Community-Driven Innovation
Suapon - connecting tertiary students for idea sharing.
Tagline
Connecting tertiary students for idea sharing and peer-to-peer mentoring
Pitch us on your solution
Connecting with other tertiary students is beneficial as it offer students the opportunity to learn different cultures and develop problem solving skills. Unfortunately, in Africa most students can't afford student exchange programmes as they are expensive. Suapon was created to connect students from Africa with the rest of the world for idea sharing and peer-to-peer learning. This will help students who can't afford to travel to exchange programmes have the opportunity to meet and learn from colleagues from other institutions. We believe this will help promote the quality of education and reduce inequalities.
Film your elevator pitch
What is the problem you are solving?
We are helping students who can't afford exchange programmes the opportunity to have the experience for free. Over 80% of tertiary students in Africa live below the poverty line so can't afford the high cost of exchange programmes.
Who are you serving?
Our main target group is tertiary students across the globe and we know these students like our product since the beta version is currently been used by 521 students in 7 tertiary institutions across Ghana. Again upon our market research, it was established that 78% of students are willing to use the product if it becomes available. Suapon was created to connect students from Africa with the rest of the world for idea sharing and peer-to-peer learning. This will help students who can't afford to travel for exchange programmes have the opportunity to meet and learn from colleagues from other institutions. We believe this will help promote the quality of education and reduce inequalities.
What is your solution?
SUAPON is an online community of not only university students but also other tertiary institutions across the globe. We wish to give students the opportunity to experience exchange programs without having to travel. Suapon gives students the opportunity to interact with each other sharing knowledge, ideas and resources. Once a student signs up they can interact with other students, sending personal messages, create groups and send public messages promoting peer-to-peer mentoring. Our main target group is tertiary students across the globe and we know these students like our product since the beta version is currently been used by 521 students in 7 tertiary institutions across Ghana. Again upon our market research, it was established that 78% of students are willing to use the product if it becomes available.
Select only the most relevant.
Where is your solution team headquartered?
Sunyani, GhanaOur solution's stage of development:
PrototypeSelect one of the below:
New application of an existing technologyDescribe what makes your solution innovative.
Social media has been in existence for a while now but Suapon leverage on social media technologies to target tertiary students
Describe the core technology that your solution utilizes.
Our solution uses social networks with a new business model.
Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:
Why do you expect your solution to address the problem?
Our main target group are tertiary students across the globe and we know these students like our product since the beta version is currently been used by 521 students in 7 tertiary institution across Ghana. Again upon our market research, it was established that 78% of students are willing to use the product if it becomes available.
Select the key characteristics of the population your solution serves.
In which countries do you currently operate?
In which countries will you be operating within the next year?
How many people are you currently serving with your solution? How many will you be serving in one year? How about in five years?
We are currently serving 521 students in Ghana and we seek to scale to reach 100,000 students across the globe in the next one year and 20 million in the next 5 years.
What are your goals within the next year and within the next five years?
We seek to help students from underprivileged societies connect with others. We seek to create a global community where students can learn new things and new cultures without paying high fees and travelling long distances.
What are the barriers that currently exist for you to accomplish your goals for the next year and for the next five years?
Our current challenge it that we do not have the capacity to market our product to penetrate other markets. This is key in our goal to reach all tertiary students across the globe.
How are you planning to overcome these barriers?
We seek to overcome this by forming partnership with the various tertiary institutions and stakeholders to make sure this solution reach their students.
Select an option below:
Other e.g. part of a larger organization (please explain below)If you selected Other for the organization question, please explain here.
suapon is a subsidiary of Pesewa Websoft, a software development company that seeks to solve the sustainable goals using technology.
How many people work on your solution team?
9
For how many years have you been working on your solution?
2 years
Why are you and your team best-placed to deliver this solution?
Julius Asante Kyere, the CEO is a Computer Engineering degree holder with 5 years experience in software development. Julius was part of 1,000 people selected across the globe by Udacity and Facebook for their Pytorch Scholarship Challenge. Julius has an extensive knowledge in six programming (PHP, JAVA, C++, C, Python, Javascript) and awarded certificates in Fundamentals of Starting and running a business, Design Driven Entrepreneurship, Fundamentals of grant writing, Management Strategies for People and Resources, Workforce collaboration and development, Strategies for personal Growth and Development and Basics of public-private partnership by the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI).
Osborn Amankwah Yeboah is a Business Administrator with 3 years experience in helping start-ups scale.
With what organizations are you currently partnering, if any? How are you working with them?
We are currently partnering with the students representative council of 4 institutions in Ghana. They help us get an audience to advertise our solutions to the students.
What is your business model?
Our main target group are tertiary students across the globe and we know these students like our product since the beta version is currently been used by 521 students in 7 tertiary institution across Ghana. Again upon our market research, it was established that 78% of students are willing to use the product if it becomes available.
Most of our revenue will be generated through advertisement. Businesses will pay to advertise their product on the platform since it will be a great avenue to showcase their product to the world. Online advertisement now accounts for 65% in advertisement (worldstream.com) and business are willing online medias for advertisement space.
What is your path to financial sustainability?
We seek to generate revenue through advertisement
Why are you applying to Solve?
We believe solve will give us the platform to reach our target audience
What types of connections and partnerships would be most catalytic for your solution?
With what organizations would you like to partner, and how would you like to partner with them?
MIT,
harvard, Caltech
Solution Team
-
Julius Asante Pesewa Websoft Limited
to Top
Our Solution
Suapon - connecting tertiary students for idea sharing.