In Nigeria, a country with some 180 million people and many more electronic gadgets, when a tech issue strikes, most people will generally get their devices fixed at informal market stalls.
Last year, two Lagos-based entrepreneurs saw a gap in the market and decided to set up a dedicated gadget workshop. Fixing everything from mobile phones to tablets, their SuperGeeks startup is tapping into the country’s vast repairs market — and they’re finding considerable traction.
“The average Nigerian has two mobile phones, a tablet and a computer,” explains SuperGeeks co-founder Edmund Olutu. There are some 150 million active mobile phones in the country, and digital technology is increasingly being asked to do more — a recent report from Ericsson found that 64% of video content was watched on devices other than a television.
Olutu and Uduma — the “super geek” behind the company’s name — realized that their mix of business acumen and tech wizardry was a recipe for success.
Today, the startup employs a team of 20, who each month fix up to 200 pieces of technology and bring in $10,000 in sales. Olutu and Uduma are not content to rest on their laurels, however.
SuperGeeks is broadening its horizons, with the founders hoping to extend their reach through gadget protection plans, partnering big retailers and establishing SuperGeeks within the after-sales support industry.
The two entrepreneurs also want to launch a SuperGeeks Academy that will train “people not just in the technical skills of repairing gadgets and devices but also some of the softer skills of adequate bookkeeping, customer services, marketing and business development,” explains Olutu.
“[It is] part of our grand dream of having SuperGeeks on every street corner.”
Check out the video at the top of the page to find out more about SuperGeeks.