Recap of Softcom's non-public UnveilingX—a foretaste of its public, DayX

UnveilingX, which is a prelude to Softcom's upcoming event—Day X, was organised to brief key stakeholders about Softcom's renewed mission and plans for the future.

The event featured representatives from several prominent Nigerian media houses, social media influencers, and entrepreneurs. It was held at Softcom's state-of-the-art campus in Ikeja GRA, Lagos state.

Softcom's Senior Vice President of Marketing, Charles Odii moderated the event. When it got to around 5 PM, Charles got on stage, welcomed the guests and prepared our minds for what was to come.

After the introductory session, Lela Omo-ikirodah (VP, Enterprise Solutions) and Karika Yonreme (VP, Programs) came on stage to discuss some of the solutions Softcom has built. Softcom also used the opportunity to announce that it had achieved 50% gender equality in leadership positions. According to the CEO, there are now 230 Softcom employees.

The day ended with a brief recall of Softcom's history, its renewed mission and question and answers from the audience. CEO Yomi Adedeji and his partner, Omoseindemi Olobayo anchored this session. Yomi started Softcom straight out of Covenant University in 2007. Seinde, also a graduate of Covenant University, later joined him a few years in. Ezra Olubi, who would later go on to co-found Paystack with his fellow Babcock Alum—Shola Akinlade, was Softcom's first hire. Perhaps, more on this at Day X—you can sign up here.

Over the last few months and even years, Softcom has been undergoing a silent re-orientation from being an enterprise builder to building for entrepreneurs and small businesses.

"We have always been known as a thinking company. Now, we want to be known as an innovation and technology company", says Yomi Adedeji

The company has set out to build for two categories of users: Dreamers and Doers. In his speech, Yomi explained the unique characteristics of both classes of users. "Dreamers are people who have a dream but are yet to do anything about it. They want to build a product or start a business but do not know where exactly to start," he said. Doers, on the other hands are classified as those who have "started building". They are the "entrepreneurs who are building things but are facing critical challenges".

On DayX, Softcom will be unveiling new products—which they repeatedly refer to as "answers"—to solve the challenges these two groups face. Some of the projects that will be premiered include:

• Eyowo: Their flagship product famous for its digital banking capabilities. However, with the recent updates, it will be more than a digital bank.
• Kwiksell: A retail platform that allows merchants manage inventory, sell anywhere and collect payment via any method.
• Useforms: A geo-location powered data collection service that allows users to collect useful information from existing and future customers via smart forms.
• Lift: A skill acquisition program that equips entrepreneurs with the most important digital business skills for winning in the 21st century and more.

After the session ended (including the QnA), attendees engaged in a networking session and gathered for pictures.

Parting thoughts

Softcom is gearing up for one of the most important moments in its history. Judging by the amount of preparation that has gone into planning Day X, the company is set to initiate major shifts within the local and international tech landscape.

Speaking on the upcoming event, Softcom CEO Yomi Adedeji said, "X is the answer to problems that have been with us for a very long time. We are unveiling answers, not products".

Day X will be a virtual event hosted on Thursday, July 29, 2021. We are excited to be one of their media partners for the event. And we look forward to the virtual event. If you are curious and interested, register here.