Since the start of the 21st century, there’s been a surge in the number of technology startups globally and lately, Ghana is having its fair share of the tech bubble. While it is fun to ride on the back of the startup spirit, the challenge has always been moving these companies from startup to mainstream. Here we look at ways we can leverage the startup culture to create multi million dollar global empires.
The startup idea
It is not uncommon to hear tech guys say, I had the Facebook idea, I could have built Google, among others. Though these statements may be valid claims, having an idea is seeing from one end of a spectrum. The other end is turning that idea into a product. Between the idea and the final products, so many factors come into play and these in many ways determine if these ideas or seed projects will mature into products that people need and use on daily basis thereby creating sustainable businesses for the founders.
What are some of the things along this spectrum and what can Ghanaian entrepreneurs do to navigate this space?
(Inset: picture of spectrum moving from ideas to product)
Infrastructure, framework and government
What does Facebook, Google, Twitter and most cutting edge and innovative technology companies have in common? Silicon Valley. Why is Silicon Valley leading the world in technology success stories? There is no singular or simple answer to this question and even if there was, it would not be as easy to implement because way too many factors come into play to make Silicon Valley what it is. In the final analysis though, a simple lesson we can take from the Silicon Valley story is the fact that it is possible to intentionally build a system that works; a system that provides the infrastructure and framework needed to build businesses with global success stories. Here, the infrastructure and framework includes human resources, access to capital, ready market etc.
There are many technology incubators available in Ghana including Meltwater and Busylabs. These setups could play a vital role in developing and shaping the future of technology in this nation while creating a platform for Ghanaian software entrepreneurs to compete successfully on a global scale. There have been success stories from some of these incubators but how do we take these stories from being the pet projects of a few and scale them up to a global level?
To effectively and continually do this, there need to be a rise in the quality of the human capital that feed these incubators. This essentially calls for a relook and a rethink of our academic curricular to make sure from early age, young talents are recognised and given all the support needed to leverage their potential. Essentially, our schools should be able to spot talents early and there should be a framework in place to harness these talents in preparation for a future in tech. The Bill Gates and Zuckerbergs of this world, started programming before they were teens and if there’s one thing every real programmer knows, it is how essential it is for would be programmers to start early. Programming can be taught but excellence in programming can only come from being self taught; a consequence of the discipline and time needed to achieve mastery in software development.
A system that creates the environment and framework conducive for creating startup businesses, while simultaneously providing the infrastructure needed for these businesses to move from startup to global phenomenons will doubtless be essential if Ghana is to have a say in and possibly be a leader in the global technology space… and why not, for this is what every country should seek.