Please can we meet you?

My name is Joshua Igba. I'm the co-founder of Instadrop.

Instadrop is a logistics company. We make import and export services accessible in every neighborhood.

Also at the moment, I'm a software engineer. I also have product management and product design skills under my belt. 

Could you tell us a bit about your entrepreneurial journey? How it all started and what prompted you to go into tech?

My first exposure to entrepreneurship was after senior secondary school. I'm from a very humble background, where you either learn a skill or you work to start saving up for your school fees if you have an admission. 

This was the pattern then, and I was privileged to inherit a call centre business from my elder brother. He had done it for about three years to gather money for school fees before proceeding to Uniport. Afterward, I continued the business. 

Those were my first exposure to entrepreneurship. I felt that freedom of having my own time to myself, even though you definitely work beyond 9 to 5, but you decide what happens to you. I liked that freedom.

 When I got into the university, I started the game centre business at 100 level. Then, when I got to 300 level in school, I switched to media. I revolutionized how the editorial board was used to broadcast information all over campus. We introduced a novel product then called Neonatar Boards, and it was available across the major hostels and departments.

We used the editorial boards and boxes to broadcast training information on campus and in Nigeria. We were selling advertisements to generate revenue. Talking about what brought me to Limelight back then in the University, the current CEO of Nomba, Mr. Yinka Adewale approached me and told me that they wanted to use my media platforms on campus to push a tap-to-pay product then, which they called SANWO. It was through that marketing campaign that I got to meet the current CEO of Nomba. I was so fascinated by what they were doing. That was the first time I came in close contact with tech. 

I got closer to Yinka Adewale and after school, I went to stay with him in Lagos. He was a software engineer at that time and it was through him that I got to know about Y-Combinator and other exposure in tech. I was going to explore software engineering further, but at that point, I felt it was too hard, then I decided to take a break from the entrepreneurial world to get into the corporate world, basically to learn how to run a company from those who have gone ahead of me.

I joined WhoGoHost as a Sales Executive and Offline Marketing Manager. I started learning HTML and CSS. I got to know about Utiva through a friend and Utiva was trending then. I joined their newsletter and I loved the way the CEO of Utiva, Eyitayo usually presents tech. He presents it in a way that makes it look less complex. After some time, I decided to leverage UTIVA's training platform to sharpen up the tech skills that I needed. 

That was the first time the product school was launched at Utiva and it happened that I was part of those who subscribed through the first batch. One of the reasons why I enrolled for the product management course was majorly because I wanted to work in a Y Combinator company and for that to happen, I needed skills that will make me fit into a proper Y Combinator company. I wanted a Y Combinator company because working there comes with good pay, a good environment, and many other juicy benefits.  

Another reason why I enrolled in a tech skill acquisition program was because when I decide to build my own product or company, it will be easy for me to build. Associating with Yinka Adewale really exposed me to the fact that tech was expensive and you need to be well-equipped and ready.

In the realm of technology, it's not easy to have a team of five people on your payroll for two years without actually launching your product. However, if you can take matters into your own hands, you'll significantly reduce costs. I realized that acquiring these skills was essential, both for potentially joining a YC company and for cutting down development expenses while building a company. That's why I decided to enrol in a product school, which turned out to be a well-rounded experience.

During this program, we were introduced to various aspects, such as ideation, product development, user schema, and user empathy mapping. One pivotal element was the instruction on product design. I vividly recall a particular class where two instructors taught us how to utilize Figma. I had dabbled in Figma before, but I often felt lost. Those product design sessions not only guided me in using Figma effectively but also sparked a continuous desire to explore its capabilities.

As a product owner, your ability to work with Figma and create prototypes, both low fidelity and high fidelity will be amazing. I realized the value of this because hiring a product designer alone can be quite costly. After that, you would still need to find front-end and back-end developers. However, when I saw that I could handle designing prototypes myself, it removed the need for those expenses. Then, the situation changed when the COVID pandemic emerged. At that point, every company was adapting to remote work and downsizing, which made it challenging for me to join a Y Combinator company. It seemed counterintuitive to apply to a company that was considering downsizing. But this made me reflect on my journey. I had left Whogohost in January 2020 when Utiva concluded, which left me unemployed. Despite the uncertainty, I saw an opportunity to enhance my skills, particularly in software engineering, building upon the knowledge I gained from Utiva.

I delved into software engineering and decided to create solutions for the logistics sector. The logistics industry remained resilient during the lockdown, unlike my previous ventures which often faced disruptions due to strikes or other issues. Recognizing this stability, I chose to develop applications for logistics. I took charge of product design and software engineering, managing most aspects myself. This allowed me to minimize costs significantly. To illustrate, starting from January 2023, we successfully developed 16 applications to match our product with the market's needs. If we had hired product designers to create these 16 applications, we might have required around three product designers' worth of effort.

Now think about how dire my situation would have been if I had needed to hire three product designers since January. But that wasn't the case because I took charge of designing all 16 apps myself. I handled the design for all 16 apps on my own. Most importantly, I've been actively involved in a significant portion of the front-end and database work. While I focused on front-end development and product design, I enlisted someone to assist with the back-end tasks. I've been steadily constructing these apps. Just think about the immense expenses I would have incurred if I had attempted to build all 16 apps with external help. This journey has been transformative. Even though I haven't achieved job placement, the knowledge I gained from Utiva has empowered me to dramatically cut costs while creating my own product.

That was quite insightful. In all of this, would you say that the program you enrolled in at Utiva played a significant role in the Logistics company that you're currently building? 

Throughout my training period at Utiva, we were presented with practical case studies of established companies. This experience provided me with insight into how individuals approach design for genuine, real-world issues—quite distinct from the speculative ideas often conjured up in classrooms. These were actual instances involving existing companies. This exposure resulted in a significant shift in my perspective, emphasizing the practicality of product design. Undoubtedly, the product management skills I acquired during this period were incredibly beneficial. They truly made a difference.

What were your biggest challenges when you tried to transition into tech at first?

Initially, I faced a significant hurdle as I'm not inclined to self-directed learning. I struggled with absorbing information solely from instructional videos. Fortunately, Utiva provided both remote and in-person learning options. The in-person aspect turned out to be a major advantage for me. The opportunity to gather together for physical learning, distinct from remote methods, proved to be extremely beneficial.

I must say that your journey is really so inspiring, but what has largely motivated you on this journey?

My driving force on this journey stems from the realization that technology serves as a potent tool to address the gaps left by government infrastructure. 

It's remarkable to witness how young individuals harness technology to tackle issues that should have been addressed by the government but weren't. They do this on a large scale, finding innovative ways to navigate deficiencies in both public and digital infrastructure, effectively benefiting millions of people.

Traditionally, we've often believed that creating impactful change requires involvement in politics. However, technology has provided a new avenue. It's like a more accessible route that doesn't demand the costs associated with politics. With technology, I can make a positive impact on the lives of not only myself but also my family, neighbourhood, local government, state, and even the entire country. This capability has been a major driving force for me—to leverage technology's potential and make a meaningful difference, even in the face of substantial challenges posed by infrastructure deficits within the nation.

Our journey with the logistics company commenced in October 2020. Over time, we developed three distinct iterations of the application, yet they failed to achieve the desired product-market fit. It wasn't until last year that we finally achieved that fit, prompting us to start anew from the ground up. As I mentioned before, our goal required the creation of 16 unique applications, each tailored to address different aspects of logistics on the scale we aimed for.

Next month marks the completion of three years since we began this endeavour. Throughout this period, our main focus has been to uncover the most optimal, efficient, and cost-effective means to make logistics accessible to a broader audience.

What are your plans for the future?

Our future vision revolves around ensuring that local neighbourhoods have easy access to import and export services at a very affordable rate. Why do we pursue this goal? China serves as an example where any Chinese individual, regardless of their location, be it a village, a campus, or a city, can sell to customers worldwide. The logistics infrastructure in China is so well-established that this level of accessibility is widespread. Our aim is to replicate this level of accessibility in Nigeria's logistics landscape.

We aspire to simplify the intricacies of importing and exporting. Our goal is to create a system that's simple, efficient, affordable, and within reach for Nigerians, right in their own neighbourhoods. We want to transform the complexities of trade into something that's easily navigable, benefiting the local communities.

Do you have anything to tell anyone who is still contemplating pivoting into tech?

My advice is directed toward two distinct groups of individuals. To those interested in supporting future-forward companies, I recommend immersing themselves in at least two or three technological skills. It's crucial that they opt for hands-on learning platforms like Utiva, which offers a practical approach. Having personally gone through it, I can vouch for its effectiveness.

For the visionaries aiming to establish the companies of the future, consider the current decline in investment in Africa. This decline has impacted Y Combinator's (YC) acceptance rates, with just three Nigerian companies making it into the last batch. This is a significant drop compared to previous batches, which used to feature seven, nine, or even eleven Nigerian companies. It's uncertain how many they'll accept in the next batch.

Given the challenging funding environment and reduced opportunities, it becomes even more critical for aspiring founders to equip themselves with tech skills. If you're an aspiring visionary with a goal of building for the future, it's essential to take matters into your own hands. Learn product management, master product design, and delve into coding languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. By investing the time to build these skills yourself, you'll be empowered to create prototypes and even generate initial traction for your project.

On behalf of Utiva, I would like to thank you for finding time for this interview.

Joshua Igba is the Co-founder of InstaDrop (a logistics firm), he is also a software engineer and alumnus of Chemical Engineering, at Obafemi Awolowo University.

During his undergraduate days at OAU, he founded Neonatar Board - the most famous editorial and outdoor video streaming box that was a household name between 2011 and 2015. He also founded star radio to help students become radio stars.

Joshua has been a brand influencer in the tech space while transitioning into software engineering. He worked at Whogohost - Nigeria's biggest web hosting retailer and Pipul TV, Nigeria's first IPTV company.

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