1) What is exactly that you do, and what is your start-up about?
Ans: At SMS Protect, we protect users against fraudulent attacks that come via SMS.
2) What is the problem that your start up is trying to resolve?
Ans: We are trying to reduce the amount of financial power and data lost due to malicious attacks.
3) What inspired you to start this particular business?
Ans: One of our founders has a somewhat personal experience, his uncle nearly lost all his money due to a similar attack, but his bank caught it early, and that saved him.
4) When was your start-up founded? What stage is your start-up currently at?
It was founded in January 2023, and we are currently at the pre-seed stage.
5) Are you the sole founder? If not, how did your team meet? Who does what on your team?
We are a founding team of five; we were friends at the university.
i) Oluwadara Gbenle CEO/ Backend Developer
ii) Afolabi Oguntuase COO / Cloud Engineer
iii) Enemuo Stephen ML Engineer
iv) Aladesulu Ayomide Backend Engineer
v) Alao Damilola Mobile Developer
6) What is your start-up business model, and how does it work?
Our solution is a SAAS platform, and we offer different pricing points.
7) What exactly differentiates you from your competitor in the marketplace? Can you name a few?
We don’t just analyze the number that sent you the SMS like a true caller does. We analyze the SMS itself.
8) At what stage is your start up currently at? (early stage, growth stage, established)
Early stage
9) Can you discuss any significant milestones that your start-up achieved so far?
A significant milestone we have achieved so far was participating in the semi-final of the Super Nova competition at GITEX Africa.
10) Can you provide some information about your target market and its size?
Our target market is mobile device users and also businesses.
11) How do you acquire customers or users, and what is your customer acquisition strategy?
Direct marketing
Partnerships with banks
Social media
12) What are your main revenue streams?
Subscription
Freemium model
Licensing
13) Have you received any funding or investment for your start-up? If yes, can you share details?
No, we have not.
14) How do you plan to scale your business in the future?
We plan to scale by building out the enterprise solution and providing the solution for companies, becoming an all-round cyber security company, and also by providing our solution to other countries in Africa and the world.
15) What are the biggest challenges you have faced so far, and how did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge we have faced so far has been getting our app on the Play Store.
16) How will you measure success for your start-up or the achievements that your start-up has reached?
Number of customers
Revenue
Customer Satisfaction
17) How do you prioritize and manage your resources, such as time and budget?
We prioritize building features and solutions that are important to our users based on the feedback they give us.
18) What is your marketing and branding strategy?
Focus on education
Partnership with business
Use of social media
19) How did customers’ users find out about you?
Word of mouth
Social media
Paid advertising
Content marketing
20) What is your target audience?
Individual
Businesses
Organizations
21) Regarding your marketing strategy, do you use social media, and if so, is it in-house or outsourced?
Outsourced
22) Have you faced any regulatory challenges?
No
23) Can you discuss any partnerships or collaborations you have established?
We are currently in talks with telecoms, cybersecurity firms, government agencies, and banks.
24) What are the key things about your industry that outsiders don’t understand or misperceive?
SMS Scam is a growing problem.
Prevention solutions are not 100% accurate.
It’s a shared responsibility
25) How do you handle feedback and incorporate it into your product or service development?
We value user feedback, and we incorporate that into features on the app.
26) Are you going to internationalize? If so, how are you planning to expand internationally?
Yes, we are. We are planning on opening an office in Morocco.
27) Can you share any testimonials or success stories from your customers or users?
“I was about to click on a link in an SMS message when my SMS scam prevention solution warned me that it was a scam. I’m so glad I had that solution installed, because I would have been scammed out of a lot of money.” Adebayo Gabriel
“I’ve been using an SMS scam prevention solution for a few months now, and I haven’t received a single scam message since I started using it. I’m so relieved to know that I’m protected from scammers.” Smith Davies
“I was scammed out of a lot of money a few years ago. I’ve been using an SMS scam prevention solution ever since, and it’s helped me to stay safe from scammers.” – Mary Johnson
28) How do you ensure the security and privacy of users’ data?
We don’t store user data, and we use an encryption algorithm when analyzing the SMS.
29) How do you stay updated on industry trends and adapt your strategies?
Reading industry publications: I read industry publications, such as blogs, articles, and white papers, to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and developments.
Attending industry events: I attend industry events, such as conferences and meetups, to network with other professionals and learn about new trends and technologies.
Talking to experts: I talk to experts in the field, such as researchers, developers, and security professionals, to get their insights on the latest trends and threats.
Using analytics: I use analytics to track my own performance and to identify areas where I can improve.
Experimenting: I experiment with new strategies and tactics to see what works best for me.
30) Are there any patents or trademarks associated with your start-ups?
Yes, our solution is patented.
31) Can you discuss your pricing strategy and how you determine your product’s value?
Value-based pricing: I price my products based on the value that they provide to my customers. I consider the features and benefits of my products, as well as the needs and wants of my customers, when setting prices.
Competitive pricing: I also consider the prices of competing products when setting my prices. I want to make sure that my prices are competitive, but I also want to make sure that I am not undercutting my own value.
Profitability: I want to make a profit on my products, but I also want to be fair to my customers. I try to find a balance between price and profit that works for both me and my customers.
32) How do you plan to build and maintain customer loyalty?
Provide excellent customer service. This means being responsive to customer inquiries, resolving issues quickly and efficiently, and going the extra mile to make sure customers are satisfied.
Offer loyalty programs. Loyalty programs can be a great way to reward customers for their continued business. These programs can offer discounts, free products or services, or other perks.
Personalize the customer experience. This means getting to know your customers and their individual needs. You can do this by collecting data about their purchases, interests, and preferences. This information can then be used to personalize marketing messages, product recommendations, and other interactions.
33) What are your plans for expanding your team in the future?
We plan to hire more ML/AI and cybersecurity experts.
34) Can you provide examples of any social or environmental initiatives your start-up is involved in?
Nothing at the moment.
35) How do you approach customer support and handle any issues or complaints?
By being responsive
By being friendly and helpful
36) What have you learned so far from launching your start-up, and what pointers would you give a person reading this blog who is interested in having a start-up of his own?
Adapt to change.
Ability to network
37) Six months from now, what will be the biggest problem?
Not having enough staff to scale
38) Are you looking to hire new employees on your team? If so, what job openings do you currently have?
We are currently looking for an ui/ux intern.
39) Are you looking for start-seed investment or VC funding? If you are looking for funding, where can potential investors contact you?
Yes, we are. We can be contacted via LinkedIn SMS Protect or email at smsprotectio@gmail.com.
40) How did Covid affect your start-up?
We started post Covid, so we weren’t affected by Covid.
41) How is Artificial Intelligence (AI) affecting your industry and your company?
AI is a big part of our process, and the current advancements in AI mean our processing will be easier and faster.
41) Why should we feature you on our blog?
To be publicized to a wide range of audiences
42) How did you hear about our blog?
At GITEX Africa
