Nigeria’s Saheed Adepoju is a young man with big dreams. He is the inventor of the Inye, a tablet computer designed for the African market.
According to the 29-year-old entrepreneur, his machine’s key selling point is its price – $350 (£225) opposed to around $700 for an iPad.
He believes that, because of this, there is a big market for it in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa, particularly amongst students.
He is also hoping to sell his tablet – which runs on the Google Android operating system – to the Nigerian government and plans to have at least one computer in each local government area.
“The Inye is a mobile internet device. It gives you access to the internet; it allows you to play media files and watch movies. What we have is an 8-inch device, a device that is half-way between a laptop and a mobile phone,” he told the BBC’s series African Dream.
“You have the standard software applications that come pre-installed and then you have the ones that we are working with various local developers to bundle on,” he added.
Among those local apps there is one designed to raise awareness about HIV and others related to water and sanitation.
“We work with local developers that have expertise in particular areas so that we don’t end up doing so much work and we just have a collaborative way of doing things together,” he said.
‘Word of mouth’
Mr Adepoju has a background in software development and is a Sun-certified Java programmer.
After doing a first degree in maths and computer science in Nigeria, he completed another one in advanced computing by research at Bournemouth University, in the United Kingdom.
Upon graduation in 2009, he returned to his home country and started working for a consulting firm.
“Within eight months I got fired, primarily because of differences in approach to doing business. In the middle of all this, the Apple iPad launched, back in January of 2010, which inspired us to actually look to build such [a] product within the African marketplace,” the entrepreneur told the BBC Africa’s Chris Ewokor.
He said that, with that goal in mind, he borrowed money from friends and family, raising a total of about $60,000.
According to him, all of that went on the devices and the logistics – there was no budget for marketing, so early advertising was “word of mouth” on social media.
The first 100 units of the Inye, which means One in Nigeria’s Igala language, were built in China and, after receiving feedback from its users, a second version was launched in May 2011.
Encipher Group, the company he cofounded with web developer Anibe Agamah, also offers customised IT services and products, including cloud computing, which are mostly based on open technology to keep costs down.
Raising capital
According to Mr Adepoju, the company and the apps it develops are focused on preserving local culture through technology and making products which are specific to the local market.
Another product that the firm has been working on is Encipher TV, a box where people can watch African television, plays and films.
However, he says that it has not been easy to raise capital in order to develop the business faster.
“Here venture capital (VC) is still in its infancy and most VC firms wound want to invest in tried and trusted companies that have gained some form of traction,” he said.
“We face the challenge of getting people to listen to the various propositions. We’ve been to a number of private investors and also to the government,” he explained.
Not surprisingly, his immediate plan is to “try and raise capital from whatever sources we can get – locally, internationally or privately – and to try and still to push the brand forward as much as we can”.
Will his tablet computer succeed in such a competitive environment? Only time will tell but Mr Adepoju and his colleagues are adamant that it will, not only in Nigeria but also in other African markets. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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That will not be an "invention". Let's not misuse words here, we might even discover that this "tablet" may have been fabricated in any of the Asian countries and just stamping a name that sounds Nigerian on it. Producing a device like the popular tablets is not a one-man show, but some collective and long term research.
ReplyDeleteyou didn't even appreciate his enviable vision and boldness in any way. Your comment is nt encouraging at all. So Bill gate and Mark Zukerberg told there patents and invention was a 1-man show, right?
DeleteWhat Adepoju has done is laudable. But putting his efforts in proper context, what he has done is etrepreneural. He got some chinese company to manufacture the hardware, run it on the android platform, produce and install some apps to attract the local market. He should commended and encouraged for the efforts.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this is not a new invention.
All the same kudos!
Mr Yany.. You are pointing out theory that had nothing to do with the write up. Therefore, theorically you simply have bad belle. No be you first go school! Haba!
ReplyDeleteYou left out the part where they partnered with others to get the job done. My friend stop hating and congratulate!!!
You have made FUT Minna proud brother.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Saheed particularly being an invention as it is...no matter what hypocrites may term it...an invention used here is not in any way exaggerated considering the augmentations you have perfected bearing a unique name as it has,,,congratulations once again brother...i will try and get one soon
ReplyDeleteSimply Awesome.
Congratulations on your achievements. You have made us all proud. Great job, keep it up.
ReplyDeleteYour road was tough, but you did an excellent job. You never lost your faith and courage, which eventually brought you to success. Congratulations Saheed Adepoju. via twitter @robert_busa
Nice one Mr. Adepoju. I love your gut. I only wish I can fund this product. Nevertheless, keep focus and never give up. You will really succeed and you are almost there. Make Nigeria Proud, keep the faith.
ReplyDeleteBill Gates did not "invent" the PC operating system, he started with IBM's DOS, developed Windows from there, and proud IBM got on its bellies for the first time in 1986.
ReplyDeleteThis Nigerian has started right and only Heaven knows what will happen soon to make Africa proud. The Asian Tigers did not "invent" but see what has happened.
Mr. Adepoju, please do not be discouraged by initial troubles. Keep going. There are people who will soon notice your ingenuity and give money to your corporation.
While I'll say its a good thing, there's one thing that's a deal-breaker for me; the price. $350 for an 8 inch tablet when amazon's kindle fire and google's nexus 7 (both 7 in ch tablets) are selling for $200 wont fly. And we've not even compared hardware specs. I hope Mr. Adepoju can address these issues with subsequent models.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Mr Adepoju and the team effort involved. But,let us correct the language used by the writer which is Invention. Invention means creating a totally new device or process. To make it more clear Samsung, Acer and Toshiba make tablets of their own and Do Not call their tablets new inventions. Mr Adepoju did not invent the device, he just utilised the same knowledge big Electronic device manufacturers use, which we call in the Electronics industry "Contract Manufacturing". The contract of this kind is done in China and nowhere else in this world. A model is chosen to his(Mr Adepoju) specfications ,which already exists, but a brand name of your choice will be inscribed. The $60,000 Capital is payment for a minimum order quantity based on your chosen device but with your logo, brand name and low cost price.
ReplyDeleteFor your information i have done this before with mobile phones and people in Nigeria are using my brand right now. There are many others like Mr Adepoju and myself (The Commenter), that do this already.
Therefore take it in and note he is no genius, but an entrepreneur looking to bite into the Nigerian tablet market.
Congratulations to Mr Adepoju and the team effort involved. But,let us correct the language used by the writer which is Invention. Invention means creating a totally new device or process. To make it more clear Samsung, Acer and Toshiba make tablets of their own and Do Not call their tablets new inventions. Mr Adepoju did not invent the device, he just utilised the same knowledge big Electronic device manufacturers use, which we call in the Electronics industry "Contract Manufacturing". The contract of this kind is done in China and nowhere else in this world. A model is chosen to his(Mr Adepoju) specfications ,which already exists, but a brand name of your choice will be inscribed. The $60,000 Capital is payment for a minimum order quantity based on your chosen device but with your logo, brand name and low cost price.
ReplyDeleteFor your information i have done this before with mobile phones and people in Nigeria are using my brand right now. There are many others like Mr Adepoju and myself (The Commenter), that do this already.
Therefore take it in and note he is no genius, but an entrepreneur looking to bite into the Nigerian tablet market.
Congratulations to Mr Adepoju and the team effort involved. But,let us correct the language used by the writer which is Invention. Invention means creating a totally new device or process. To make it more clear Samsung, Acer and Toshiba make tablets of their own and Do Not call their tablets new inventions. Mr Adepoju did not invent the device, he just utilised the same knowledge big Electronic device manufacturers use, which we call in the Electronics industry "Contract Manufacturing". The contract of this kind is done in China and nowhere else in this world. A model is chosen to his(Mr Adepoju) specfications ,which already exists, but a brand name of your choice will be inscribed. The $60,000 Capital is payment for a minimum order quantity based on your chosen device but with your logo, brand name and low cost price.
ReplyDeleteFor your information i have done this before with mobile phones and people in Nigeria are using my brand right now. There are many others like Mr Adepoju and myself (The Commenter), that do this already.
Therefore take it in and note he is no genius, but an entrepreneur looking to bite into the Nigerian tablet market.
Really the word invented, as used here, is to draw attention to surfers eyes to want to take a break to read what this is about, that said, its a business sense, but like Abiona Alli said... the pricing system of your brand, and the specs will determine how you'll grow in this scene, if you ask me, Id tell you Apple Inc rushed in releasing the new ipad, and now honestly they are in a dilemma, the nexus 7 is out, although not as pix-elated as the ipad, but it addresses a common last end user problem, - PRICE, if you ask 99% of would be willing tab buyers, sorry 98.98% would take other brands than his out there, he should take the naira dollar conversion into consideration if his target market is Nigeria / Africa, also your specs should be stated, these days majority believe the higher the specs the more powerful a device, sorry, that's the beclouded belief, and even a major corp like Apple and Windows Mobile are paying badly for it, apple cant release a newer device now, cause Htc and Samsung would update it with a killer, price bender one that will kill apples sales, I'd suggest him to maintain a modest view of hard-wares, make everything accommodating, external hard-wares made customizable and his choice of using the android platform is unique, but well the average Nigerian shopper state of mind should be kept too, allow the big boys to target the big pie, target the small one and time will tell whose pies are bought and sort after more.
ReplyDeleteI wish him the best of his endeavors.
WELL DONE MR ADEPOJU,I LIKE UR BUSINESS VENTURE ANYWAY.WHAT ADEPOJU DID WAS JUST A REBRANDING AND REDESIGNING OF AN ALREADY EXISTING PRODUCTS,IT WAS NEVER AN IVENTION AND NO BIG DEED ON IT.I ALWAYS TRAVEL TO CHINA AND HAVE SO MANY LOOK ALIKE COPY IPAD COMPUTERS WITH MANY FEATURES THAT SELLS FOR $80.I CAN EASILY CHOOSE A NAME AND REBRAND IT,BRING IT INTO NIGERIA AND SELL IT FOR $150. WE SHOULD DIFERENTIATE BETWEEN AN ENTERPRENUER AND AN IVENTOR
ReplyDeleteI HAVE MADE SEVERAL INVENTIONS ESPECIALLY ON ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION MANAGEMENT.I HAVE USED SOME THEM TO WIN NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS FOR NIGERIA. I WILL LIKE ANY GENUINE FELLOW WHO KNOWS HOW TO MASS PRODUCE THESE PRODUCTS ESPECIALLY ABROAD TO CONTACT ME. NOT NECESSARILY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE BUT HOW TO OR WHAT TO DO
ReplyDeleteCONTACT ME ON 08033217779 OR laloni21@yahoo.com DR GILBERT O,
The youngman (Mr. Adepoju) definitely created a new product. A new product is either new to the market, new to the manufacturer, an extended feature, new to both market and manufacturer, etc.
ReplyDeleteWhether he is imitating Apple or Samsung, he has a position in the market... You are either an industry leader (Apple), Industry Challenger (Samsung), Industry Follower (Every other tablet brand) or an Industry Niche (Inye). In this case Mr. Adepoju has utilized the media to make his new product known. The best we an do is encourage and trend this laudable initiative.