Barbara Mallinson, a South African living in the UK, found events overtaking her while developing a social network called Obami. Her hope was to create a platform that would offer greater privacy and more flexibility in sharing than that provided by MySpace and the other networks she had seen up until then. She also wanted to include tools relevant to personal administration, to position Obami as a relatively more "productive" network. When Facebook took over the world, however, the competitive landscape had changed irrevocably.

 

On a trip back to her home country, she got to talking to some contacts, and realised that schools, which form such highly visible networks between children, teachers and parents in the real world, lack the same presence online.

 

"Most of Obami’s applications – such as blogging, photo sharing and calendaring – were already suitable for the school environment," she says, "so it was a matter of getting in touch with schools and running a pilot to see if Obami needed to be sculpted more appropriately. We’ve since closed access for enhanced security, included a profanity filter, added in friend automation to reflect school relationships, and most recently, added in e-learning features to improve the educational offering."

 

Obami developed into a platform that permits communication between learners, teachers, parents and even educational administrators; accessible through the web, mobile phone, SMS or email. It also provides for content delivery, distributing resources aligned with the curriculum which can be easily updated, as well as materials around further interest topics for knowledge building, such as AIDS awareness and education programmes, or anti rape and abuse campaigns. Teaching and learning features, such as media sharing and self-expression, as well as assignment and test assessment tools, are also provided.

 

The initial focus for establishing Obami's presence lies with independent schools, of which 20 have been signed up since the official launch in September 2009. These private schools are low-hanging fruit not only because of their relative prosperity, but also because although mobile penetration is remarkably high in South Africa, only 12.9% of public-sector schools have the technical prerequisites in terms of computers and internet access.

 

"As and when infrastructure improves in the public sector, through government and corporate social investment initiatives, Obami hopes to use the platform as a means of sharing content and knowledge between the currently divergent educational sectors," Mallinson promises.

The project rapidly developed into a big challenge for Mallinson, who worked largely alone in the initial stages. She outsourced development to India, which presented difficulties with time zones and managing people she had never met.

 

Other challenges extended to finding the right investing partner. It was a time consuming process, and Mallinson's time was demanded in all other areas of the business. "I have been fortunate to have friends and family who have come on board as partners," she says, "providing invaluable business advice and financial support."

 

She received, and rejected, a major investment offer from a corporate sponsor. Her reasoning was clear: "I think the relationship between an entrepreneur and their funding partner must be built on trust, culture and a shared vision. While the prospect of having money to set up offices, grow a team and expand Obami's marketing spend was extremely attractive, the business would have only benefitted in the short run.

 

"There's no denying it was a tough call, but a lot of other entrepreneurs I have met, who have taken funding at the first opportunity, voiced deep regrets for having done so, and this too may have added to my decision.

 

"Although the business could do with the cash, I know that Obami has to identify partners that can bring more to the table – like access to schools, for example. With this in mind, we are now setting up partnerships that will help Obami to expand its user base in the South African and African markets. Going forward, there are many opportunities."

Keeping the project going in the face of funding and logistical hurdles was a matter of hard work and a willingness to adopt change when needed. Having customers that are now dependent on the system has motivated her even more to see Obami through.

A typical challenge in the education sector is a scepticism of for-profit businesses. This was not hard to overcome, Mallinson said, because schools themselves don't pay much, if anything at all.

 

"Apart from having to pay for optional SMS credits, Obami is free for schools," she explains. "By providing the platform at no cost, those schools that need a system like Obami most, are not excluded from using it."

 

Revenue is generated through a Partner Platform, which facilitates content sponsorship, moderated advertising and other channels for marketing and educational partners.

"In any case," adds Mallinson, a marketing and economics graduate from the University of Cape Town, "acting as a for-profit organisation within the education sector allows businesses to be more than just sustainable. There is a greater incentive for such organisations to grow and deliver greater value which has a better social outcome."

Obami is running well at a number of schools now, and the benefits are beginning to show. 

"On top of school communications and e-learning, a lot of kids have started to use Obami for social reasons as well, which is great, given the safe nature of the community," says Mallinson.

 

"The major challenge so far has been in getting participation from teachers. Bringing a new technology to a bunch of people that are not necessarily 100% confident in using computers and the internet has been difficult. Of course there are a number of teachers who have participated enthusiastically, to their own and to their pupils’ benefit. Obami is working best at those schools that have implemented it decisively. Just as it is in business, new systems work well when change is actioned and lead by management."

Mallinson has always wanted to run her own business. From selling apples and pears on the street to "publishing" her own magazine, to making and selling vintage teddy bears with friends at school, she has always displayed an entrepreneur's ambition. 

 

"I even responded this way in a job interview on my arrival in London: 'Where do you see yourself in three years' time?' My response: "I'll be running my own company.'"

A few years spent in big companies merely served to confirm her aspirations. "I was frustrated by bureaucracy, and how so many great opportunities were being missed because it took so long to sign anything off.

 

"So, when the idea for Obami came along, and it morphed into something for the education sector, I saw it as my chance to build my own business while doing something good for my country. It's a cliché, but it's true.

 

She initially settled in the coastal town of Knysna upon her return from London, because of its inexpensive, outdoors lifestyle. However, the pressures of a startup business have forced her and her partner to relocate to Johannesburg, the hub of commercial activity in South Africa, and the city where Mallinson grew up. She hopes that success will permit them, one day, to return to the place they both love.

 

As for Obami, she says "the greatest measure of success will be in it making a difference across all of Africa’s (and other developing markets) schools and not just the Independent South African schools that it currently serves."