Q&A: Boye Oshinaga, Founder, VirtualClass

HumanIPO: What is Youngsoul Limited focused on?

Oshinaga: Youngsoul is an education technology company. Basically we do digital education software, we’ve been doing these for the last three years and we’ve had a couple of products but our major product is VirtualClass.

What is VirtualClass?

VirtualClass is digital education software aimed at secondary schools who are preparing for computer studies which is now a compulsory subject in Nigeria’s National Examination Council’s (NECO) curriculum starting next year. We are coming up with a comprehensive learning aid for schools. The learning aid contains videos, tests, and simulation tools to be used in a computer lab.

The video is a way to use multimedia to provide deep learning for the students. The reason why we are doing virtual class is we realized that the blackboard and chalkboard will not do. The best way to teach computer is with a computer.

What need is VirtualClass meeting?

There is a policy mandate in Nigeria right now that all schools should prepare their students for computer studies. The exams will start next year (2015) and students are expected to know what is in the curriculum by 2015. We are introducing VirtualClass as an intervention. We realized that many students will fail by learning how to use the mouse and Microsoft Word with just chalk. What will happen is by the time you are given the computer during practical exam, you are going to stare without knowing what to do because all the theory you’ve crammed won’t save you. That’s why we created it.

Who are your targeted users?

Secondary schools are the target consumers because they are the ones who are going to subscribe their students to it. We’ve been talking to a number of schools and right now, we have a number of schools that are interested in the product and are waiting for the product to be launched.

How does a student make use of VirtualClass?

When you install it, your system has everything that you need; you just need to verify your account. When you verify your account, you then have access to it. Straightaway you can take courses which are mapped to the curriculum. When you enter a topic such as Microsoft Word or Networking, you will see video for it, course texts supporting that video. After watching the video and reading the text, you can now do the timed multichoice test of twenty questions.

We have a simulation for every topic. For practical topics, the simulation mimics the environment of Microsoft Word, Excel or Corel Draw – such as you would be doing it. By the time you are done, you will now check your assignment.

We’ve built it to work in a networked environment. There are modules for both teachers and students. Teachers can upload questions and students can upload their assignments and send to the teacher. Teachers can put scores and send back to students. The system enhances student-teacher communication. Teachers can have an idea of the students’ performances based on the results of the tests. It could allow teachers to know areas where each student needs improvement.

The goal is every student should keep doing it until they get 100%. That way, we can guarantee A’s.

What has been the response of those you’ve shown the product to, and allowed to test it?

We’ve spoken to students and made them come and use it. We’ve had a demo that we gave to schools to test. The response has been great. They are always asking when they can purchase the product.

What is the plan for product release?

We are going into the market with a soft launch and it is taking place this resumption period starting October 8. We are giving it to schools that have preordered and we will also be giving it to few more schools that are interested right now. A grand launch will happen next year; we are going to have hundreds of schools in it.

Who are your competitors and what are the alternatives?

We have more alternatives than competitors. There are very few launched virtual education software in the market, there is none on computer studies. We will be the first to have videos, tests, stimulations targeted at computer studies for schools in Nigeria.

What is your strategy for product deployment to schools?

We’ve had contact with Lagos State Ministry of Education and that’s good for now because we want to start with Lagos state. We want to get endorsements from exams certifying bodies – WAEC and NECO and we are prepared to do that immediately after our soft launch. We built it with the curriculum in mind so we don’t expect any issues with the endorsement.

In getting to schools we have multiple channels. We are looking to get to schools directly, we are also looking to work with a hardware company and a bank to build the product into new computer labs. We are working with them to provide a package that will revolutionise peoples’ rate of computer lab adoption.

Someone has volunteered to send memos to schools stating they need our product so we intend to get the recommendation of the Lagos state’s ministry of education.

To what extent do you expect the impact of VirtualClass would be?

This is the beginning of a really great thing. When we are done with computer studies, we will go to other subjects in the curriculum. We know failure rates are high in Nigeria. The educational system will require more than the current policies to bring about change and we believe technology has a big role to play. We are looking to improve the general outcome in WAEC, NECO. One million out of 1.6 million students in Nigeria recently failed WAEC and NECO. It’s a terrible situation and we would like to be able to look at our success against that. For instance, we could say although one million students failed WAEC and NECO, not up to that failed computer studies due to us.

We will keep improving on that to know how many students in Nigeria are having improved grades as a result of us. We think we can have that kind of impact where we augment the teacher and where there are no teachers; our product could be the teacher.

What are you trying to achieve through 440?

440 is trying to accelerate some of the most brilliant startups in Nigeria; it’s trying to take them to the market. Some of the challenges startups have in Nigeria is engaging the market successfully. You have great products that fail at the market – nobody picks them up because nobody just cares. People have ideas everywhere and there are no structured ways to make startups access some of the funds they claim in newspapers are available. There is no bridge to funds.

440 looks at the project as investors and they put their money in it without much questions and answers. The experience of Kresten and Chika are deep enough. They know the Nigerian terrain so much; they knows the kind of partnerships you can have, the approaches you can take. Their experiences are important at this stage of the company.

We were already doing it on our own but the reason why we took 440 investments is for the acceleration effect and increasing the chance that the product will never fail. They are increasing our chances of scaling and getting to other parts of Nigeria in the shortest possible time.

What amount of work have you done on the product before you went to 440?

We figured out the opportunity last year when we heard it would become compulsory for schools. Schools in Ekiti inspired this project. The association ofschools in Ekiti came together and admitted there is a problem and it has taken us a year to solve it. They don’t have computer teachers, they don’t have computer labs and they are going to do computer exams. We started by attempting to build labs for them but we figured out labs would not be enough so we started developing contents.

For the last nine month, we’ve been creating videos, texts, tests and stimulation for every topic in the curriculum. It has cost us money.

Why did you decide to start with computer studies instead of mathematics and English language?

People are surviving math and English somehow because of the availability of several options. But for computer studies, the students don’t know how to write computer studies exam, they’ve done it before. This is the first time they will. We will still go to math and English.

What are your expectations of the product’s performance in the market?

I’ve always said that entrepreneurship is the best way to build unique value over time. You know the success stories of Microsoft, Facebook and Google; you know Nigerian stories including those of Interswitch, Jobberman. Entrepreneurs have an ability to create value and we will get rich from the values we create.

You guys are a perfect example of accelerated startups. Do you think accelerators are really needed in Nigeria’s startup ecosystem?

Accelerators are needed. It is interesting to note that 440 is the first official accelerator. There is Spark but it is more an incubator than an accelerator. People have businesses in this country without offices, without full-time staff. Accelerators provide space, office, internet, coffee. Accelerators provide all these things in addition to capital, experience and guidance. It’s a full package that would help a lot in the tech space for products ready to go to market. It’s like having super weight behind you when you are going to market. It’s a very big deal because they will allow you to explore more options than you can probably do yourself. Startups that are about to go to the market phase are in need of accelerators.

The reason why I’m at 440 is to boost confidence and increase the chance of the product becoming successful in the market. The chances are not as slim as they were when we were the only ones who had this responsibility. Without an accelerator we would have had to raise more money, grow slowly, [and] deal with partners based on whatever stage we are in because some partners will not deal with us when we are at a very small stage. They will tell us to grow up.

How would you describe 440 from a personal point of view?

Kresten and Chika are great guys. They are in it to make a lot of money but they are doing the right thing. They are some of the best guys you could have. A lot of people have money in Nigeria but they are not trying to make value the right way. Kresten and Chika are saying “hold your contract, we want to build value”, and that’s the best way to make value in Nigeria. They are doing really great stuff because they are taking a chance that in spite of the kind of country we are in, they want to make their money from building values like Konga, Jumia. From real people making purchases; they are choosing to be the exception rather than the norm.