month.

Also Read Interview With Street Global Venture Capital Partners, Alysia Silberg And Christian Meyers

Alaba: Please teach us one word in your home language and your favorite local dish?

Tshiwela & Horesia: Language Tshivenda: Zwiliwa – Food and my Favourite local dish is Samp and chicken stew

 

Alaba: What’s your favorite holiday spot in your country? Why?

Tshiwela & Horesia: Cape Town, its one of the best places to visit in the world, the views are to die for.

 

Horesia & Tshiwela Profile:

Horesia Nyawade is the co-founder and Chief Innovator at Vuuqa, an online marketplace for African brands. Born in Kenya and raised in five different countries. She is passionate about the continent and identifies as a Pan African. The inception of an online emporium manifested from her investigation of the lost textile industry in Africa. Vuuqa is the first step towards her vision to unite and empower small businesses in Africa. Horesia is an industry leader in African brands. She assists creatives within Africa to reach a larger customer base by providing access to market through digital platforms.
Horesia’s past experience includes working for Deloitte East Africa where she primarily served as a business analyst under the risk advisory department. She holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Wits Business School.

Tshiwela Ncube is the cofounder and Chief Operations Officer at Vuuqa an online marketplace that sells African brands. With experience that spans over 10 years across the Information Technology, Financial Services, telecommunications and eRetail industry. Her interests and passions are in innovative ideas and solutions that can solve African problems. A contributor to various African business based publications on the topic of Afri-Commerce, she also holds an MBA from the Wits Business School.

 

Start shopping! Visit Vuuqa

 

 

Afripreneur

Exclusive with Techbeaver CEO, Shina Arogundade

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Shina Arogundade is the CEO and Co-founder of Techbeaver, a dynamic development shop with a venture studio. With the primary focus to assist businesses in the development of their products, which include websites and mobile apps for both Android and iOS platforms. In this Interview with Alaba Ayinuola of Business Africa Online (BAO), Shina shares how Techbeaver is providing comprehensive support in product strategy and design, offering end-to-end solutions for companies that require efficient and rapid product development, especially non-technical companies and more. Excerpt.

 

Techbeaver and Its Solutions:

We craft seamless, responsive, and customer-centric products, and we consider this careful planning and mapping process to be the foundation of our building phase. As part of our venture studio, we have a talented pool of developers. In utilizing our depth of talent and engaging with the day-to-day challenges we observe, we have also embarked on creating internal products and appointing operators to oversee their management. 

Currently, we have two internal products, with our most prominent one being MyItura, a revolutionary health tech app that caters to a wide range of healthcare needs. Think of it as Shopify for healthcare providers. Our second internal product is still in stealth mode and is one we are confident will have a major impact once we go to market. 

Inspiration Behind Techbeaver:

Techbeaver was born out of a personal experience that I encountered. In my previous venture, we faced significant challenges in the development of our products. Customers and investors expressed dissatisfaction, prompting me to seek assistance from my lifelong friends and former roommates, Michael and Deolu, who both possess exceptional development skills.

However, it quickly became clear that their expertise came at a significant cost, especially considering their geographical locations (Deolu in the UK and Michael in the Netherlands). We collectively decided to explore alternative solutions, which ultimately led us to establish Techbeaver. 

Our vision was to establish a company where Deolu and Michael, as senior developers, could mentor and guide junior and mid-level developers. This not only allowed us to deliver high-quality products to our clients but also presented an invaluable opportunity for our junior developers to learn and grow by adhering to global standards. In 2022, Techbeaver officially came into existence.

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Thoughts on Digital Transformation:

Innovation has been a constant driving force for humanity. We continuously strive to discover new ways of doing things, seeking improvement, simplicity, and recognition for our achievements. This desire for progress has led us through various ages, from the stone age to the modern age, and now into the technology age, where concepts like blockchain and AI are becoming increasingly relevant. 

Back then we talked about inventions; now inventions are over and we’re talking about innovations in areas such as machine learning, AI, ChatGPT, generative AI, and many others. However, it is important to acknowledge that technology adoption remains very low, especially within Nigeria. Before speaking into the impact of AI and related technologies on other parts of the world, it is important for us as Nigerians to recognize and address our own low adoption rates. There is much work to be done in terms of driving technology adoption within our society. 

It is often discussed how AI may lead to job losses and reshape industries, but just as humans have proven their ability to adapt and survive, I am confident that we will adapt to these changes as well. Our greatest asset as individuals lies within our minds and our capacity to think critically, learn new skills, and embrace new trends. We are witnessing people of all ages, even the elderly, engaging with technologies like ChatGPT and actively pursuing knowledge in these areas. 

People will learn, companies will adapt, and organizations will utilize the latest technologies to build what suits them best. However, we need to focus on driving technology adoption and providing access to the internet and computer literacy for all, including children who currently lack these resources. It is only by actively pursuing adoption that we can fully explore how technology can positively impact our society.

Business Outcomes Startups can Expect by Leveraging Techbeaver’s Solutions.

In terms of business outcomes for companies that work with us, there are two key aspects to consider: the technology side and the non-technology side.

On the technology side, our team of developers works on multiple projects across various sectors, such as finance, healthcare, advertising, food, and ride-hailing. This diverse experience allows us to bring valuable ideas and expertise to our clients. We have the ability to build faster and more reliable systems by leveraging new technologies and creating state-of-the-art solutions. 

Additionally, our experience working with companies both within and outside Nigeria, including the US and Kenya, gives us valuable knowledge of different demographics, local laws, and market dynamics. This knowledge enables us to tailor our products to specific regions and advise companies on the best strategies for technology adoption and scaling.

On the non-technology side, our experience allows us to assist companies in the most cost-effective ways to build reliable systems. We also provide guidance on financing, product strategy, and product marketing.

One of the notable advantages of working with Techbeaver is our speed of delivery. We pride ourselves in our ability to meet deadlines and complete projects efficiently. Whether we commit to a three-month or six-month timeline, we consistently deliver high-quality solutions within the agreed-upon timeframe. We have successfully completed web apps in as little as 3-6 months, depending on the complexity of the project. Our clients can rely on us to be a fast and reliable team.

Biggest Challenges with Startups in Nigeria:

Startups in Nigeria face several significant challenges, including finance, market dynamics, and talent acquisition.

Finance is a common issue for startups in Nigeria. It can be difficult to secure the right funding and navigate equity arrangements. Understanding how to structure equity and debt arrangements and finding investors who are genuinely interested in supporting startups can be a complex and time-consuming process.

The market presents another major challenge. Many businesses struggle to enter the market successfully, and their initial expectations may not align with the reality of customer demand. Product strategy plays an important role in addressing market challenges, as startups need to build products that meet the specific needs of their target audience. Additionally, what works in one part of Nigeria may not work in another, and expanding to other countries may require unique approaches.

Talent acquisition is another challenge. Startups need to find the right individuals who possess the necessary skills, take initiative, aren’t just about their salaries but are driven to contribute to the company’s growth. It can be challenging to find talent that aligns with the startup’s goals, values, and company culture.

The reason I have been able to navigate through these challenges is as a result of the amazing communities I belong to – who are constantly rooting for me. It is important for startups to tap into supportive communities. Building strong networks and seeking guidance from experienced individuals who genuinely want to see you succeed can be invaluable. 

Why it is Critical for Businesses to Think like a Startup?

The question on the difference between a startup and an SME has been thrown at me a couple of times. The distinction between these two lies in their growth aspirations. Startups are built for rapid scale and aim to achieve in a few years what might take an SME several decades. Startups seek to quickly grow their customer base, attract investments, and expand their reach. By thinking like a startup, businesses can set themselves on the path of rapid growth and impact.

In Nigeria, we need more companies that think like startups. Scaling businesses at a faster pace allows for greater economic impact. Just as the music, entertainment, and creative industries have contributed significantly to the economy, the technology sector also has immense potential for growth and impact. By building startups that operate globally, earning revenue from outside Nigeria, and bringing those funds back to the country, we can add substantial value to our economy.

Thinking like a startup involves building products and services that cater to a global market, adapting to different regions’ needs, and creating solutions that improve the lives of millions. It requires a mindset focused on scale and continuous innovation. If businesses embrace this mindset, they can position themselves for sustainable growth and become key players in their respective industries.

Techbeaver in the Next 5 Years.

When we started Techbeaver, our goal was to build a Nigerian company with global relevance. We aspired to create products that would be used globally and have a positive impact on people’s lives. Over the next five years, we will continue to support businesses in building relevant and seamless products that make their operations easier and more efficient.

In addition to our client-focused work, we are passionate about our internal products. These products align with our values and have a positive influence on our immediate environment. Our aim is to build products that will remain relevant for years to come, regardless of the sector they operate in or the specific challenges they address.

This is where I see Techbeaver in the next 5 years.

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Embodiment Healthcare: Leveraging artificial intelligence to revolutionize patient care

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Embodiment Healthcare is transforming the Nigerian healthcare landscape with an AI-powered telehealth revolution. It’s innovative platform slashes wait times, accelerates clinical decisions, and delivers personalized treatment plans right to your doorstep. In this exclusive interview with Alaba Ayinuola of Business Africa Online (BAO), the Co-founders and Co-CEOs Johnbosco Ifeanyi Chigbo and Peter-Paul Ihenagwa, both trained pharmacists share more insight on embodiment healthcare and it’s solutions. Excerpt.

 

Can you tell us about your startup, Embodiment Healthcare, and its mission in the healthcare industry?

Embodiment Healthcare is a health-tech startup that leverages cutting-edge artificial intelligence to revolutionize patient care. Our mission is to democratize healthcare by making it more accessible, efficient, and personalized. We are committed to bridging the gap between medical services and patients who need them, using technology to create a more equitable healthcare landscape.

Could you explain your AI platform’s key features and capabilities, and how it sets you apart from other healthcare startups?

Our AI platform is designed with several key features that address the needs of modern healthcare providers and patients. These include:

  • Personalized treatment recommendations based on patient history and current health data
  • Natural language processing for improved patient engagement and automated documentation.

What sets us apart is our focus on not just one aspect of healthcare but the entire    ecosystem, ensuring that our platform can scale with providers and adapt to the changing landscape of health tech.

What specific challenges or pain points in healthcare does your platform address?

Embodiment healthcare is solving the 3 most vicious problems that bewilder healthcare in Africa: Accessibility, Affordability, Convenience and the one-size-fits-all approach that overlooks individual patient needs.. The average Nigerian spends at least 3 hours in the waiting room just to see a GP. It can take weeks to months to see a specialist. We believe that for healthcare to be effective, it has to be convenient. 

Existing healthcare is expensive due to scarcity and securing basic healthcare in Nigeria is a daunting task. Our platform streamlines administrative tasks, supports telehealth services, and promotes personalized medicine Our vision is to build an Africa where healthcare is accessible for all, irrespective of insurance or socio-economic status.

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How do you work with healthcare organizations to ensure the affordability and accessibility of your platform?

Currently, we are working on partnering with health insurance companies to increase the accessibility and affordability of our services. We also partner with specialist clinics to bring the best treatment portfolio closer to our patient door step. Currently we are working on partnering with a dermatology clinic to increase our treatment plans for dermatology conditions. We partner with healthcare organizations through various models to ensure our platform is both affordable and accessible. This includes subscription-based models, pay-per-use, and even custom partnerships depending on the organization’s needs. We’re committed to working with these organizations to find sustainable financial models.

What measures do you take to ensure the security and privacy of patient data when using your platform?

Patient data security and privacy are our top priorities. We adhere to strict data protection standards. We employ end-to-end encryption, regular security audits, and access controls to ensure data integrity and confidentiality. We employ highly advanced cyber security measures to ensure that our patient data safety is guaranteed. We also vet our doctors and ensure they adhere to strict professional and regulatory standards while handling our patient data.

Could you share the innovations that Embodiment Healthcare is working on?

We are continuously innovating, and some of our upcoming projects include further integration with IoT devices for expanded remote monitoring and implementing blockchain for secure patient data exchange. We’re also exploring the use of AI for genomic data analysis to advance personalized medicine. As well as integrating wearable technology for real-time health monitoring.

In addition, we are working on a partnership with a major telecommunication company in Africa to provide doctor on-call consultation using advanced technology. This will enable our patients to speak to a doctor by just dialing a unique code. We are also working on incorporation Natural language processing NLP, to enable users interact with a doctor in their local language using their mobile phones

What would you say about the growth of health tech-enabled solutions in Africa? And what are the recommendations

Health tech-enabled solutions in Africa are experiencing rapid growth, leveraging mobile technology and AI to improve healthcare accessibility and delivery. Early startups should prioritize user-centered design, understand local contexts, forge partnerships with healthcare providers, and focus on scalability and sustainability to maximize impact and address unique challenges in the region.

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Claire Rutambuka: Showcasing the beauty of diversity

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Claire RUTAMBUKA is an entrepreneur and the creator of Akâna Dolls. Beyond her professional background in International Trade, she has always been passionate about the creation of small and diverse objects. During her early childhood in Rwanda, she was fortunate to have toys and in particular a doll that she cared very much about. It was not only a privilege to have a doll but even more so to have one with her skin color. 

When Claire Rutambuka became a mother years later, she was surprised that she couldn’t easily find such a doll for her children that would showcase the beauty of little black girls. That’s how the idea of creating “Akâna Dolls” came about. Akâna is a word of Rwandan origin that can be translated as “little child”. It’s also a nod to the founder’s origins. 

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The brand was born from a mother’s desire to meet a need; namely, giving all children the opportunity to choose a doll they can relate to and adults an additional choice when it comes to gifting. After the first realization of the “Kaliza” doll, the ambition is to gradually expand the collection to include more skin shades and hair textures, so that every child feels represented.

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