Jaguza app developer building technology enterprise

There is nothing about Catherine Nassimbwa that spells the nerd she is. For long, we have been sold the impression that people who are passionate about computers are unfashionable, boring and usually men. Nassimbwa is neither. Her dress is chic and her speech is engaging. Get her to talk about computers and the sparkle that will form in her eyes is proof that a nerd is about to speak.

The 27-year-old Master of Science graduate in Electrical Engineering is a boss in a world that is male dominated. I raise my “wow” about her gender, and she replies, “With the right attitude to work, determination and commitment to a noble cause, the world of science and technology is a fertile ground for women, Africa inclusive.”

Nassimbwa is the CEO of Jaguza, a web and mobile e-Commerce application designed to connect service providers to clients who seek these services.

Classroom assignment becomes business
In July 2012, she undertook a free online course on human computer interaction under the instructorship of one Professor Scott Klemmer of Stanford University. She received a couple of assignments but one of them was to design an application.

“The application had to impact my lifestyle in terms of how I managed my time or how I went about my day to day business. Around that period, a cousin of mine who was a movie freak had visited. We would go watching movies at Cineplex. The challenge was that their website was down so it was impossible to find out the movies that were showing online. We could only know from their premises,” narrates Nassimbwa.

“I thus got an idea of an application that would guide movie goers about the movies that were showing at the different cinemas in town. This application would also have trailers of the movies and enable people to book their tickets online. Meanwhile, I was doing the assignment but at the same time forging a business idea.”

Sharing the idea
She shared her mind with a friend. The latter supported the idea and suggested that besides movies, the application should also cater for folk who attend music concerts by informing them about any prominent artiste slated to perform in the country and enable them to book their tickets online. The idea became richer after observing the plight of another friend who was organising a wedding.

“Getting a venue for his reception, a photographer and someone who would prepare a cake were strenuous. This left me with an impression that there must be other people like him who can also be catered for under my idea,” she says.

“When we think of photographers, everyone wants Mega pics or Dolico. Yet there are other companies out there that could be providing a similar service and at a cheaper rate. Talk of a venue to host a party, many fancy Serena. But there are way many nice places that serve the same purpose. In this era of many parties, service providers have to be a snap of a finger away.” Nassimbwa says.

That’s what led her to designing an application that would be a platform for linking people offering these services to people in need of them.

She partnered with four friends to develop the application; Allan Muhumuza (the Java Web Application Developer), John Paul Otim, Edward Ssemuwemba, and Timothy Asiimwe (Android and iOS Mobile Application Developers).

Attracting clients
First, they sought a name for their company and settled for Jaguza, a Luganda word that means celebrating.

“We preferred it because our business rotates around celebration and it is a name that Ugandans could easily relate with,” Nassimbwa states.

When the product was ready, every employee was tasked with looking for service providers who would be interested in marketing themselves through the Jaguza platform.

“We started with the people that we knew or were close to us. One would go to a cousin who was into catering and another would go to a friend who is into decoration,” she says.

The grace period
To make her product appealing, she offered all her new clients a grace period of one year. This offer still stands. At the end of a year, one starts paying eight dollars per month or Shs240,000 annually.

So far, the company has 60 clients but none has started paying. I inquire about how she is managing a business that is not making profits.

“Jaguza is here to stay. We are not in a rush. There is absolutely no doubt that we shall make the profits. All the entrepreneurs that we look up to, like Steve Jobs, exercised a lot of patience at the start and I am not any different,” she responds.

Her goal is to have 3,000 clients in the next five years. To achieve this, she intends to hire marketers.

“All the people on the team have an engineering background. They cannot market the product as fast as a marketer would.”

Jjuukko Omega, a gospel artist who is a client of Jaguza says that he is happy about the company because it offers an opportunity to connect with people in need of his services, both locally and internationally. The daily traffic on Jaguza is more than 50 visits from different parts of the world.

Requirements for clients
All that is required of a client is to avail their company’s details such as the name, location and the services they provide. Thereafter, an account is created for the client. The log-in-details are sent to the client so that he/she can manage the account themselves.

“If this person gets new photos or anything new that they would wish to share, they do not have to call us again. They simply log into their account and upload that information.”

Challenges
Like most innovations, Nassimbwa’s was no exception to being on the receiving end of messages from prophets of doom.

Demystifying low internet access
These pointed out the impracticability of her idea by virtue of the fact that access to internet by the masses in the country was still low. She dismissed this. In her opinion, the trend suggested otherwise.

“Smart phones are getting cheaper by the day. And more people are yearning to carry phones that can access the internet, she says, adding, “Merge the two and you will have a wide segment of the population that accesses the internet,” Nassimbwa points out.

Advice to prospective entrepreneurs
“At the start of implementing a business idea, you are so excited. In your mind, it is clear that the idea will be a success in say three months. You roll up your sleeves and embark on implementation assured of triumph. Reality is that you could go for a year without achieving your goal. But, does this imply quitting? No. You have to keep pushing. Pushing until you cannot push anymore.

The entrepreneurs that we cherish like Mark Zuckerberg and the late Steve Jobs, she says, went through similar stages.

“They faced challenges. The future was uncertain. However, they did not lose focus. They remained true to their goals. It is why we look up to them, today, says Nassimbwa who looks up to them because they are her source of hope.

So, it is important to start. And when you start; never give up. They should also be professional, responsible, collaborative and have a high integrity,” says Nassimbwa.

Who is Nassimbwa?
• Education. Nassimbwa went Kampala Parents for her primary level, Gayaza High School for her secondary level, Makerere University for a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. She returned to Makerere University for a Masters in Electrical Engineering.

• What she does to relax. She exercises a lot to reduce stress and maintain fitness. She jogs, spins and does aerobics. She loves hanging out with friends and family. I like watching movies and reading. The literature she reads ranges from fashion magazines, inspirational and fiction books.

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