I eagerly tuned to our Zoom call, ready for a candid conversation with Chibuzor Onwurah, the co-founder of Seamfix. Our goal was to create a guide for young Africans, shedding light on tech entrepreneurship.
My first question was straightforward: “What led to the birth of Seamfix? What inspired you, and how did your vision match the challenges and opportunities in African tech?”
Chibuzor’s response was down to earth. “Well,” he began with a hint of humour, “I’d love to say we dreamt of launching a spaceship to transport Africans to Mars, but it wasn’t quite like that.”
This blog is the story of Seamfix, packed with insights to fuel your entrepreneurial journey in Africa.
Vision and Values: Tech for Equality
“We saw opportunities to improve our lives, much like in more developed countries,” Chibuzor voiced his frustration. “Our dissatisfaction inspired our desire for change.”
With technical skills and a genuine desire for positive change, Chibuzor and his lifelong friend, Chimezie Emewulu, began a mission to deploy technology to address these challenges. They operated by three core principles: “Identity is a right, not a privilege,” “Equal opportunities for everyone,” and “Solving problems seamlessly with technology.”
“Let me share a personal experience,” Chibuzor revealed. “After scoring among the highest in my common entrance exam in Lagos State, my name mysteriously vanished from the King’s College admission list. It reappeared many months later after numerous complaints. Later, in my university years, I secured a federal government scholarship, but it was short-lived. I received a single payment, and the rest simply vanished. Meanwhile, individuals from other parts of the country received multiple payments.”
Reflecting on these experiences showed that only some have equal access to opportunities. It became the heart of their mission—to use technology to dismantle these barriers and create fairer access for all.
In our virtual meeting, a vision was emerging that united Seamfix, inclusivity, and the power of technology for positive change.
Learning the Ropes: Overcoming Entrepreneurial Obstacles
“One key to our success was beginning at a young age,” Chibuzor pointed out. “When you’re young, you’re bold and fearless. You don’t see obstacles; you see opportunities.”
Their confidence wasn’t empty bravado but stemmed from their experiences at Uhere, an academy where they honed their coding skills. Chibuzor shared, “I led a project during a brief internship, managing it from start to finish, handling everything from software development to customer support. Meanwhile, Chimezie dabbled in sales even as an engineer.”
These experiences fortified their technical skills, a vital foundation for starting a business. However, real challenges soon emerged. Their initial obstacle was capital, as they launched Seamfix with savings of about 75,000 Naira.
“We rapidly ran out of funds,” Chibuzor revealed. “To keep our heads above water, we had to be resourceful. Sometimes, we pooled our resources, limited ourselves to one or two meals per day, and shared a pack of noodles as our daily sustenance.”
Chimezie, his co-founder, even became a honey vendor during breaks in coding sessions, while Chibuzor supplied computers to his father’s friends and office. These practical, if unconventional, measures were crucial for survival.
As their business expanded, new challenges emerged—hiring the right talent, deciding when to scale, and establishing the necessary structure, systems, and processes. The transition from two people in a room to a structured business presented its unique hurdles, illustrating the entrepreneurial journey in Africa—a journey marked by scars of adaptation, hard work, and resilience.
“With the right mindset, anyone can thrive as an entrepreneur,” Chibuzor affirmed. “Your hunger for the ultimate goal and the humility to learn quickly enough to avoid failure drive your persistence.”
Customer-Centric Success: Finding Product-Market Fit
The burning question central to every startup’s success: How do you find the elusive product-market fit?
Chibuzor was candid, “We stumbled upon what works over time. If there’s one piece of advice I’d give, it’s to listen to the market, listen to your customers.”
Their initial project involved creating online portals for educational institutions. However, they altered their course based on customer feedback. Attuned to their customers’ frustrations, they unearthed a pivotal issue: identity verification during university admissions. Using biometrics, they devised a solution to ensure that exam applicants were the same individuals who attended and gained admission.
When the SIM registration process in Nigeria became popular, it was once again a customer’s plea for assistance that prompted Seamfix to pivot and address a new problem. This pattern persisted with each growth phase, driven by their comprehension of customer issues and the evolution of their product offerings.
You might commence your journey with an idea as your driving force. Nevertheless, the true essence of a business emerges when you present it to the customer and actively heed their feedback. While customisation may suit a few major clients, scalability necessitates the ability to grasp and address the collective demands of the market.
“In essence,” Chibuzor concluded, “it all begins with the customer.”
