“Na so founders plenty for Jos,” Yusuf Ahmed, the founder of Thrive Media Africa, a Jos-based digital marketing agency, rhetorically asked as he approached the tent where the maiden edition of the CrestHub Jos Founders’ Mixer was holding. Several other attendees, including the convener of the event, expressed this shock; it was a rainy day yet people were out and on time.
More than 20 startup founders, tech professionals and the director general of the Plateau State Information and Communication Development Agency (PICTDA) were in attendance.
In the beginning, CrestHub…
When Johnpaul Nwobodo, the publisher of CrestHub, a leading tech media outlet in Northern Nigeria reached out to inform me of his plan to host a founders’ mixer in the city, I was excited. It is something we planned to do while I was an editor-in-chief at the outlet, but we could not achieve it at the time. Maybe before I talk about the Mixer, let me tell you about CrestHub.
Although Johnpaul started the website as his personal thought leadership corner, it all changed in June 2021 when he asked me to come on board as a founding editor to hire and train reporters to document the happenings in the tech ecosystem in the region. I previously did this as a radio host at ICE 96.1 FM, a community radio station at the University of Jos, so it was an exciting opportunity.
We started out with four to five writers, one of them now works at a Nigerian fintech startup, Risevest, and another went on to work with a regional tech publication, Techloy. Beyond nurturing talent and documenting the tech ecosystem, Johnpaul wanted–and still wants–to see that the ecosystem grows into a strong destination; building viable solutions and attracting investors.
This is what led to the Mixer. “This will be the genesis of a strong founder ecosystem in Jos, Plateau state, Nigeria,” this was his tweet on the morning of the Mixer. Quality conversations are foundational in building anything solid.
Back to the CrestHub Jos Founders’ Mixer
I came into the Jos tech ecosystem in 2017, so I probably don’t know much about what was going on before then, except for the little research that my work as a tech reporter led me to. However, between the year I came to Jos to the days before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a vibrant tech community.
We had several events including the Social Media for Social Good Africa (SMSG Africa) conference and brainstorming sessions which were convened by Tomruk iHub Multiverse, HackJos by nHub, Girls Code Initiative strategy sessions, and LinkedIn Connect. There was always an avenue where you could go and see tech and social entrepreneurs interacting either at the Jos Business School, the former Tomruk iHub centre or nHub. I was privileged to interact with and even host some of these tech and business leaders because of the networking opportunity that these events provided.
It was still within the same period, 2019 to be precise, that nHub launched the Jos Angel Network to create a bridge between budding startups and investors. These angels wrote cheques to three Jos-based startups operating in fintech and agritech. Its inception was a product of the conversations that these business leaders had during this event.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 happened. It ruined the plans to host the SMSG Africa conference that year. Even after the pandemic, the ecosystem has continued to struggle with bringing back the bustling community. In May, tech hub owners in the state–-led by nHub—came together to form the Network of Hubs and Accelerators in Plateau State. “It is an opportunity for us to come together and re-strategise on how to drive innovation and also source funding for ideas in Jos and the rest of Northern Nigeria,” says Theodore Longji, CEO of nHub.
These efforts are a reflection that the ecosystem is hungry for the bustling community engagement that it used to have in the pre-COVID-19 era.
As a leading media outlet in the region, providing insights and documenting the growth of the region, hosting founders together to share ideas regarding the way forward was the best thing to do.
My takeaways from the CrestHub Jos Founders’ Mixer
- The government is ready to collaborate: “I am excited about the competence that is available in this gathering; this is a huge asset for the state government,” Datong Gwaman, the new DG of PICTDA told the attendees at the Mixer. Mr Datong expressed his willingness to collaborate with the ecosystem: “If you have any idea that you need government support, come to us, let’s talk about it,” he said.
Towards the end of the last administration, the Nigeria Startup Act secretariat was in Jos for a Stakeholders’ Engagement Event to discuss the domestication of the act. The goal is to create an environment for the establishment, development and operations of startups.
This is something that is relevant to the growth of the ecosystem.
Earlier this year, the Nigerian government launched a $618 million fund to invest in tech and creative startups. This funding is said to enhance the implementation of the startup act, and also provide access to funding to budding startup ecosystems outside the Lagos bubble.
- Bridging the gap between the “OGs” and the “Newbies”: During the Mixer, Goodness Ezeokafor, Engineering Lead at Changera, a Nigerian fintech startup, raised an important question about the gap between the older generation of tech innovators in the state and the new generation.
The resolution that was made after several persons took the mic to share their thoughts was the need for the “newbies” to submit to learning from the older innovators in the ecosystem. This will help in the transfer of knowledge and understanding; thereby making it easier for innovation to thrive.
- The need for documentation: Yeah, I had to bring this up. Although pioneer innovators in the tech ecosystem like Daser David, co-founder of nHub and immediate past DG of PICTDA have done a lot around documenting the ecosystem, there is still a need for more documentation.
Building in silence might sound good but it keeps us from showing the rest of the world what we are doing as a people. One thing I believe, and many others also agreed is the fact that, if there is so much documentation, the knowledge gap between the “newbies” and the “OGs” might not be as much as it is now.
It’s a lot of work for CrestHub, a small newsroom, to take on. However, if founders are able to make out the time to either serve as contributors on the website or write on their blogs, for today and future reference, it will go a long way.
I was happy to see several people reach out at the event to talk about what they’re building and how I think they can share their stories. I am hoping that the energy from the Mixer will not die down but will burn every day; that we’ll wake up to stories about Jos-based founders raising millions of dollars to scale their products; becoming part of global accelerators etc.
- Again, collaboration: Aside from collaboration between the private sector and the government, Retnan Daser, the founder and CEO of Everydaymoney, emphasised the need for collaboration between innovators. “It will enable us to scale fast,” he said.
For a growing ecosystem like what we have in Jos, competition should not be a priority, innovators should rather think of how they can share ideas, resources and skills to build products for the greater good of all.
The end, not yet…
It’s the end of the article, but it’s the beginning or rather a continuation of the conversations that we started at the CrestHub Jos Founders’ Mixer.
Last year, Nigerian startups raised well over 20% of the total venture capital investment in Africa. Local and foreign private investors mostly made these investments. Most, if not all, of these funds, were raised by Lagos-based startups.
We have all that it takes to bring these funds up North, starting from Jos.
And it’s time to “Make it Happen”!!!
