Nigeria’s Knack International Limited, a new computer and ICT products start-up last week unveiled a 13.3” ultra slim, light weight (4GB RAM,500GB HDD) laptop, a 7.0” Tablet PC (Sim port, 3G, Wi-Fi, dual camera) tablet and a 7.85” Tablet PC (Wi-Fi only version) tablet for the African market at the National Centre for Technology Management NACETEM, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State Nigeria.
The start-up said its focus is on middle and low income earners around the world.
According to the founders, “Our focus is to provide quality yet affordable Tablets and Laptops and accessories, and position ourselves as the top brand servicing this particular market.”
Apart from hardware design and developent, the firm also does ICT consultancy, business, product development, manufacturing and brand ownership.
” There is a need to launch a locally manufactured PC with quality look, packaging and price,” they said.” Our products are unique in the qualities they bring to the market.
We hope to work with Local content developer to bring out our own culture and continent identity.”
The start-ip is run by EYIOLAWI GBENGA PETER, 25,as CEO from Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Osun state.
Eyiolawi says he is a serial entrepreneur, business developer ,social entrepreneur and also a techpreneur with about 7 years’ experience as an
entrepreneur since his first year at University.
MARK AFOLABI is the start-ups CTO at just 20, he is a serial entrepreneur, an exemplary leader, learner and a student. Tech savvy and enthusiast he believes in applying
technology as a solution to people’s daily living, a member Google
technology user group (Federal University of Technology Akure).
TechMoran caught up with them and this is what they told us.
Why we founded the company?
We founded the company to solve some of the present problems Nigerians
face in the ICT industry. From our analysis and survey, we discovered that
most Nigerians have problem with the following issues:
• Irregular size of their laptops: most people have either a 10.1” or
15.6” laptops and they both complain about the size being too small and
too big respectively.
We aim to solve this problem by giving them a size that can answer both
categories of users by releasing a 13.3” size.
• Weight issues: Most people still have issues with laptops being heavy
and not easy to carry about. That prompted us to provide a laptop with a
weight of roughly half of the regular laptops.
• Affordability: Another issue that limits the people from having a laptop
is the pricing which prevents an average Nigerian from owning a laptop.
This we believe is the same in most African countries hence our decision
to produce a high quality yet affordable line of products. Our products
are between 20-50% cheaper than the market price.
• Design: our products (both the laptops and tablets) have unique sleek
designs that make the user comfortable to carry them around without it
affecting other things they carry. In short, we provide them flat devices
and yet very beautiful.
• Functionality and connectivity: we designed our tablets not just for
fashion because of their sleekness but for proper connectivity as we have
noticed that is the issue most tablet users face. From purchase, our
customers get access to mobile data for better connectivity for up to 6
months without an additional cost to the product and they can continue
using their products afterwards without any hitch.
• Connectivity: That is why we give a free knack universal modem to all our customers
who buy laptops for better connectivity.
• After sales service: we are closer to our people and we have brought
this to them, there are service centers around that our customers can get
spare parts from or even use their warranty.
• Local content: we have signed Memorandum of Understanding with various
software developers to have local contents on the tablets and laptops some
of which have been completed already. These are applications that will be
useful and meaningful to our users as it relates directly with their
environment.
Where do you manufacture your products from?
Like most reputable ICT and other electronics company, we manufacture our
products from China for now due to production costs and infrastructures
but we are planning to have an assembling plant here in Nigeria very soon.
How much have you invested in the company?
About $30,000.
Do you have any external funding?
NO
How many products have you released till date?
We released three lines of products which are:
(a)13.3” ultra slim, light weight laptop(4GB RAM,500GB HDD)
(b) 7.0” Tablet PC (Sim port, 3G, Wi-Fi, dual camera)
(c) 7.85” Tablet PC (Wi-Fi only version)
What to expect soon from us?
More local content inclined Innovative and affordable products meeting the
needs of the masses.
Why tablets, laptops and not desktops?
We have entered an era where personalization is the other of the day, we
want to help our consumers get smarter, and our product solution provides
daily users of information a highly improved delivery mechanism. For now
our focus is on the Tablets and Laptops
Are you spreading to other countries?
Yes, we are. In fact, we plan to be in at least 3 African countries by the
end of our first year of operation.
How are you different?
It has already been stated above with the “why we founded the company”
But we also aim to empower everybody who buys our laptops and tablets by
giving them some professional and entrepreneurship trainings for them to
be able to start up their business. And these training will be done
without any additional fees to be paid by our customers.