For new start-ups, one of the most difficult tasks is living up to the envisioned standard or concept which is initially presented. For Joseph Kaizzi, co-founder and CEO of Ugandan-based disruptive technology firm Thinvoid, being transparent — especially in early stages — is key.
The objective of Thinvoid, Kaizzi says, is not to create an entirely new market, rather tackle tech issue that have arisen within the space.
“These new ways often render existing technology less desirable but not necessarily obsolete. For example, location based services are not new, but when you make it affordable and address the common man’s needs like security of their assets, then you are onto something,” he said of the company’s newest venture Tambula, an asset location service.
The start-up is currently in it’s first phase and largely focused on serving motorcycle and vehicle owners. Once “critical mass,” kicks in, the venture will move to push mobile — and in phase four implement new features related to location and device tracking. For now, according to the venture’s website, users can try out tracking and GPS devices, which aside from vehicles can be fitted to items like laptops and within watches or bracelets to be worn by children.
“We [have] disclaimers in place and are very open about device issues. It won’t transmit while under a concrete ceiling, we cannot trace the car if the device goes offline, etc. We try to be open as much as possible. That saves us a lot of stress later,” Kaizzi added, circling back to transparency and user satisfaction.
While market penetration and hardware importation are hurdles for Tambula, the goal of Thinvoid — to crack down on progressive and transformative tech — keeps the team sharp.
“In some special cases, we identify previously unsolved problems and build up solutions to address those problems. However, this doesn’t qualify as a disruptive solution. To disrupt, there has to be an existing process or solution [to the] way things are being done,” Kaizzi added.
Through the CAVI model — a tedious process of collecting, analyzing, visualizing and inferring data — the Thinvoid team implements disruptive technology. The “hallmark” of Thinvoid’s efforts are to “be a world standard in the delivery of technology solutions that meet complex and unique requirements of clients while making simplicity and the ease of use,” he said.
In 2011, after seeing the success of a Makerere University created crime mapping start-up, CrimeX — which won the East & Southern Africa Microsoft Imagine Cup competition under his mentorship — Kaizzi found the motivation to establish Thinvoid.
In 2006, before putting his background in software engineering to use, Kaizzi, along with a friend, started a media venture following high school graduation. The online blog portal helped to connect Ugandans in the diaspora to family back home. Two years later, when Kaizzi participated for the first time in the Microsoft challenge — which then called for the creation of an “environmental sensitization system,” he started a relationship with the tech giant — still today a supporter of Thinvoid.
“The local tech scene here is vibrant with Microsoft and Google actively engaging with the developer community by offering free development tools, funding promising ventures and financing events,” Kaizzi said about Uganda’s tech landscape.
Partnerships with local organizations and tech hubs like Hive Colab, Uganda Technology And Management University (UTAMU), Makerere University and the Africa Innovations Institute have helped Thinvoid move forward in its journey and initiatives.
The company is now in the process of hashing out tech ventures that are both simple and intended for the greater good of businesses.
“Hear Me Out is a social customer care automation tool that reduces response time by up to 86 percent. [Its] suitable for corporations and big brands that need queries handled in real time with minimal human supervision,” Kaizzi said.
“Ticket Bender is an events ticketing application. Think of Evenbrite for Africa, e.g. use of SMS instead of e-mail to disburse the tickets, etc.”
Drop Armour is an app that alerts phone owners through a scream to reduce the harshness of an impact should the phone drop.
“The next phase of this app is a simple phone cover that auto-inflates when it detects that the phone is falling,” Kaizzi added.
For a company founded on disruptive tech principles, this is a seemingly uncomplicated feat.