Nigeria - Startup under 3 years old

Describe your project or startup in a few words

Asque is an internet publishing, digital marketplace, and stock image service developed to bridge the rift between African creatives and individuals/enterprises with demonstrated interest in Africa and its art.

01.01 Describe your startup in more detail

With the tagline: "Discover, explore, and interact with Africa's cultural, social, and societal landscape, through art and literature", our startup is a service developed to connect African creatives; including writers, documentary photographers, fine artists, etc with a global audience. Particularly Africans in the diaspora, and other individuals with demonstrated interest in African literature and visual arts. Asque supports a content management system for multi-author blogging, a storefront for sale of artworks, an image repository for viewing pleasure/stock image needs, and a community section. The community section facilitates social networking on the service. It consists of an internet forum/chat room to promote networking, and an auction room - a breakthrough innovation aimed at ensuring that creatives with exceptional artworks receive commensurate financial value for their works, through a bidding process.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

Our goal is to facilitate global appreciation of African art, attract commensurate value for their creators, inspire curiosity in the continent, and promote erudition by providing the necessary resources needed to inform our audience. The problems we are trying to solve include: - Lack of resources to satisfy identity-based curiosity: we address this by developing relevant, authentic contents about the continent to ensure that Africans in the diaspora, particularly 2nd - 5th generation African-Americans, and other people group of African heritage have adequate resources to learn about relate to their African heritage. - Poor creative entrepreneurship and inadequate global market penetration/appreciation of African art. Particularly artworks by African-based artists. - Poor access to quality content needed to portray Africa right by foreign content creators and broadcasting houses. - Receding tourism on the continent and obscurity of the many tourist attractions in the continent.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your startup provides (at least 3).

Some major benefits of using our service and the services it provides include: - Uniqueness and Focus: while our product offers multifarious services, everything about it revolves around a single theme - Africa. Our service comprehensively embodies this theme, providing a nuanced and granular experience for everyone interested in Africa. - Authenticity and Veracity: every literary content on our service is developed by individuals with first-hand experience of the knowledge matter. To ensure that it is reflective of the cultural element or experience being shared. Artworks are well vetted to eliminate possible attribution or material concerns. - Seamless Access: our service has been designed to make access to all relevant, available information seamless. Particularly the stock images which have been cleared of all copyright, model, and property release.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your startup’s product/service is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

Our targeted beneficiaries are individuals, enterprises, and organizations with interest in African themed contents. Some of them include: - Africans in the diaspora - African creatives (including fine artists, photographers, writers, etc) - Content creators, publication enterprises, and broadcasting houses - Affinity groups - Tourism establishments in Africa

01.05 When was your company established?

2023-10-05

01.06 Are you already selling your product/service?

No

01.07 How many other owners are there within your startup?

3

01.08 Among the other owners, how many are female?

1

01.09 Please describe the profile of the other owners within your startup (skills, experience, etc.)

1. Jeffrey Alahira: Jeffrey is a back-end and devops engineer with a background in research at the university level, and current keen interest in software development. He manages our back-end needs, and co-ordinates the engineering team. Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alahirajeffrey/ - Blessed Onuoha: Blessed is an adept product designer and business developer. She was till recently, a mid-level product designer at Interswitch, a Nigerian based digital payment monolith. In addition to product design, she has significantly contributed to the development of various nascent startups including Runam and Tech citadel. She is the chief design officer, and equally leads creator relations. Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blessed-onuoha-00093917b?originalSubdomain=ng

01.10 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link(s) here:

http://asqueafrica.com

01.11 Which industry best describes your project?

i) Communication services (telecommunications, media, interactive services)

02.01.01 My startup contributes to the No poverty goal

5

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification for my startup

An archetypal African is creative. I am an amateur painter myself, and worked as a professional writer for over 2 years. Through our service, we are facilitating creative entrepreneurship. This will in turn, enhance cash flow in the continent, significantly constricting poverty both directly and indirectly in the life of many.

02.02.01 My startup contributes to the Zero hunger goal

5

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification for my startup

In actuality, the line between financial lack and hunger is inexistent in most areas of Africa. 35.2% of Africans fall below poverty lines, constituting a major part of individuals suffering from hunger and malnourishment. By battling poverty, we will be significantly contributing to the war against hunger.

02.03.01 My startup contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

3

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification for my startup

02.04.01 My startup contributes to the Quality education goal

6

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification for my startup

We currently have a writing competition underway for tertiary education students in Nigeria and Rwanda. In addition to our in-app efforts to promote erudition, we contribute to to the quality education goal by organizing competitions in tertiary institutions to spur literary development, research, and critical thinking amongst students. In the near future, we intend to organize boot camps for students at the secondary education level, to enable them develop their writing and artistic skills.

02.05.01 My startup contributes to the Gender equality goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification for my startup

In addition to the gender balanced pool of creatives who already leverage our core services, Our paid team of original content creators is made up of 75% females. We equally ensure gender equality by opening our in-app-advertising services to all. This has been leveraged by individuals of both gender extractions. Particularly female small business owners.

02.06.01 My startup contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification for my startup

02.07.01 My startup contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

3

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification for my startup

02.08.01 My startup contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

7 - Strongly Agree

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification for my startup

The creatives whose works we promote have been greatly financially disadvantaged over the years, receiving significantly uneven financial returns for their works - which are of high value. Through our service, African creatives will have their works promoted to economically viable markets, where they are already appreciated. This will enhance their economic growth, and access to resources needed for professional development - to further ascend the artistic and financial pyramid.

02.09.01 My startup contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

6

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification for my startup

Directly, we impact industry innovation through our engines of value which rewards conscientious and creative individuals, inspiring them to do more and better. Indirectly, our work with tourist and hospitality establishments facilitate economic growth and traffic in visitors. This two necessitate the need for more infrastructures, and provides the prime resource needed for it - money.

02.10.01 My startup contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification for my startup

Asque is equally focused on all African countries. This ensures equilibrium and affords every country the opportunity to promote their creative and hospitality industries irrespective of how obscure they've been in the past.

02.11.01 My startup contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

4

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification for my startup

02.12.01 My startup contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

6

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification for my startup

By promoting and marketing African art to global markets, our startup contributes to the GDP of the respective countries, assuaging the imbalance in production-consumption which have greatly marred the African economy and people over the years.

02.13.01 My startup contributes to the Climate action goal

2

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification for my startup

02.14.01 My startup contributes to the Life below water goal

3

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification for my startup

02.15.01 My startup contributes to the Life on land goal

4

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification for my startup

02.16.01 My startup contributes to the Peace Justice and Strong Institutions goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.16.02 Peace Justice and Strong Institutions- Justification for my startup

We tell African stories and provide a platform where discussions of continental relevance can be held. All these in addition to our Pan-African approach of commerce and business fosters peace, and consolidates the cordial ties that exists in our institutions.

02.17.01 My startup contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification for my startup

The aim of the Sustainable Development Goals is to promote peace and prosperity for all. All we do is in tandem with these goals, especially as it borders on zero poverty/hunger, education, economic growth, equality, and peace.

06.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

2

06.02 The product/service represents an entirely new type of product/service.

6

06.03 The product/service could be described as a new technology.

5

06.04 The product/service is an improvement on an existing product or service.

4

06.05 The product/service could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.06 The product/service responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.07 The product/service is a new version of an old product/service.

2

06.08 Justification for my startup

Besides our auction room, we are an amalgamation of various extant services. While similar products/services partly exist, none of them comprehensively supports the need of an enthusiast the way we do.

06.09 Competitive Analysis

Our global competitors include: Medium, Shutterstock, Quora, Etsy, etc., and our local competitors include: Iko, Aworanka, Nairaland, amongst others. Our competitive advantage lies in our thematic focus on a single entity ie., Africa and our multifarious approach towards it. This is something neither of our competitor segments have.

11.05 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

Yes. -Similar to other core features of our service, the in-app-advertising was initiated by me with the aim of promoting local small business owners who are primarily of the female gender. - I have assisted our co-founder/design lead who is a lady in ideating topics bordering on gender equality, mental health, and other themes significantly bordering on females coming of age.