IT whizzkid incubates young innovators

JESSICA COLACO, 29, is the head of research at iHub - Nairobi's tech innovation hub. She is a TEDGlobal Fellow and the founder of Mobile Boot Camp Kenya. She is passionate about innovation, research, mobile technology, entrepreneurship and mentorship. She spoke to NJOKI CHEGE

She would pass for a 20-year-old, with her small frame and soft-spoken nature, but she has nine years on top of that. And let not her structure fool you; Jessica has done so much with her life in such a short span, putting her several steps ahead of her peers.

She was first exposed to computers at a young age and began her journey by playing computer games. Soon, her curiosity got the better of her and she started playing around with the DOS operating system, and before she knew it, most DOS commands were at her fingertips.

Offers Jessica: "After high school, I was torn between pursuing aeronautical engineering, chemical engineering and computer engineering because I was intrigued by sciences."

Before she made up her mind, she pursued a course in web design and also did the International Baccalaureate (IB) at St Mary’s School. Jessica is glad she pursued the IB as it exposed the musical side of her and today she is an accomplished bass guitarist.

When time came for applying for university, Jessica was still torn between studying locally and abroad.

"But one woman, Dr Kate Getao, inspired me to take up Computer Science and study here in Kenya at the University of Nairobi. That was the best decision I made," she says.

In a class of 45 students, Jessica found herself among the five girls in the class. But in spite of being in the minority, Jessica worked hard and emerged among the top students in her class. While in second year, Jessica discovered her passion for mobile technology and even developed a mobile application system made to switch lights on and off.

Offers Jessica: "That was in 2005 when mobile technology was taking root in Kenya. I started developing applications for smart phones. Most of the programming was self-taught, although I got supplementary lessons from class."

In her fourth year of university, she developed the wireless map service, an innovation that would attract a lot of media attention. She developed a mobile application known as Wireless Map Service (WMS), and was immensely commended by the public during the 10th annual IEEE Engineering Students Exhibition in September 2007.

Soon after graduation, she worked as the Research Leader at Strathmore Research and Consultancy Centre (SRCC). The certified researcher has carried out various research studies in conjunction with SRCC.

MOBILE BOOT CAMP

It was during her stint at Strathmore that she founded the mobile boot camp, to mentor students into developing mobile applications.

She has since organised several mobile boot camps in Kenya as well as the first Facebook Developer Garage in Kenya in 2008. She has been featured by CNN Labs, Wired UK and other mainstream global media.

Today, the mobile boot camp has become part of the iLabAfrica, an information and innovation lab at Strathmore University.

Says she: "The beauty of it is that it has now become a continuous process and it now run by iLabAfrica."

THE iHub

According to Jessica, the iHub is the first of its kind — a tech innovation lab targeting brilliant minds in technology.

It was set up in 2010 and she was immediately hired as the iHub manager, thanks to her passion for IT and research.

"It has been an incredible experience. I have learnt a lot and there is still a lot to learn. Seeing the team grow and young innovators come up with great innovations has been a fulfilling experience," she says.

So how do innovations come up? According to Jessica, innovation happens from the community.

"Innovation is about understanding societal needs and being able to provide solutions. Whatever you learn, make it an asset to the people around you by ensuring it has positive effects to them," she reveals.
Jessica notes that Kenyan youth have great potential of being innovative, given the opportunity and with the right policies in place.

Says Jessica: "I think Kenyan youth are the most innovative people I know. Youth, particularly from Kibera, have come up with amazing innovations based on necessity."

To fuel the innovation in the country, Jessica believes that models of iHub need to be replicated in different parts of the country to give the youth a chance to exercise their innovation muscle.

As the research lead at the iHub research, Jessica hopes that the centre will build the research capacity in the country and continent as a whole.

But the ultimate goal of the iHub, she explains, is to create as many start-up companies as possible by acting as a catalyst in the making of the companies and give them the energy to fuel themselves to the next level.

"So far, we have seen 40 start-up companies in the past two years and have joined hands with several partners," she says.

So how does it feel to be a woman in a male dominated field?

While Jessica admits that tech is indeed a male dominated field, she adds that this is just a mindset, which we need to do away with.

"It is true that tech is a male dominated field, but this is just a mindset. I am keen on motivating and mentoring girls to come out of this mindset and realise that all you need to succeed in the tech world is confidence in what you do. You also have to be the go-getter," she says.

Quite the go-getter herself, Jessica believes that it is her principles and personal vision that got her to this point, and she has her sights set high. She reveals that she is inspired by the people around her and their passion to learn and grow in the field of tech. Her greatest goal is to put Kenya on the map when it comes to innovation and technology.

"People talk about Kenya for different reasons such as athletics, but I would also like them to talk about Kenya as an innovation space. Kenya is the home of some great innovations such as Ushahidi and M-pesa (mobile money transfer), and I am certain that we are headed even further" she quips.

Jessica is keen on seeing more applications and innovations come out of Kenya and make a positive impact globally.

Jessica has made several speeches about her work at various conferences including IDRC’s Africa’s New Frontier: Innovation, Technology and Prosperity and Relief 2.0 in Haiti at Stanford and TEDxSanto Domingo. She spoke about innovation and technology in Kenya during the Mobile Monday Summit and Mobile Brain Bank in Helsinki, Finland in September 2010.

PASSION FOR MUSIC

It was while pursuing her International Baccalaureate at St Mary’s that Jessica’s discovered her musical talent.

"I now play the bass guitar, which I consider a ‘deep’ instrument. I used to play for Viola Karuri’s band for three years until I decided to take a break last year to focus more effort on the iHub," she says.