About The Event

This week, the eDigital Connect Community had the privilege of hosting Paul Obata, founder of Firmcheq Ltd and co-founder of Oblaplus Technologies, for a Founders' Corner session. Paul shared his journey, insights into entrepreneurship, and the transformative role of AI in building solutions tailored for African challenges.

From Inspiration to Innovation

Paul’s inspiration stems from visionaries like Larry Ellison of Oracle, whose story of transforming an idea into a global tech giant deeply resonates with him. Drawing parallels from his background in Agricultural Economics, Finance, and Software Development, Paul has embraced a unique entrepreneurial path that focuses on creating impactful solutions for smallholder farmers and businesses.

Building with Purpose

At Oblaplus Technologies, Paul and his team are tackling two critical challenges:

Agricultural Innovation: They help smallholder vegetable farmers reduce crop losses and improve yields using AI-powered tools for pest and disease detection.

Customer Service Transformation: Their product, Murmur, leverages AI to streamline complaints handling and resolution for logistics and e-commerce businesses.

Paul’s approach is centered on a customer-first mindset, tailoring solutions to meet the unique needs of users. For farmers, this means combining online and offline strategies to overcome barriers like limited smartphone access and digital literacy.

Challenges and Opportunities in Africa

When discussing the hurdles of AI adoption in African agriculture, Paul emphasized the importance of understanding the user. Farmers often refer to AI tools in relatable terms, such as “Ile kitu ya Fauro,” highlighting the gap between cutting-edge technology and everyday realities.

Paul believes in leveraging global data while advocating for better integration and access to localized African data to enhance tech solutions. His advice? Never assume—let data guide your decisions.

Lessons for Entrepreneurs

Paul offered actionable advice for budding entrepreneurs in AI:

Focus on the value, not the hype.

Build for people, not investors.

Keep iterating and stay focused on building.

The Power of Community

As the session concluded, Paul reminded us of the importance of collaboration and building for impact. His parting shot? “Focus on building for the people, not investors, even if it means iterating 100 times.”

A Glimpse Ahead

This engaging discussion reaffirmed the need for platforms like eDigital Connect to foster dialogue and collaboration. We’re excited about upcoming initiatives, including a full-day event on Leveraging Data for Business Success, which Paul expressed interest in joining.

If you missed this session, stay tuned for more Founders' Corner features where we highlight trailblazers shaping Africa's digital transformation.