Thus Spaketh Idd Salim

4 lessons learnt from the DEMO event in Silicon Valley via MedAfrica

by on Sep.20, 2011, under Coding, Personal, Symbiotic

4 BabySteps

Banx suggested that I stick to being a tech blogger and a gadgets reviewer for the next 3 months until watu watulie. Moving on swiftly.

Well, @smutinda and @mbuguanjihia represented Kenya in the just-concluded DEMO launchpad event – www.demo.com. I was privileged to get an exclusive on what happened and who won what and why. It was a success story. Letting everyone out there know that there are real coders and thinkers in Africa, contrary to common belief.

This was an awakening.

Shimba ranked highly in their category and was behind a solution from Stanford with their MedAfrica product. The Stanford team, with funding from Eric Schmidt and the best tools (more about this later), had made a gadget that you attach to your back and it gives you a slight electric vibrations when you sit in a bad posture. It helps you sit better and protect your backbone. [Read More here]

MedAfrica was something different altogether. Given the sad fact that there are ONLY 7, 000 doctors tasked with serving 40, 000, 000 Kenyans, MedAfrica uses the fact that there already 10M mobile users in Kenya to create eDoctors. MedAfrica would cut the Doctor:Patient ratio from1:5714 to 1:4.  Here is the presentation.

The 4 lessons.

Lesson 1: Relevance Matters

Ofcourse, In being from a First-world country, this was a difficult sale. With all the online services like my MyPhysician and the rest, it was difficult to explain how so man people could not have access to basic human right like medicare. So, MedAfrica tanked in this initial round. Luckily, not winning the DEMO accolades did not amount to total failure.

Lesson 2: Funding Matters

I can’t talk enough about this. Linet always frowns at me when I talk about this. We always seem to have a “Develop your solution, generate interest and the funding will come” VS “Give me the funding and I will give you the BEST solution” debate. I never seem to be able to explain the later, a mantra I subscribe to.

Seed capital is all developers ask for. Not Millions and Millions. Google would never have been afloat without the US$100,000 funding from Andy Bechtolsheim [Read More Here]. Facebook would not have kicked off without the first investment of US$500,000 in June 2004 from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel [Read More Here]. I could go on the WHOLE day.

But then again, we are in Africa and funding/seed capital is a pipe-dream.

So cometh the challenge to the Universities and the Government.

Lesson 3: Government Matters

In the US, all Universities offering Computer Science have funding available for the MOST promising students. Government subsidizes and offers security for loans to IT initiatives from Government Banks. Need KSHS 5M to do a project, no problem. Your University and the Government just needs 20% shares of your company, and you will get the loan tomorrow. Try that in Kenya.

Our old-money-old-ideas mental setup, colonial-thinking and defensive business models make this impossible.

So, the innovators and thinkers are still REQUIRED and EXPECTED to fend for themselves. Think about your product, then think about the money to make the product a revenue-generating solution. Once you start making money, KRA and KAC will be sent over to see ‘how’ you make all this money. Then the ‘investors’ will come. When you don’t need them.

People who invested millions in FB and Google, ventures that had NO revenue potential or defined streams, right now are smiling all the way to the Keyboard to refresh their profits screens. There are no risk-takers here. Yet.

Lesson 4: Name Matters

Think of the power in a Name. UoN is know for Riots. Harvard is known for Excellence. Most people would still rather partner/invest in a C student from Harvard, than an A student from UoN. [If the GradeNazis would allow my use of Kenyan Grades for Harvard]. Until maturity comes to our students to elevate our name in such a manner that the very mention of UoN, Strath, JKUAT or CUEA would put a smile on investors and partners, the prejudice will remain.

Also, what we learn or are perceived to learn matters. It makes me sad that we are still teaching PHP, CSS and Javascript in Campus, 4th year. I will not belabour this point.

Kids need to leverage the Fibre and use the 4MB Ngwati links to learn things that blow the socks off investors. Talk QR Codes, NFC, e/m Payments, Cloud, Anything. Si Css.

Back to code

Wazi.

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  • Ricochet

    Idd dont be foolish!!! What campus in Kenya teaches CSS in fourth year??? What campus???…please ongea vitu unajua #pumbavu . You are painting  a completely wrong picture for foreigners who i know read this blog. There is alot to be done as concerns computer science education in Kenya…but definetely not to that extent.

  • shujaa

    Now thts wassup…straight to the point

  • Thomas Kioko

    i like the last bit..about schools teachin stuff haiko..gava inafai kureview wat they teach …SERIOUS

  • Shujaa

    Matusi ya nini boss that’s idd’s opinion u may b having a different opinion but that’s not how to react.

  • Anonymous

    Did you go through  a Kenyan public university? How many computer science/IT students graduate and they don’t even know basic html leave alone css. I have seen many. There is no harm in painting our education system as it is.
    A developer in Kenya is either self taught or had post university training or went to some private university or studied abroad: Never taught in a public university.

  • Ricochet

    I’m wondering…did YOU go through a kenyan university?? The study of computer science includes, but is not wholly dependent on learning programming languages…infact in most universities in Kenya and the world over, only C is taught and programming paradigms: functional, oop e.t.c is taught: the choice of language to use is left to the student to choose and study on his own… i say this as a student of the university of Nairobi. It is laughable that you actually expected a lecturer to walk in and teach a language like CSS, which is not even a real language…its not Turing complete.
    Again computer science is not about languages or programming…there is much more to it.
    The main problem is with the IT/Computer science students who expect to learn everything from school…you have to learn  alot on your own..its the only way you can learn to be innovative.

  • http://twitter.com/Adolphuslwova ɐʌoʍl snɥdlop∀

    Hata hio php na css in cs haifunzwi kabisa…you only learn/use it to do ur project that’s if you want to graduate. 

  • Anonymous

    My gawd!!

  • Anonymous

    I would like to see what he has done…

  • Anonymous

    I would like to see what he has done… Please post some links here.

  • Anonymous

    sijui ma-emotions ni za nini from some people…

  • Symo

    It’s true that much needs to be done on he education system but saying UoN explicitly is known for riots is bad. I graduated from there in computer science and it is the best CS program in the country in my opinion. In CS, you don’t have to be a programmer to be successful, just like in construction, you don’t have to be the mason that puts the stone in place. You can be the architect that actually makes more than the mason :-)

  • Anonymous

    I went through a Kenyan public university (Moi University) for 2 years before I quit. (I completed university elsewhere outside Kenya)
    Reasons, poor quality of education. Lack of proper infrastructure for learning. We didn’t have internet then(2004-2006).The lab had 8 windows NT pcs for 60 students. Access to internet was available only via a cyber cafe.

    I can’t say much about the situation of Kenyan universities now, maybe they are better.
     
    But generally we are very good at churning theory and never linking the theory to any kind of practicality. We are taught algorithms in theory and not challenged to use them practically. What’s the use?

    I must say you are right about what CS entails it’s not all about css and HTML. But in the industry you are expected to learn these things on your own. As idd has just put it in his closing statement, kids not lecturers should use the available resources to learn those Xtra skills.

    I think we are all right to some point.

  • http://twitter.com/MurayaKamau Muraya Kamau

    I conducted some interviews last week. Web developer/ Web developer. Half the dudes were clueless. Only two people could write a good script out of 17. And a lady among them did not have an idea of what CSS was. Mind you these were Comp Sci/IT/Comp Eng grads

  • Mike

    “The main problem is with the IT/Computer science students who expect to
    learn everything from school…you have to learn  alot on your own..”

    I so much agree to this – far too many graduate university thinking that they know all they need to know, when in fact the only thing they know is where to start learning!

    Ask yourself and your friends: what was the last text-book you read (after graduating) ?…. The problem is not the university – the problem is that many people do not understand that university is only an introduction – making it easier for you to learn whatever specialization you need/want to learn.

  • Mike

    “The main problem is with the IT/Computer science students who expect to
    learn everything from school…you have to learn  alot on your own..”

    I so much agree to this – far too many graduate university thinking that they know all they need to know, when in fact the only thing they know is where to start learning!

    Ask yourself and your friends: what was the last text-book you read (after graduating) ?…. The problem is not the university – the problem is that many people do not understand that university is only an introduction – making it easier for you to learn whatever specialization you need/want to learn.

  • Emmanuel

    Back in the days (late 70s – early 80s) pre 8-4-4, students at the UoN used to spend a small fraction of their time in lecture halls. Most of their time as students was spent doing research in the library, or in case of science/engineering students doing research in the labs. Classes were divided into study groups which would meet regularly to review the lecturers notes/days assignments, and these groups were co-ordinated by research assistants who also acted as consultants on difficult concepts.

    This system worked beautifully, and when students graduated not only could they be self-sustaining but where well grounded in all aspects of their course. Unfortunately by the time I joined (2002-2006), this had been done away with and had been replaced with daily lectures from 9am – 5pm, leaving little time for doing research, and basically everyone for himself. Therefore it’s no surprise when graduates can’t apply even the basic concepts taught in their course..

  • http://twitter.com/karanumwangi Dennis Karanu

    Stil havent met a proper coder in a public university

  • Harry

    i watched the demo presentations and i think Mbugua and co did well against the odds stacked against them.
    True, CS is not about programming only and yes the calibre of students from public universities may not be upto scratch, am sure time spent in the market will straiten that out. That unfortunately is how the kenyan learning curve is.
    Idd may advance his ideas in the programming arena but he is making the right noises, why dont all the other fellas also make the right noises in their fields of choice/expertise. With the right noises at the appropriate din, glass ceilings will break.

  • http://www.kenyansearcher.com Kenyan Searcher

    Dragons Den should be coming to Kenya soon. Shimba Technologies can try their luck.

  • http://www.kenyansearcher.com Kenyan Searcher

    Dragons Den should be coming to Kenya soon. Shimba Technologies can try their luck.

  • Paul Okech

    Hi idd,

    I am once agai very impressed with your summary of the innovation space and the experience of medafrica at the demofall2011. the lessons learnt are many but most crucial is that 2 of the ideas presented i initially heard from you and mbugua two years ago!

    lesson5: techies in kenya should be bold with their ideas. ideas! then take it to demo and show the world what they are thinking. i can tell you  – its all possible.

    Leson 6:  Funding – the idea must resonate and have an obvious impact – check out http://www.i-tomb.net and see why? converting life to innovation? i cant tell.

    always happy to read your blog!

  • Anonymous

    Thanks Bwana paul, or as we call you, Boss.

    Thank you for representing Kenya and Shimba.

    Good things are on the way.

  • Learnlisp

    I think the app that shimba designed has good functionality and serves a real need and I commend them for that. I however think they need to work on the UX side of the app as it looked amateurish in the demo. Its not really ground breaking but I think some of the core concepts could be applied to areas of business such as vetting tenders, contractors etc. A mobile directory with ratings and reviews. It would be interesting if they added location based features such as the closest clinic and or doctor based on cell tower triangulation as most phones in Kenya I assume do not have GPS built in. I agree with Salim that most Kenyan unis do not teach in the sense that foreign unis do (I was in UoN Elec Eng and transferred abroad after one year because of this short coming)

  • Anonymous

    Thanks for the comment. I am sure @mbuguanjihia:twitter  @smutinda:twitter  and  @okechp:twitter will appreciate the sentiments.

  • http://www.mbuguanjihia.com/ Mbugua Njihia

    Well said Harry…well said #glassceilings

  • http://www.mbuguanjihia.com/ Mbugua Njihia

    @iddsalim knows that we have tried getting location apis from local MNO’s since ’09, we continue to pursue that. On the UI/UX front, I agree, its one of the biggest needs the team @medafricaorg and even at SMC, where I am CEO. I have been hunting for kickass UI designers for mobile locally but am yet to meet someone who makes me stop and go wow! Met a great team in Silcon Valley though, who are keen to explore the opps in Africa…lets see how that goes.

  • Learnlisp

    Overall I think you have a good idea, but the numbers you mentioned for revenue and time to monetize seem a bit far fetched on first listening. Would be interesting to see how you plan to monetize the app, I guess you will not be charging for directory listings(conflict of interest) or charging the end user (kills your market base), so maybe mobile ads(very little revenue I assume and high customer overhead) or get financial support from an aid organization like WHO or USAID?

  • Jazzmaster

    Brilliant presentation, the solution sells itself. VCs should be running over each other to fund MedAfrica..is this the case? If not, we need to ask ourselves why its hard for them to finance African companies, and try to address this..

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