YOUNG BOSS: Unotech

Twins, Dolapo and Damola Taiwo run Unotech Media; a web design company based in Nigeria and London, UK. Dolapo speaks on behalf of the team.

Why did you decide to set up Unotech Media?

My brother and I have always had interest in design and Information technology and when we went to the UK in 2005 to pursue careers in IT, the love became more. During that time we worked with a few design agencies like Virgin Media and worked on some major projects. We began [Unotech Media] officially in 2006 as we felt we stood a better chance as web developers in Nigeria because most of the works done in the UK are already of high standard, hence we wouldn’t be able to make any impact there.

Tell us all about the journey.

Back in the day in Nigeria when we started, it seemed like web design wasn’t well grounded. A lot of designs were very poor, cheap and lacked good design sensibility so we thought we could make a contribution and make Nigeria to be seen in a positive light in the international community using IT. These days all we hear is talk about rebranding and they are actually rebranding what is not there. We believe that with IT, we could let the international community know that Nigeria is buoyant and has expertise in online web start-ups (legitimate companies based on the Internet) then Nigeria will be rebranded and we will be seen a as positive thinking country.

How did you source start-up capital?

While in Babcock University as undergraduates we gained a lot of personal experience in web development, branding and multimedia especially since it was a private university. A lot of us were together in the same spot almost all the time so we could exchange ideas, so the human capital and expertise came as a result of our experiences; we didn’t have to pay for such. When we went to the UK we saw how things were done internationally, so we developed international experience.

As for funds, we sourced from family and friends; [since] our work is a service oriented business, start up capital to run such an organisation isn’t so demanding. So after purchasing a few laptops and getting office space from an uncle, we were good.

The next thing we had to do was marketing, however. We harnessed what we call the search engine optimisation which involves people actually finding and getting in touch with you on search engines. We developed our website to be search engine friendly, we got clients and made more capital through those means.

What are some of the services you offer?

Unotech Media is a full service design agency which means that we work with anything in the digital domain from websites to multimedia, e-commerce and interactive media, and of recent, expanded into corporate branding. We create logos, corporate communication material and basically anything which shapes public perception. Evans Brothers Nigerian publishers, Evergreen Apple - who are the guys building the first private hanger in Nigeria.

Our most recent and memorable work is the Wole Soyinka collection which was an online museum of Wole Soyinka’s house in Abeokuta, done in collaboration with Tunde Kelani and the Lagos state government.

What major challenges do you face?

Power supply; poor Internet connection because we do more than check e-mail, as well as the fact that Nigerians don’t like to pay for things they can’t hold or feel physically.

Internet fraud is another thing that affects us as well as a company whose business model is centred on the Internet. However, we believe that there are a lot of loopholes and untapped opportunities in the Nigerian web space that give these fraudsters a voice. We can’t physically stop someone from doing fraud on the Internet, but we can populate the Internet with legitimate startups such that there would be a point where the legitimate fraudsters would get drowned in the positivity and their impact would be very minimal.

Therefore, the possibility of someone falling victim to these fraudsters would be reduced. In the long run, Nigeria would be ‘rebranded’ in the web space and we will be known for positive use and application of the Internet.

Any profits yet?

To be honest, we make enough to run our office and pay for a few freelance staff, which justifies our coming home to Nigeria and setting up the business. We are happy we have the opportunity to represent Nigeria and it’s like an emerging technology and more importantly that my company is amongst those pioneering the web 2.0 in Nigeria.

We are currently working on a few web 2.0 startups that would change the way Nigerians live for good. These services would run on the Internet and would provide services such as online ticketing, events management, buying and selling of goods and services, property etc. First up is a service called RUMMAGE - which would enable any Nigerian buy or sell used or new goods easily with a beautiful user interface and robust software powering it.

We are also exploring opportunities in the mobile telephony market because it is becoming apparent that most people now access the Internet through their phones. We are thus looking to develop Internet applications for mobile phones that promise to make people’s lives easier.