Addressing Social Needs
To deal with issues affecting the social wellbeing of communities, especially in the rural areas, Internovent, a technology startup company, has designed and distributed solutions in various fields, such as agriculture, household services, and community d
It's because of movements such as these that I can assure you that in the coming years, Nigeria will be at the forefront of world technology
Entrepreneurs are defined by their abilities to identify social problems and invent solutions to address them. Shalom Dickson is one of such. As a social entrepreneur driven by a passion to create solutions to social problems through technology, Dickson grew up watching his father develop communities, formulate chemical products in his laboratory, and build machines. This inspired Dickson to carve out a path for himself. Although, he was not sure of the path he wanted to follow initially, he knew early he was passionate about Invention, innovation and intervention ( the 3Is). Start- up In late 2015, Dickson partnered Precious Udegbue, and they kicked off their technology startup company known as Internovent. The name was coined from intervene, innovate and invent. Today, the company works in designing and distributing solutions in various fields, such as agriculture, household services, and community development, refining ideas from software technology to business plans.
As a social enterprise, they are equipped with a novel mechanism for developing solutions to socioeconomic problems, from software to hardware solutions. Design, develop, distribute At the baseline of Internovent’s works are three key stages – Design, Develop and distribute ( the 3Ds). According to them, the design stage involves inception of the idea. As Chief Idea Developer, Dickson leads the team that refines the idea from conception to creating Minimum Viable Product ( MVP). He notes that there are very flexible design models in their laboratory, which they deploy to carry out such design solutions for clients.
Taking THISDAY through their work, they said at the development stage, they worked with a setup team for the chosen project. Through online research, market surveys and experts consultation, they ensure that the project is well developed and workable to address real life solutions. In the case of a project, for instance, a software project, they build it with software developers.
In the distribution stage, they partner with necessary channels to inject these solutions into the market. Due to the rate at which they come up with solutions, and because they are new in the market, most of what they have created is still in the design and development phase. New projects But the company is faced with vulnerability in Intellectual Property ( IP). Despite this challenge, they have launched a project known as the Neighbourhood Stalker ( www. neighbourhoodstalker.com). The platform provides access to daily services needed for enclosed neighbourhoods. Presently, it has been implemented in Agbara Estate, in Ogun State.
They have also launched a Community Development Project ( CDP) known as Communi Factory ( www. communifactory.org), which is focuses on providing facilities in rural and urban areas to alleviate poverty through community projects, such as farming. They are using the Communi Factory concept to develop their farm at Igbesa, Ogun State.
In the area of software, they have developed a number of good solutions. One of such is the Automated Answering System (AAS). The device helps to bring simplicity and facilitate self- assessment. The answering machine is for answering questions and also a handy self- assessment tool. They have also secured venture capital to develop a stipend solution for minors. In the works Dickson and Udegbue duo said they still had more in the pipeline, among which are the HandyFarm.org. According to Dickson, “Among our coming big ideas are: HandyFarm.org ( yet to be launched). It is a device we hope to boost agriculture at an unspeakable rate.
"We also have Class Of Something. org; this is currently being developed