#umbono

Hello world. Welcome to the Gigham Blog.

We're all set up in the Google Umbono offices, and can now officially announce that we've joined the Umbono incubator programme. 

We're extremely excited and honored to have been chosen.

Once we've finally completed all the admin, we'll be able to give you a heads up on the actual launch date later this month. We launch first in Cape Town, with Johannesburg and Durban following later this year. 

We have holding page up at gigham.com. 

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Recently we heard back from the Google Umbono programme; we were rejected from "round 2". It's been a long process. It didn't feel good to be "rejected". It's never easy to hear your idea wasn't good enough; unique enough, or anything enough. But, we did enter the program "just to see what happens", and since applying we have actually started a business. When we entered, we were a month away from going live with version 0. Recent exposure on radio, and the internet [1][2], made it a lot easier to swallow the blow to the ego. My gut reaction at the time was:

I have learned that starting a business isn't easy. I thought I knew how tough getting started was, but even my lowest estimate was optimistic. As a team we have a lot invested in our little baby. We have contributed personal savings, and an incredible amount of effort, critical thought, and diving in the deep end to start knocking our idea into shape. Being bumped out of this programme isn't the first time we've felt dejected. Sometimes that happens on a weekly or even daily basis. But the best thing you can do is share with your team how you feel. For every positive remark you might see 5 dark clouds brooding on the horizon. A recent nugget for me came from a customer -

"I keep telling my friends to subscribe because I don't know how long you guys will be around, your business model seems impossible!"

Everyone is preaching world-changing startups, VC companies are grabbing centre stage, and becoming central characters on the SA tech scene. The excitement can be tangible; utterly infectious. Recently an exit from a Cape Town startup demonstrated the possibilities dripping off the walls in "Silicon Cape". But no one really underscores how,  when you step into this world of startups you are - more than anything - diving into an emotional minefield. A friend, Vincent Maher recently tweeted:

It turns out, in the midst of rejection, we might just be doing okay! Our company is getting a groove and a direction, we have paying clients and a list of what they need for us to become "seamlessly integrated" in their lives; we are responding to those needs. Last week we launched more accessible pricing plans, and we have some exciting projects and features in the works.

It's no walk in the park, and so much of the work is squirreled away in spare time and weekends; family time is missed for a bigger goal. Great co-founders mean I can carry on. I think we would have been another failed startup if it weren't for the incredible cohesion we have as a team. We all know what we are risking, but we also know just how many YouTube videos it takes to stay sane.

If you are just getting going as a company, if you are trying to "live the startup dream", or even if you "just have an idea", find someone you can share that with, and work on the smallest piece you can deliver, and then do it again, and again. When you have a dark day, be honest and open about it, it helps a lot to get it off your chest so you can keep climbing.

We are always open to feedback and ideas, and please don't hesitate to get in touch!

Google's New Incubator 'Umbono' Will Increase Technology Innovation Throughout Africa

Today, Google has announced that in an effort to increase minorities in the technology sector, that their new incubator, Umbono, will be held in Cape Town, South Africa.

According to a statement, Google said the move was done to help increase technology innovation throughout Africa. Cape Town has long been at the forefront of the continent’s technology scene, and the incubator will unite seed capital, Google mentorship, angel investors, local technology stars, entrepreneurs and business leaders

Applications for the program went live today and are only open to residents of South Africa. Deadline for submission is April 15. Selected start-ups will receive free office space and bandwidth, in addition to the $25,000 to $50,000 in funding they’ll receive from Umbono’s panel of angel investors and Google for six months. (CLICK ON THE LINK TO LEARN MORE)

AMAZING