Technology and business leaders have called on startup founders to keep their products simple, validate their ideas beyond family and friends, and seek the support needed to scale their ventures.

The corporate titans and leaders include the Chief Executive Officer of Impact Hub Ibadan, Adebayo Olubobokan; the Chief Executive Officer and founder of Cardify Africa, Tunde Buremo; the Director Corporate Services and Government Relations of Brass Petrochemical Company Limited, Ms. Lolia Kienka, and others.

They made the call at an Innovation and Skills Forum (ISF) mixer, which was held at the House of Kether, Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State.

The event, which was organised by Innovation and Scale Forum and Impact Hub Ibadan, brought together technology enthusiasts, startup founders, entrepreneurs, investors, and other stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem.

The start-ups were given the opportunity to pitch their business ideas.

Buremo urged founders to adopt a gradual approach to product development rather than attempting to incorporate numerous features at the initial stage.

The Cardify Africa boss said founders should focus on their core solutions and improve them progressively as their businesses grow.

“Founders should keep it simple. They should do it one step at a time. They should not buy anything they are building with so many features,” he said.

Also, the Chief Executive Officer of Impact Hub Ibadan, Olubobokan, called for greater government support for startup events and the wider innovation ecosystem.

Olubobokan said the government could provide venues where startup and technology events could be organised at little or no cost, adding that this would reduce the financial burden on organisers and enable more such programmes to take place.

He said stronger support for the ecosystem could help more startups survive, scale into larger businesses, and create employment opportunities.

According to him, successful startups could grow into major businesses capable of employing thousands of people, expanding internationally, and contributing to the reduction of unemployment and crime.

Impact Hub Ibadan’s boss also urged entrepreneurs to learn from both successful and failed businesses, stressing the importance of networking with peers, experienced professionals and other stakeholders.

“Nobody is going to spoon-feed you, but you need to open your mind and listen to different pitches, people sharing their stories and people talking about how they overcame challenges,” he said.

In her role, the Director, Corporate Services and Government Relations of Brass Petrochemical Company Limited, Kienka, called on founders to test and validate their ideas beyond family and friends before scaling.

Kienka, who also volunteers as Head of Partnerships and Sponsorships for ISF, urged entrepreneurs to take their ideas to industry players, pitch competitions, and accelerator programmes where they could receive feedback from a wider audience.

She said founders should seek mentors and expose their solutions to people capable of objectively assessing whether they addressed real needs.

“Nothing is impossible. Keep building. If you are convinced that you are building a solution that a greater number of people need, make sure you test it, not only with families and friends,” she said.

Kienka also charged founders to resist the temptation to overload their products with features, saying they should concentrate on solving the immediate problem effectively before introducing additional features.

“Keep it simple. Don’t build all the features in the world. That’s why version 1, version 2.0, version 3.0 exists,” she said.

In her remarks, the Chief Agribusiness and Trade Officer, Impact Hub Ibadan, Mrs. Helen Oduyemi, who was a panelist, urged start-ups to build and connect with institutions such as Impact Hub Ibadan to actualise their ideas.

The speakers said the ISF mixer provided an opportunity for participants to learn from industry leaders, exchange ideas and identify opportunities for collaboration, mentorship, investment and business growth.

Kienka said the series of mixers was part of activities leading up to the ISF annual conference scheduled for November 27 and 28.