Abdulazeez Ogunjobi: A Visionary Serial Founder
Abdulazeez Ogunjobi is a restless innovator, constantly driven by a desire to create and bring ideas to life. His entrepreneurial journey has led him to cofound multiple startups, including SimbiBot, Fixit45, and Charistouch Technologies, the latter of which was acquired by Cars45. His latest venture, Scandium, a software testing startup, exemplifies his relentless pursuit of innovation.
Redefining Serial Entrepreneurship
Ogunjobi is the epitome of a “serial founder,” a term often used to describe someone who continuously launches new businesses. However, Ogunjobi takes this concept to a whole new level. With Scandium, a company that is barely a year old, he has already achieved profitability—a significant milestone for any startup. This achievement is even more impressive considering Scandium secured its first client before its official launch.
This early success was sparked by a simple LinkedIn post where Abdulazeez Ogunjobi and his cofounder, Sodeeq Elusoji, shared their vision for Scandium. Their idea caught the attention of a bank’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), demonstrating the keen interest in innovative solutions within the software testing industry.
Understanding Software Testing: A Billion-Dollar Industry
For those outside the tech industry, software testing may seem like a straightforward process—simply checking if a software application works as intended. However, the complexity and importance of this field are often underestimated. The software testing market is valued at a staggering $51 billion, with companies like HikeQA generating recurring revenues of up to $14.1 million annually.
Ogunjobi explained the critical role of software testing to me, emphasizing that its significance goes beyond just finding bugs. It involves ensuring that software applications are robust, reliable, and capable of handling unexpected scenarios. This is why there is a growing demand for specialized software testing services, which Scandium aims to provide with a unique approach.
Scandium’s Unique Competitive Advantage: Simplicity
In the competitive landscape of software testing, Scandium’s edge lies in its simplicity. Traditional automation tools like Cypress and Selenium, while powerful, require users to have coding expertise to set them up. Scandium, however, has revolutionized this process by eliminating the need for any coding during the setup.
With Scandium, users simply conduct their manual tests as usual, and the platform automatically records these tests, generating the necessary code for future automated testing. This approach not only simplifies the testing process but also democratizes it, making it accessible to non-technical users and enabling anyone to become a software tester.
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Rapid Growth and Financial Success
Since its inception, Scandium has seen remarkable growth. The platform is now used by 60 businesses and 800 software testers, with 25 of these businesses being paying customers. In its first year alone, Scandium generated $120,000 in revenue, with a remarkable 90% of that amount being profit. The startup’s success is even more noteworthy considering it has achieved this growth without external funding, relying instead on the founders’ experience and resources.
However, Ogunjobi and Elusoji recognize the need for external investment to scale their operations further. They are actively seeking investment and have already made strides in this direction by being accepted into the Baobab Network accelerator program.
The Challenges of Building a Tech Startup in Africa
Despite Scandium’s success, the journey has not been without challenges. One of the major hurdles is the lack of awareness and understanding of software testing in Africa. Ogunjobi likens this to the early days of product design in 2015, when the role of a product designer was not widely recognized.
To overcome this challenge, Scandium has had to invest heavily in educating both potential customers and investors about the importance of software testing. This educational effort is not just about promoting Scandium’s services; it’s about fostering a culture of delivering high-quality, bug-free products from the earliest stages of development.
Navigating the Pricing Dilemma
Another challenge Scandium faces is pricing. The startup must balance between charging premium rates that large corporations are willing to pay and offering affordable solutions for smaller companies that can help drive the platform’s growth through virality. Scandium has adopted a freemium model to address this issue, allowing smaller companies to use the platform for free until they reach a size where they can afford to pay.
This pricing strategy has proven effective, with Scandium attracting both deep-pocketed international clients like Cathay Bank and local giants such as First Bank of Nigeria.
Looking Ahead: Scandium’s Future
Abdulazeez Ogunjobi is optimistic about Scandium’s future, driven by his strategy of surrounding himself with talented individuals. He often describes himself as “the dumbest person in the room,” a mindset that has served him well in his previous ventures and one he hopes will continue to drive Scandium’s success. As the company scales, Ogunjobi’s vision remains clear: to simplify software testing and make it accessible to all, while ensuring that Scandium becomes a dominant player in the global software testing market.
Reference: Nigerian founder’s software testing startup hits 90% profit in first year