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| Dr. Charles Akhimien |
I had the honour(yes! honour) of speaking with the Co-founder of MOBicure, DR CHARLES AKHIMIEN.
I would gist you about MOBicure, but first, let me talk about Dr Charles for a minute.
Dr Charles is 28years old, studied Medicine and Surgery at The University Of Benin for 8years,but what you would find interesting is that he now runs his own company and has given up his medical career.
After all those years right?
Well, that is the purpose of Ije. Answering the "why" "how" and "what" questions that goes on in people's minds.
So he is the Co-founder of MOBicure, a social enterprise that provides mobile health care solutions for Nigeria. MOBicure's flagship product is the mobile platform called OMOMI, a mobile APP built for pregnant women and mothers. it is the fastest growing online community for women and is being used by over 15,000women.
OMOMI has won series of international awards which includes:
Best Initiative, at the 4th Smart City Expo World Congress held in Barcelona, and was also one of the 47winners of the United States Of America Development Foundation (USADF) Business Plan Competition for YALI 2016 fellows.
For some of you reading, this is probably the first time you're hearing about something like this.
Truth is, there are people, right? Doing things, innovating, and climbing their way to Zuckerberg. Another reason there is IJE.
Enjoy the interview.
SO HOW DID THE WHOLE IDEA START? OMOMI/ MOBicure?
The company was initially co-founded by 3 innovative, young people- two medical doctors from Nigeria (Drs Charles Akhimien and Emmanuel Owobu), as well as a software engineer from India (Raman Anurag). Dr Charles and Emmanuel have always shared a passion to change the world; to make it better than they met it. They both attended the same medical school (the University of Benin), and by their final year they had begun putting plans in place to start a mobile health company. However, since they didn't have the technological expertise, they needed to find a co-founder with the necessary technology experience and skills. While representing Nigeria at the Global Startup Youth 2013 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Dr Charles met Raman, a software engineer and all-round technology genius. Talking over coffee one day about our OMOMI project, he decided to join the team and that was how the 3 of us initially cofounded MOBicure.
Now its just Emmanuel and I as the third cofounded has gone to other things. So basically Emma and I first thought of the idea of using mobile tech to offer health services for women and children that's how OMOMI was born.
AT WHAT POINT DID IT TAKE A NEW TURN? WHAT EVENT BROUGHT OMOMI TO LIMELIGHT?.
Hmmm.Well the Tech-I competition in November 2014 was the very first major competition we won and personally it was my first major event, I was representing OMOMI.
AND HOW DID THAT AFFECT THE GROWTH OF THE COMPANY?
Well, it gave us international exposure, it put us on the radar of the U.S. Government and it basically created this domino effect. So we got more international (U.S) links, more exposure, more access to funding.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGE SO FAR? AND HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO BREAK THROUGH IT?
Well the biggest challenge is visibility. People will only use OMOMI if they know about it and OMOMI will only make money if people use it. So marketing and getting the word out abut OMOMI has been the biggest challenge.
WHAT IS BEEN DONE ABOUT THAT?
Well we had to innovate around it. We employed a mix between online and on-the-ground marketing. So we had to leverage on social media; Facebook has been particularly successful also of late, Instagram as you know, because these women who use OMOMI are women who live on Facebook, instagram, twitter, etc. We have also done on the ground marketing especially for the SMS service. Utilizing mobile marketers who we called ''foot ambassadors'' to sign up 6,000 plus women all over Edo state.
OKAY. SEEMS LIKE YOU ALREADY HAVE IT UNDER CONTROL. WELL, WOULD YOU SAY THIS IS IT FOR YOU?
Oh no! Certainly not. We have a long way to go. I have a long way to go. OMOMI is just beginning and we have barely scratched the surface. We are a company so MOBicure is beginning to start to make revenue, though little but it will continue to increase hopefully. We want to reach 5million women by 2020.
BRILLIANT. SO HOW DO YOU PLAN TO REMAIN FOREVER?
Oh, keep breaking new boundaries, Keep solving problems and soon... changing the world!!
WHAT/ WHO DRIVES/MOTIVATES YOU?
Well I am motivated by success. Just the idea of success motivates me. I always say 'I inspire me' but many people take this the wrong. This is not me being braggadocios or prideful. it is just me telling myself that I cannot wait on anyone to inspire me. My inspiration has to come from within, and I think that's what young people today lack. External motivation is good and all, but what happens when you are alone and no one believes in me? what happens in your ;night watches'? This is where you have to inspire yourself; this is where your motivation becomes your responsibility
GREAT! BUT DOES THIS YOUR NEW STATUS AFFECT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH PEOPLE? DO YOU GET THE POPULAR ''YOU HAVE CHANGED'' PHRASE?
Well not really. I am still the same person. I do the same things I talk d same way. Yes I am busier now but I still have time for people.
OKAY SO YOUR JOURNEY FROM THE SMALL STARTUP GUY TO AN INTERNATIONAL AWARD WINNER, WHAT HAS IT TAUGHT YOU?
That all dreams are valid. If you work hard and have a plan, a clear plan, chances are you will succeed.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT GROWING UP AND HOW IT AFFECTED WHO YOU ARE TODAY?
Well I grew up in Benin. I had a sheltered childhood. I spent most of my time reading. But I have always been a very motivated person even as a child. I have always wanted to be different. As early as JSS 2, I was already doing something different. I started the first Press Club in my secondary school and I started reading the news everyday in the school assembly for one whole year. I had to wake up at 5.30 am everyday and listen to bbc radio and write down the news and then by 7.45 in the assembly I would read the news to the whole school.
THATS HUGE. THAT REMINDS ME, YOU WON AN INTERNATIONAL WRITING COMPETITION ONCE. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT?
Writing is my first love actually. In April 2013, I won the prestigious World Environment Day Blogging competition for 2013 organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and I subsequently represented UNEP in Mongolia as the official blogger for the for World Environment Day 2013. I think this actually remains what I am most proud of. I cant explain why but I was really elated and it meant a lot to me at the time because I was losing a bit of confidence in my self and I felt I had lost my way and become like everyone else but winning it reminded me of who I really was and it was really the singular event that changed my life.
ABOUT STUDYING MEDICINE AND SURGERY FOR 8YEARS AND NOT PRACTICING, DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WASTED THOSE YEARS?
No I. Don't feel so. I'm still using medicine but in a non-conventional way. So it's not a waste. Medicine taught me hard work and discipline. Two virtues that you use today even in running MOBicure.
HOW DID YOUR FAMILY TAKE IT? WERE THEY DISSAPOINTED?
My mom was very supportive. I was raised by my mom alone so it was largely her opinion that counted.
WHATS YOUR LIFE PHOLOSOPHY?
Existing is not enough, make a difference. Maya Angelou once wrote. ''My mission in life is not merely to survive but to thrive and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour and some style''. I absolutely believe this and have done so for the last three years.
SO WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE THE KEYS TO SUCCESS?
Having a clear plan. Perseverance (sticking to your plan) Motivating yourself always.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE BOOK?
Harry porter series.
ANY SUCCESS HABITS?
Start your day early! Have quiet times. Times when you are all alone by yourself and you shut out the world. It helps to put everything in perspective
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME DOCTOR CHARLES, WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE TO STARTUPS.
It's all about the problem you are trying to solve. Businesses should focus always on the problem. And how they are solving the problem.
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You can download the OMOMI app here. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobicure.omomi
