BY GIRMACHEW GASHAW
Today’s guest Samrawit Fikru is founder and CEO of Hybrid Design – RIDE. She is now one of the top African business influential people. She was born and raised in a small town called Asela-the source of many athletes including Haile Gebreselase- that is found in Oromia State, Ethiopia. At her young age, Samrawit wished to be a medical doctor in a bid to serve the public suffering from disease of various kinds.
Once upon a time, she went to the nearby market together with her mother. Surprisingly, she observed a computer literacy center which was unfamiliar to her and grabbed her attention. She observed people who sat in front of one thing which she did not know for the time being. Later on, she understood that strange thing is a computer. This incident forced Samrawit to know and understand more about computer machines. She can understand how it operates with the help of her brother who resided in Addis Ababa.
She continued to ask about computers day in and day out. This is the instant to shift her dream from medical doctor to computer engineer. After completing secondary school education, she joined Micro Link Computer College and received a diploma in computer science. She also received a BSC degree in Software Engineering from MicroLink information technology collage and computer Science from HiLCoE school of computer science. In the meantime, she was hired in two institutions (Revots Engineering technology institute and music shop) in order to fulfill her communications and sales skill gaps which paved ways of being owner of a business.
She also served as a system analyst. When she had been working as a sales worker in the music shop, she observed some sort of loophole in their daily routine task. She was reporting the daily sales to her boss using a paper. Taking the challenge she faced at work as a good opportunity, Samrawit decided to prepare sales and inventory system software. Audio/video Point of Sales and inventory system was the name of the software that she developed. This software eases her daily routine tasks. By connecting the system software she invented with the mobile, Samrawit helped her boss to get information about daily sales simply by touching the button.
She showed the new software to the owner and sold it for 6,000 Birr. Apart from using the challenge to invent new technology, the income she gained can cover the school fees. She then sold the same software for additional two companies. Noticing that the task has its own gap, she stopped sailing the software for a while.
Before graduating from HiLCoE Computer Technology College, Samrawit was hired and worked in software engineering companies that helped her to develop skills. Leading a project, she was in Cameroon for seven months. After she returned home, Samrawit developed a lot of software and earned some amount of money which helped her to establish her own company. This is the way she established Hybrid Design RIDE technology provider company. The Ethiopian Herald made a short stay with Samrawit, a young entrepreneur, to learn about her journey to success and the challenge she has faced so far.
How did you innovate RIDE? How much did the project cost?
The startup capital of the project was 40,000 Birr. In those days, one cannot get a trade license unless it rent a house for it. There need to be fulfill machinery the task requires. Earlier, I promised to myself innovate any sort of software. I tried to focus on software programmes that can abate problems and introduce ease doing business. If that is so, I can come up with new innovation. Before I come up with RIDE technology, I can develop maintenance management systems and other softwares that can solve challenges of many companies. Accordingly, I developed SMS lottery system within four months in order to contribute my share for the realization of the Grand Renaissance Dam. However, the then authorities did not allow me to carry out anything associated with the dam.
Without being hopeless, I went to women institutions with the same software but they did not cooperate due to budget shortage. Once upon a time, I visited Menagesha Suba Forest Park. In the meantime, I asked the manager how it operates. He told me that the park gained the budget selling trees. This historical place is awesome and oftentimes tourists visit it. When I told him about the SMS lottery software that I invented, he was eager to work with me. Then, we signed an agreement and he immediately gave me representation to process the project. However, the officials from the National Lottery told us that we cannot do the project as the dam office has started the same. I was very angry because I invented and presented SMS lottery software for the dam.
I again decided to innovate another business idea which does not connect me with the government. I was collecting a range of challenges as it is the source of any innovation. However, the transportation problem is one segment boldly discussed with friends of mine. Most of the time, I finished my tasks in the middle of the night and I had a fear as there Lada taxi drivers who will rent or buy Lada just to Rob people especially for women. While I used these taxis, I had been informed my families the place where I reached within a difference of 5 to 10 minutes. Thus, there has to be one company that ensures trust between customers and drivers. After four months, I came up with the Ride application and started the Job with SMS and seven drivers. Since then, the number of drivers who are working with us is increasing.
Through time internet and smartphone are getting improved and applied the software technology in phone. The ICT exhibitions organized in the country enable us to promote the task for the public. Thus, RIDE is rising up from scratch.
As a start-up business, what are the challenges that the company has been facing so far?
Like any other business, the company is not reaching to this level without facing any difficulties. Infrastructure was one of the problems when we commenced the business. When the power of toolboxes is slower, the service has not reached us and this affected our jobs. No stones are unturned to address such shortcomings. We were forced to change offices as the maintenance period of Ethio-telecom was very long.
The expensive price of radio advertisement is another challenge to the business. They ask you to pay 4,000 Birr per a single advert and that was too much for start up businesses. However, the RIDE business had to be promoted well so as to reach the public. However, the company was not yet generating income. Thus, we need to look at investors who can support the business even if it is hard to get them.
Indeed, technology was a risky business to invest in as it takes two or more years to regain the spending. Even if we go to banks seeking loans, they told us they did not give us any if there is no collateral. The micro financial institutions were not having a capacity to borrow more than 70,000 Birr. I discussed with over 300 investors, but no one showed its willingness to support the business. I then tried to communicate with Ethiopian businesses based abroad. Unfortunately, one business man who resides in Canada expresses its readiness to invest in the business. Blissfully, I promised myself to take off the RIDE business and show the project’s effectiveness when the investor joined me to realize the business and I had been working day and night to keep my word. Another investor came and joined the business and we made RIDE a gigantic company investing a few amounts of money.
How do you explain the overall capacity of the company in terms of human resource and finance?
Today, RIDE has created jobs for over 43,000 drivers. It also created 500 permanent jobs. Many of our staff are women who joined the company right after graduating from university. This is made possible within seven solid years through applying technology alone. The business we innovated has now improved the livelihood of many drivers. The first batches of RIDE have now invented their own business. I and all the working staff are too young and this is a driving force for youth to come up with innovative ideas so as to change the lives of many. In short, we can contribute some to develop the “sense of I can” in the minds of many. Many startups businesses that come behind me are now successful. I believe that RIDE can open the eyes of many. We also offer life skill training for many youth in order to upgrade their life.
Indeed, your company laid a foundation for many start up businesses. Some of the companies are coming up with identical technologies. Is this a challenge or opportunity for you?
It wouldn’t be a challenge for me. RIDE has been passing a lot of obstacles and paving ways of development for others to come. When I started RIDE, I expected more support from the government as I was too young and women as well. I had never expected such a challenge when I engaged in the business. However, my vision was not allowing me to stop at the foundation fearing the obstacles rather push me to expand technologies throughout Ethiopia and East African as well.
How many of us go abroad and return home with great respect? Wherever you go, they look at your passports now and then. In short, our identity has been seen as a threat for them. This is really upsetting. We should not be known in athletics and coffee sectors alone, we would rather make ourselves notorious in a range of sectors. This is not a factor that hinders the company from realizing its vision. We are addressing 15 percent of Addis Ababa transportation problems, 85 percent are not yet to be covered. What we need is creating healthy competition among our competitors.
You are a man of innovation and technology. What do you think in the near future? Do you plan to engage in other business or stick by yourself in Ride?
There have been many things to do together with the RIDE business. Many people asked me to import new cars for the company. We do not want to engage in that. Managing the technology by itself is not a simple task. The RIDE operation should be fast and this needs a special focus. We think that relying on technology and other tasks like importing vehicles should be left for others.
We are thinking about electric vehicles just three years now just before the coming of COVID-19 pandemic and we imported the first electric vehicle not for luxury but to check whether it is convenient to our environment or not. The service our drives provide to the public consumes fuel. Collectively, the electric vehicle will have a greater impact on the national economy as it minimizes the money spent to import both the spare part and fuel abroad. The country, on the other hand, has faced a shortage of foreign currency. However, we are not able to export many products. If things continue as it is, our hard currency is going to be eaten. In other words, we are highly dependent on other countries. We have to minimize our dependency through import substitution.
The vehicle that uses electricity is by far better than that of fuel consuming one. Many people bought bonds to assist the construction of GERD as it will import hard currency apart from providing electricity to citizens. Some 60 percent of our society is still living in darkness. On the other hand, the vehicle uses fuel required to import spare parts with hard currency. Now is the time to replace fuel vehicles with electricity assisted ones. We facilitate conditions for our drivers and assist them to replace their cars with electric assisted vehicles as the electric assisted vehicle minimizes the air pollution that comes out of fuel vehicles especially in Addis Ababa. Inversely, when we use electric vehicles, we do not spend hard currency to buy fuel and spare parts. We are working with our partners so as to realize the plan of replacing fuel cars with electric vehicles. By and large, my focus is developing the RIDE service.
Who is your role model to reach to this level? If you want to share something for young generations, you can convey a message.
Our society has more influence on women than men. In this regard, I thank my family for giving equal freedom for children irrespective of their gender. However, the influence comes at the societal level. When I came up with this technology, many people did not trust me. However, this was not a great challenge for me as I saw every challenge as an opportunity. I learned a lot via challenging myself as it increases my life experience. This does not mean that I always live with the challenges. If I made a mistake, I would be careful not to repeat it again. If I learned about it, I can devise a way out strategy if it comes again.
The other thing is, I am very transparent to myself. I rather work to fill the gaps through reading books and discussing with experts. I believe in gender equality. If our minds work well, we can execute everything in a better way. I hid myself as the society had not accepted my technologies. That was the strategy I wanted to use for the time being but I was always working hard to realize my vision. I believe that my vision and mission is huge. I give deaf ears for those insulting or criticizing me. I do not value what people say about me. I have full confidence in myself. I think my life philosophy helped me to be successful.
There is no strategy in the country to support young innovators? What do you recommend for government offices, banks, investors and other stakeholders in this regard?
Investors are not expected to be involved in every sector. As a RIDE, we need to invest more on startup businesses who engage in RIDE related services. We have a plan to support brave, trusted and committed people. We did not want to engage in every activity. That is why; we are outsourcing various tasks to many businesses. This helped us to focus on major activities as other investors need not work in the same fields. Trust should be built between businesses and innovators. This, in short, means providing respect to citizens. Unless I respect a citizen of Ethiopia, how can I respect others residing abroad. Thus, we have to respect one another and do our tasks properly.
On the other hand, banks can lend money without collateral putting five or two percent of their revenue as risk money. They can provide ingredients for start up businesses with which they discharge social responsibility.
The government should support female, young people who come up with an innovation. If someone comes up with an innovative idea, the government bodies should be positive to prepare a strategy for that innovation. Officials should encourage and welcome the young citizen who came up with an innovative idea and provide every support. Please, open doors for young innovators and give ears to them.
You are now selected as one of the 100th business influential people? What is your feeling?
I am very happy. However, the result is not only mine. My team, the drivers, our staff members, journalists, and customers are contributing a lot for the success. This is an undeniable fact. I want to congratulate all of them. Your effort was not worthless. We have registered wonderful results, created jobs, are profitable and exist till to present. This enables us to create additional jobs for rural parts of Ethiopia. We will expand the service to regional states. We will announce the technologies that we will use soon.
As you are one of the top business influential people, Africans begin to think about your business. What is your plan to reach Africa?
It is good to be an influential business in Africa. This is a window of opportunity to make our country known in technology. We have a plan to expand the service to east African countries. We will invest and be an influential business entity in Africa.
As a technology-based innovator, how do you evaluate the use of technology both in private or government institutions? Are we effective in that regard?
We still remaining a lot in terms of applying technologies. The sector is growing and this makes me happy. Many government institutes understand the value of technologies but not applying it entirely. Had it been there, transparency would have been developed; one can rate the performance of others easily as right or wrong and advance the employee with better position and salary. Technology can assist us to make any sort of decision. The technology found in any government institutions should be active. In order to develop the country, we have to apply technology in every sector. The public uses 40 percent of RIDE applications. Because RIDE is not the only institution that uses the basic necessity of the application, other platforms should be included. Collaboration is highly needed in this regard.
I thank you.
It is my pleasure.
The Ethiopian Herald June 4/2022
