HP purchases a UK based IT firm for 7.1 Billion Pounds.

[kotinkarwak]

Why this article caught my attention is the fortune that the founders of the company have come by. The business was supposedly started in 1996 from a mere £2000 loan (5M TSh) and the selling price is an eye watering 17.75 Trillion TSH (equiv).
Fundisho for us ni kuwa, a small capital investment to back a good idea can result in big things down the line.

 

[Ruge Opinion]

Why this article caught my attention is the fortune that the founders of the company have come by. The business was supposedly started in 1996 from a mere £2000 loan (5M TSh) and the selling price is an eye watering 17.75 Trillion TSH (equiv).
Fundisho for us ni kuwa, a small capital investment to back a good idea can result in big things down the line.

Usually in a case like this one companies like HP are buying topnotch technology/innovation. Unfortunately for Tanzanians there isn't much of that although we have droves and droves of young people graduating from institutions of higher learning every year. What is the problem? Don't tell me it is the Government's fault.

 

[kotinkarwak]

It scares me to learn of the number of any given qualification leaving the higher learning institutions each year given that its' actual marketability will be very low. Some courses simply flood the market with so-called graduates but actual number of annual positions available could be a lowly dozen. Aside from that, it is only now that the push to equip the graduates with entrepreneurial skills is being undertaken, and that itself will take several years to bed down.
Back to our topic....
Investment if properly channeled can leap to massive rewards. The story of Autonomy can be that of many start-ups. The originator had an idea, but needed capital to get the idea off the ground. If we can explore this initial point, we can see how well or not, our region is placed to allow for growth at any rate.
Are there ample sources of financing for start-ups given the higher risks in the lending market? Are there other sizeable sources of financing that don't necessarily follow the strict banking approach of: borrow the capital, pay it back with a massive interest by year X. Are there real ideas out there (not buying and selling), innovative ideas that simply lack funding but have a potential to grow, even beyond the country's borders?

Beyond getting financing sorted, is the environment conducive for business? Infrastructure, energy, taxation, legal etc etc. When a business loses a week's production due to power shortages, who pays for that? When employees take advantage of their employment positions beyond squandering funds but simply not being available hence not being productive since they are out and about running their own businesses on the employers time...