Qubestreet

Tell us your educational background?

I am a Communication Science student at the University of South Africa. I was formerly in Yaba College of Technology studying Civil Engineering.

When and why did you move to South Africa?

I moved to Johannesburg in January 2007 to study and also learn from one of the world’s biggest media markets.

When did you decide to become an entrepreneur?

I have always wanted to be financially free and liked challenges. I am also inspired by my environment to do things differently, that is what gave birth to my love for the media and desire to set up a media company, entertainment & digital communication.

Tell us about Qubestreet?

I have established working partnerships with different organizations across Africa to be able to play in our core fields of interest. I co-founded Qubestreet as a full scale media outfit in Nigeria in 2005 and we got registered in South Africa in Nov. 2008 as an entertainment and digital communications company. We have unique product offerings for different markets. Qubestreet.com is our official portal for our parent company. We partnered with Afrovision Group, a Cameroonian IT company, to launch a number one destination for Nigerians globally to connect and showcase their creations through our portal, Naijaborn.com. Naijaborn.tv, on the other hand, is the content arm of Naijaborn.com. Naija Born is currently in beta testing (this is the second phase of software testing in which a sampling of the intended audience tries the product out) and we hope to come out of beta when we are properly funded. Nigeria 2.0 is an initiative our company co-founded with StartupsNigeria, a technology company founded by Loy Ozekie, to expose the Nigerian technology startups. Ilueko.com is an interesting platform to expose the city of Lagos to the world and finally, Qkulture.com is our brand to work closely with the youth market. We are currently concentrating on Naija Born & Nigeria 2.0 for the 2010 business year.

What has the experience been like?

I must confess, it’s been the most stressful part of my lifetime as my youthful days are not yet over and I already act old. I work round the clock trying to attain the goals and dreams set for a period of time but I believe it will pay off in the long run.

What are some of the challenges you face?

Finding a great team of like minded individuals; finances! It’s a bit difficult raising funds in this part of the world compared to other markets.

What is running your business in South Africa like, compared to Nigeria?

It has not been easy as we have had to learn from the environment, network and set up a base which required a good amount of capital. We are getting there, I must say the number one thing about doing business in South Africa is that it exposes the mind to a new way of doing things compared to what we are exposed to in Nigeria.

Which of your businesses is most dear to you and why?

Qubestreet is very dear to me, same for the products, most especially Naija Born because it is top rated in our business plan as we hope to move across the continents, exposing Nigerians to the world.

How did you get the start up capital for your business?

Start-up capital came through family supported funds and money we made from our services. We are still working out plans whereby we can raise funds for our growth as we already have our branding and network rights.

Where do you see your business in the near future?

In the next four years, I see Qubestreet as a top rated media brand playing and competing with top brands to connect Africans with quality services and products.