Ladies and gentlemen, drum roll please...
We have another exciting interview episode with the one and the only...
Ms Geek Africa 2019—Josephine Ndeze!
Josephine is an incredible and extremely passionate young entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of her startup, SOS Mamas, based in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In May 2019, Josephine won the reputable Ms Geek Africa award at the annual Transform Africa Summit in Kigali, Rwanda. Her startup is a tech solution that targets expectant women. SOS Mamas is a mobile application connected to an electronic bracelet that monitors the various vital parameters in pregnant women in order to detect and alert any sign of danger in pregnant women.
"It is thanks to this contest that I was able to have a little background to launch my startup and be a little known to start entrepreneurship," says Josephine. With relatively little training she had in the contest, she has taken bold steps to reify her vision such as making her app solution easily accessible to users on Google Play Store. That entrepreneurship has many amazing perks cannot be gainsaid. On the flip side, it has its own challenges especially when you’re just starting out. Developing your services, pushing your products to the market, accumulating funds, getting the right people on board and balancing all these with other aspects of your life can be overwhelming. However, with strong passion, persistence and follow-through one is guaranteed to make it. According to Josephine, "My experience is that it is not easy, but you have to stay focused, you have to know how to fail and get up, have a goal to achieve and fight until it comes true." Josephine also gives advice to young entrepreneurs and emphasizes the importance of having the right people on board when pursuing your entrepreneurship career. She says, "The advice I would give to beginners is that you have to be tough, you have to learn to bond with the right people, the people who can help us move forward, not those who take us back; because in entrepreneurship, a very very important element is the TEAM WORK. We can't achieve anything alone, we must always work together."
There are thousands of young entrepreneurs and innovators all over the world who have been hit hard by the covid-19 pandemic when they have barely started out. Josephine’s insights during the covid-19 pandemic are nothing but astute and encouraging. She states,
"I think COVID-19 is a period during which companies should take their time to assess, ask themselves questions like: am I able to contribute to the solutions? Am I able to stand up during the time that COVID-19 will take? If we are not able to contribute to the solutions, let it be at least a period of concentration, so that after COVID-19 the company can quickly resume its normal course without losing control; because it is certain that after COVID-19 companies, especially startups will have a lot of work, and only the fastest will be able to do it." All in all, she wishes you all the best and urges you to keep yourselves and your families safe from corona virus.
There you have it, guys. I hope you enjoyed this edition with Ms Geek Africa 2019. If you’re curious to know what Josephine Ndeze is always up to, check out her social media links below. Until next time, stay safe and healthy. See ya!
Twitter: @JosephineNdeze
Instagram: ndeze josephine