Segun Ogunwale’s rise to success began at the British Council’s 2016 Youth Enterprise Challenge, which commenced with a request for ideas that could transform the Nation, especially by reducing its dependence on oil.
It was followed up with the second task of submitting a video pitch detailing the value proposition and the business plan. After selecting the top 20 candidates from the video pitches among more than 10,000 ideas submitted, a capacity-building session focused on entrepreneurship was organised to train the top 20 applicants in preparation for a pitch to a panel of judges.
Segun says: “The Enterprise Challenge Bootcamp provided a knowledge base that has been foundational to my entrepreneurship career. I built a solid business network amongst colleagues and the faculty which I still relate with today.”
Segun is passionate about information technology and its potential to contribute to the development of Africa's key sectors. He is currently leading Kominity Digital which aims to become a significant player in Africa's nascent information service (B2B Media) industry with a footprint in key sectors; Agriculture (OpenFarm), Education (OpLink), and Healthcare (MPBrief).
Kominity delivers digital publishing solutions for companies to engage and connect with their audience, and value-adding services to meet the information and lifestyle needs of students and professionals.
Segun’s idea for ‘OpenFarm’ evolved into the OpenFarm Network, which remains the flagship information service of the Digital Media firm he founded the same year, Kominity Capacity Development & Digital Solutions Ltd.
“We started OpenFarm Briefings in 2017 as a monthly report to meet the information needs of Agribusiness Owners and Professionals. In 2019, we hope to strengthen our engagement with Smallholder Farmers by making available insights across the priority value chains on Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), weather forecasts, market updates and other information sets needed per time, utilizing the information channels most accessible to them.”
He says: “Capping off the several accolades the OpenFarm Network has received (openfarm.com.ng) is my selection this year as a Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneur. The capacity building Bootcamp provided me with lessons and experiences that have kept me going through the years.”