2020: Disrupting Kelvin
By: Kelvin Umechukwu
Tags: Disruption, Engineering Innovation, Taking A Leap, Program Management, Year In Review

Moving on

Just like everyone else, my 2020 began with grand ideas and thoughts. In my 2019 Year in Review: Finding Kelvin, I wrote this:

In 2020, I will be diving deeper into building these platforms and products to enable people and businesses, especially across Africa, reach great heights.

At the tail end of my 2-year journey in the Edtech space — building STEM communities in 15 states across Nigeria, running programs with Google, IHS Towers, MTN, hundreds of schools and various state and local governments, creating courses for secondary students interested in STEM, publishing an academic paper and a book, impacting over 20,000 young people directly and setting the structure to reach far more people across and beyond Nigeria — I decided to bow out and make one of the biggest & disruptive shifts in my career yet; move into the startup space.

Working in the STEM and education space is a lot fulfilling because education and skill development is one of the most critical things that can change the economic status of an individual. It levels the playing field and creates access for the individual. Talent is one of the major things that continue to put Nigeria and Africa in the global technology space. With the work done with TechQuest and Consonance, I felt convinced that I could start doing more for businesses. This is another critical thing that can change the economic status of not just an individual, but of many individuals, the country and also the continent. Nigeria and Africa need a lot more businesses to grow, succeed and lift millions of people from poverty.

The move to the startup space was mostly hinged on my passion for building platforms or products for people and businesses to achieve their greatest positive potential. I already had a few experiences building, growing and working with startups. Some of these experiences included building VoissApp with my friends in 2015 and Salescabal with Adetunji 'TeeJay' Opayele in 2018, organizing Pitch2Win with Oo Nwoye in 2019 and growing TechQuest with Charles Emembolu for the past 2 years.

I had just tendered my resignation letter in January 2020 and was recommended to startup roles in Facebook and the UK Nigeria Tech Hub, things were looking good already in the year until I started getting my L’s. For a brief period in February & March, I was both jobless and homeless. This was especially scary because we had just gone into a country-wide lockdown. Luckily, Co-Creation Hub was hiring for an Incubation Program Manager role and I was available. After what I feel was the best and fastest hiring process, and proving that my experience as Program Manager and Head of Business Development at TechQuest would be useful in supporting startups and managing startup programs, I got the job.🎉

I consider the work we do at CcHUB a privilege because we get the opportunity to solve or support startups that solve some of the most challenging problems on the continent. It has been almost one fulfilling year supporting our portfolio startups, designing and implementing startup programs and working with multiple startups across the continent.

Highlights of the Year

My 2020 was characterized by a lot of startup engagements and my major highlight was joining CcHUB and supporting the great work the teams, especially the Startup Support team, are doing across the continent.😎

Milestones Achieved