The founder of iRoko Partners and iRokoTV, Jason Njoku, was not born with wealth or legacy. He was raised by his mother along with his four brothers and sisters. As a kid, he was part of the working class.
Although, he did attend school in London form the ages 12 – 15, then proceeded to complete his A levels in a college in Nigeria. The University of Manchester was his next destination to study chemistry and he successfully graduated in the year of 2004.
His life was on a pretty decent track, but his true test was only beginning. Between the years 2005 to 2010, Jason Njoku failed to start up quite a few enterprises. Some of these enterprises included a blog network, a T-shirt business, and a web design company.
Eventually he realized there were opportunities in the TV industry in terms of internet television network, gaining inspiration from Western companies such as Netflix and Hulu. He figured, “Why not capitalize on the market since Africa had nothing like this yet?”
In 2011, he co-founded iROKOTV with his best friend Bastian Gotter. The company has now raised over $22 million from international venture capitals.
On July of 2012, Forbes Africa recognized Jason Njoku as one of the “Ten Young African Millionaires to Watch” at the age of 31. In 2013, he was dubbed the CNBC All Africa Business Awards Young Leader of the Year.
To adjust to the changing times and the general broadband problems that are faced in Africa, Njoku decided to create an Android app that would allow its viewers to access any movie from the 5,000 that are registered in 2015.
Despite all his ‘failures,’ Njoku never gave up. He stayed persistent and wanted to achieve greatness and success until he reached his goal. I hope the story of this great entrepreneur inspired you just as much as it inspired me.