MY HUSTLE: Inspired by Bill Gates to create everyday data solutions

Joe Maina is the founder and CEO of Matrixoft Data Solutions, a company that seeks to make a difference, especially with the unemployment crisis.

He recently launched Connect Me, an app which will leverage on existing resources in order to create new job opportunities. The 29-year-old shares his passions with Nation.co.ke.

Who is Joe Maina in your own words?
A visionary entrepreneur and someone who likes to look at objectives from a different perspective in order to see how to make good of something. It’s what has helped me come this far in my career and life.

What’s your education background?
I studied Information Systems and Technology with a major in Applications at the United States International University, USIU, where I graduated in 2012. I recently completed my Master’s Degree in Entrepreneurship from the same school, awaiting my graduation.

Tell us more about your company.
I founded Matrixoft Data Solutions in May of 2013. At the time, I really admired Bill Gates, but let’s be real, those are one in a million situations. (Laughs).

We cannot all be Bill Gates. I decided to give the whole Microsoft idea a twist.

One of my lecturers in the university once told us, “You do not need to reinvent the wheel. All you need to do is to figure out everyday solutions and find a way to make them better to help the society. In turn, the society will find a way to help you.”

I decided to put myself in the tech space, especially with the world digitisation, with the aim of coming up with everyday solutions to make things easier for people. Hence the name Matrixoft, a random, techy name, yet relatable in the technology perspective.

How big is your team?
Currently, it’s made up of five people, including the main developer, finance manager, marketer and legal team.

The legal side came up recently, which was a bit too late because I came to realise that the IT sector, just like any other sector, needs legal protection before anything.

One needs to first cover their ground to make sure they’re not infringing on anybody’s rights. I act as the founder and CEO.

What about the 'Connect Me' Application?
When I went back to study for my Master’s degree, the unemployment crisis quickly dawned on me.

Yes, a lot of people, including governments, are talking about it, yet we don’t seem to have straight solutions to handle it. I decided to come up with Connect Me to serve as a quick way to connect job seekers to the nearest job opportunities, and goods and service providers to the nearest client.

What would you say sets it apart from other applications?
Connect Me was created on a more personal level. I once had an electrical issue with my shower system when I moved in to my recent apartment. I did not know any electrician in the area since I was new. My caretaker recommended one, who only got to show up after two weeks. Two weeks of cold morning showers. (Laughs).

I realised that these situations are part of our everyday lives. Many people have no clue on how tackle common problems. I came up with Connect Me so that I could help people like me with electricity, mechanical and plumbing problems, among many others- as quickly as possible.

Of course, we have to vet the employees beforehand. Many unemployed people are skilled in these technical jobs, so our platform seeks to help the user get to the qualified person to help curb their problem, and in turn keep the economy moving.

As an individual, I am trying to create employment opportunities in line with one of the President’s big four agendas- by leveraging these jobs with the common mwananchi.

The government should be aware that these are some of the platforms that can greatly help this unemployment problem.

How long did it take to create the app?
Setting up the minimal and viable product we have at the moment took three months. We’re still on the alpha phase, which is the proof of concept.

It’s the basic step we wanted to do first, just like Safaricom did with Mpesa.

One of the things you need to look for in entrepreneurship is the affordable-loss principle, which is where you don’t need to over budget to make something work.

Use the resources you have to your disposal, and if it works, move to the next step which is scaling up. If it doesn’t, go back to the drawing board and re-adjust your model, or close shop and look for something else to do.

What challenges have you faced so far?
Programming is not fainthearted. (Laughs). There are deadlines to meet, and there are always obstacles that hinder you from meeting them. But now that we are past the first phase, the challenge now comes in advertising and monetizing the product.

What’s your biggest motivation?
As I said earlier, I would like to take part in making one of the government’s Big Four agenda of curbing unemployment become a reality. It’s one thing talking about it, and another in playing a role.

The employment world is completely filled with sharks and it’s difficult for newbies to get5 into this place and this is why we have a crisis that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to venture out into the tech world?
For a healthy industry, competition has to be present. You will be faced with many challenges. I have been in the trade for six years, and it has not been a walk in the park. (Laughs).

You will feel like quitting, but do not let go of your dream and what you believe in.

Any last words?
Unemployment is real and I believe we have brilliant minds in our country who can sit together and come up with reasonable ways to solve this problem.

The more we get the ball rolling, the more technology becomes a norm and not a necessity.