A Challenge For Apple In Africa....

(photocredit:forbes.com)

I came across Michael Akindele on the Forbes site and I was so impressed on what he had achieved and how far he has come along.

I had to share the summary of my quick read, for the full details, visit (http://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe).

In research, a research can only be considered valid if a gap is identified and that gap is filled through extensive research and rigorous testings. Only after the success of this can it be considered to have contributed to knowledge, regardless of how minute the contribution might be. Some of us, have taken up careers of being self acclaimed analysts. We analyse every single situation, we have an answer to just about everything, there is always an opinion on just every subject, be it politics, religion, economy, sports etc. There is really not so much of  a problem with that. For me however I love it when people look critically at flaws/ shortcomings in their environ and push themselves beyond limit to remedy the situation despite all odds. This is what Michael has done.

 

Born on the 29^th of August 1984 in Washington D.C., to Nigerian parents. At the age of 2 years old,  he moved to Nigeria with his family and spent the next 10 years in Ibadan. At the age of 12, his family returned to the US where he continued his education in Alexandria, Virginia. After graduating from T.C. Williams High School, he attended George Mason University in Fairfax, VA where he  received a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree from the Volgneau School of Engineering with a focus on Computer Science and Information Technology. He also received a minor in Business Administration from George Mason’s School of Management. While at George Mason he was a member of the Track & Field Team and competed in the hurdles and middle distance running events which gave him the confidence he needed to take on events outside of sports and a chance to win. Two days after graduating from George Mason he began his career as a Technology Consultant with Accenture where he gained valuable professional experience from being a Technology Analyst. While at Accenture, he started working on a project, which quickly progressed and birthed The Apprentice: Africa. He  returned to Nigeria January 2007 and was part of a team that developed, produced and distributed the African edition of an 18 week reality show titled The Apprentice: Africa that had a strong following in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

In 2010 He started a company called FUSION which was short lived due to funding. Now tell me about not giving up even after a hard knock. Like I say “You gotta get yourself up and keep going….”  However, in June 2013 approached by Adlevo Capital to partner with a group of experienced mobile telecommunications professional led by Tayo Ogundipe to start a company called SOLO the DREAM was born.  And in November 22, 2013 they successfully launched a mobile device company that provides experience-driven, end-to-end digital content and services to young adults and adults who are young at heart requiring a mobile device that provides convenient, affordable gateway to the widest range of digital content that is delivered on the go, every at blazing speed to the African consumer.

The foundation of SOLO is built on delivering key value added services in critical enterprise verticals such as education, healthcare and commerce, to mention a few. Today, SOLO offers affordable smartphones bundled with free music up to 20 million songs licensed from Sony, Universal and Warner. This innovation was possible because of partners that believed in the SOLO vision. They also recently launched a Video-On-Demand App available to all Android devices in Nigeria offering the latest Nollywood and Hollywood movies from global movie studios such as Disney, Universal Studios and Sony Pictures. Their go to market strategy was to offer download powered by SOLO HotSpots. This innovation offers consumers to download movies in 3 – 5 minutes. This by far is the best offering in today’s market populated by streaming services where data costs are still extremely high. SOLO innovates by putting the consumer first and that is the premise SOLO was founded on.

(http://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2015/03/02/the-30-year-old-nigerian-mobile-phone-entrepreneur-who-is-challenging-apple-in-africa/4/)