The tech savvy prince of invention and innovation

As a final year student of mechatronics engineering at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in 2013, Prince Oduk had two options — to look for a job, or to start a business.

Always a risk taker, Prince, then 21, didn’t have to wait until after he left university. With only Sh75,000 to his name, he made the plunge and founded Prince Automation and Innovation Company.

"I was driven by the passion to create solutions for simple, everyday situations. My focus was on agriculture, security and ease of delivery of products to customers," he narrates.

Prince would balance his schoolwork and his business, funding it from his pocket money and other side hustles. In 2017, he got his big break.

His submission emerged second in an innovation challenge organised by the Kenya National Innovation Agency. He won a cash prize of Sh150,000, which he injected into his business.

By 2017 when he graduated with a Second Class Honours degree, his company was already up and running. Prince was not only gainfully employed, but he had created jobs for four other young people as well.

"In 2018, PAIC was incubated at Africa’s Talking labs, where I still work. Our tech products are now in the market. Others are in the offing through partnerships with other innovator," he says.

TECH ECOSYSTEM

PAIC develops unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as drones, and other products around the internet of things (IOT). His innovations seek to address insecurity, food shortage and affordable living.

Drones are efficient in lightweight transits and deliveries, for agricultural and security surveillances and photography.

While drones are in mass use in the developed world - such as US, Russia and the UK, Kenya has adopted the technology only sparingly.

"Understandably, we have challenges of security and terrorism. Restrictions on use, heavy licences and fines for operators of UAVs, however, discourage users. As a result, most people carry out various activities using traditional methods in place of technology, which hurts the drone business,” he says.

To spur adoption of technology and to catch up with the rest of the world, Prince believes that tech solutions ought to be embraced, nurtured and given top priority.

"Our tech ecosystem is very promising. More impactful and creative tech solutions from Kenya are in the offing," he says.

Is this type of business lucrative? Does it pay all his bills? And why did he choose to invest in this area?

"Yes, this is good business. Our products deliver value by addressing the problems our clients face. For sustainability, you must create solutions that people need and are willing to pay for," he says, noting that his business generates some Sh600,000 every month.

INVESTMENT

Kenya, he observes, is on a steady curve of growth, and technology will soon be a key component of the country’s development.

"Being in a space that creates viable innovative solutions couldn’t be more relevant. I invest in young Kenyans’ ideas by training them on how to grow and market their innovations. It is through similar initiatives that Africa will ultimately become tech reliant," Prince says.

But it hasn’t been a pleasure cruise all through. Prince admits that tech start-ups are quite difficult to sustain.

"My dream nearly got killed by limited financial resources to build the innovations, minimal exposure to the markets and unresponsive mentors. Starting PAIC was a huge leap of faith," he recalls.

To remain in business, Prince would showcase his ideas in expos, and in innovation challenge platforms and exhibitions.

He also mounted an aggressive social media marketing campaign, hoping to rope in customers. The investment was through sheer sacrifice, but Prince knew it was just a matter of time before the right people started noticing.

This turbulence was also a learning curve. "As a techpreneur, you have to keep going on no matter what. Looking back, I can only applaud myself for the grit I displayed during those early days."

SUCCESS TIPS

To budding entrepreneurs, and especially those in the tech scene, Prince notes that raising an idea from the ground up demands a lot of persistence, commitment and focus. Convincing potential investors of an idea’s feasibility is even tougher, he says.

"You have to break out of your shell and pursue your dreams passionately. You have to keep pushing and pressing on. Instant results have no place in a sustainable business,” he says.

"For an idea to yield results, the needs of the target market and problem being addressed must align. This takes time, and patience is, therefore, paramount. Set limits and be accountable to yourself."

Other than these, Prince says that one must take control of their idea since "not everyone shares your vision".

On why he thinks that many Kenyan graduates are not interested in self-employment, Prince argues that it is the fear of failure that keeps young people from taking entrepreneurial risks.

“The government should support techies who create inventions that address Kenya’s fundamental needs. As a developing country, we need innovations around smart farming, accurate soil data analysis, security and health to improve the living standards of our people. Such innovations should be nurtured," he adds.

FUNDING

Besides that, he says that innovators should be given more exposure through expos, exhibitions, summits and conferences where they can meet potential investors, mentors and other innovators.

"Creating awareness around the existence of locally harnessed tech solutions is critical. We don’t need to import solutions that can be made here," he says.

Funding, he emphasises, is key in helping tech entrepreneurs to translate their ideas into successful businesses.

His end game? To grow a company that will be at the centre of creating a continent that is dependent on its own tech solutions.

"I dream of an Africa that employs its own capable engineers to develop their countries in all areas. We have done it before, and we can keep doing it."