Meet Entrepreneur Onyema Emeka Famous, Founder Of Brainpals Code Academy, A Tech School That Provides IT, Software Training Services And More
Entrepreneur Onyema Emeka is a young Nigerian man with great vision, he runs a tech school named Brainpals Code Academy that provides IT, Software Training Services and more. He has impacted the lives of over 1,700 students. He speaks to Elorasblog in this interview.
Please tell us a little bit about your background?
My name is Onyema Emeka Famous,the first of six children from Edo state Nigeria
Am a Computer Scientist by career,a software engineer by training and an author and business coach by passion.
I currently work as a Software Engineer with Kogi state Polytechnic,Lokoja.An author of over five books,lover of God and married with three lovely boys. An MSc. Student of Federal University Lokoja.
What motivated you to start up Brainpals Code Academy?
Three things motivated me
- I wanted to learn more and knowing training is relearning I decided to start up a place to train and relearn.
- Am passionate about Nigeria bee n a Net exporter of talent and participating in the Industrial Revolution and more so equipping our teeming youth population with viable and marketable skills.
- I really wanted a Nation that does not just use tech but can build it.
Can you share with me the services that
Brainpals Code Academy provides ?
Brainpals Code Academy is the training arm of Brainpals Innovation and Technology Limited.
Our services are broadly in three core areas:
IT and Software Training
Automation and Software Engineering
ICT consultancy
We have courses like
Digital Literacy
Python Programming
Data Science
Product Design
Multimedia and Graphics Design
Data Analysis
Mobile Programming
Web Development
Software Engineering
Digital Marketing
Cyber security etc.
The automation arm focuses o deployment of tech solutions to companies,agencies and institutions. At the moment we have over 10 tech solutions in use by various organizations.
The Consultancy arm leverages on our wealth of knowledge to engage relevant stake holders in tech. We supply tech equipment, networking and surveillance, setup test and CBT centers and perform software testing.
Photos of Brainpals Code Academy students:
How did you come up with these business idea?
Well, this is a full dose question however, I have always been fascinated with Icons like Bill Gates,Mark and others. The idea came when I realize that most Foreign Trainers could not really get us started in tech mostly because they teach believing that we should know somethings already when we do not know anything and off course my multiple fall in tech spurned me to helping people learn complex things. I started doing tech since 2010 and it was not too smooth initially as I had no mentor and just depended on learning as much as I can. During this process I found out how to really learning anything in tech and knowing that many was in were in a similiar stage, I know I could be of help and one way of doing that was to start up a tech school.
Did you attend any form of training before setting up this business?
Well.business training nope but off course I read alot., Study bible business models and I have lots of mentors.
For the skill, I did sign up for MIT open course ware some years ago which gave me a good headway. The rest of what I know in tech was self taught and today I have lots of certifications.
Can you share with me the setbacks and challenges you’ve encountered in this business?
Setbacks
- Finding the right staff for the job. At the moment we have 11 staff which includes 4 ladies and seven guys – the highest in any tech firm within North Central maybe.
- environmental challenges – The environment was not too welcoming due to the level of exposure but things are changing now.
- Lack of investors
Funding is a major problem for most entrepreneurs but it was not that much of a problem for me because I believe in organic growth.
Brainpals Code Academy
offers three broad services
IT & Software Training (Coding and Digital school), Automation and Software Engineering, how equipped are your educators?
All our staff are professionals in thier fields most of whom at computer science by training or seasoned experts. They have the skills and tg certifications.
How many students has been trained in your platform and how has it impacted their career?
Since 2017 till date we have trained 1700+ students most of whom have left the country,some working within the nation others now run thier own tech company. The likes of Babaniyi Power a software Engineer with Kogi state Polytechnic and cofounder of YouDevHub,Yakub the MD of Unicsoft, Promise working with Tech company in Abuja,Sunday in Ogun state etc.
How much do you charge for trainings, is it affordable?
Our training are very affordable and often comes with discounts an lots of scholarships. We run both online and onland and even hybrid for very busy people.
Where do you see Brainpals Code Academy in 5 years?
In the next five years we hope that Brainpals should be found in major cities in Nigeria. One of our mission is to have a University of Computer Science in Nigeria. We hope that within the time frame we would have become a household name in West Africa and of course a major player in the tech space.
Email: elora.akpotosevbe@yahoo.com
What do you think?