Decoded makes the lyrics of popular African music accessible to anyone online. With an interface overhaul in the works, Decoded is on the verge of exiting beta phase. Bankole interviewed the founders a while back here on TechCabal.
According to Co-founder, Chika Uwazie, lyrics are an unexplored territory and Decoded’s fresh outlook on music discovery differentiates them from other music startups.
And if Decoded win the $20,000 prize money – “We want to build out the merchandise arm of Decoded. We are excited to enter this space and believe that artists can greatly benefit from this function.We also would use the funds to continue to build on the Decoded technology. In order to build a music platform that will hold a vast amount of information, (similarly to IMDB) it will require a robust backend that can handle all this information.”
They are also looking to expand the Decoded team, especially as their eyes are set on other markets in Africa including Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa.
The Founders
Julius Sea Ezeani
Julius is a certified public accountant who spent most of his career consulting, with a focus on risk, and business development, for fortune 500 companies in the financial services and technology, media and entertainment space. He founded a music startup focused on African music a few years back but that venture failed. But it is from this experience that he was able to get a deep understanding of the African music industry as well as build strong relationships with folks in the industry.
Chika Uwazie
Chika by education is a human capital professional. She has worked in international organizations in the US and Nigeria. She has consulted for many startups and gained experience in everything from startup marketing to raising funds. She has extensive experience in marketing and growing an online community. She also has built strong relationships within the Nigerian music community which has helped greatly Decoded greatly in connecting with industry stakeholders to get feedback and insight when needed. She is currently studying for her masters in Human Capital Management at Georgetown University.
Decoded is a finalist in the TechCabal Battlefield, holding on Friday the 21st of February, at Four Points, Lekki. Register now to attend.
The TechCabal Battlefield is proudly sponsored by Stanbic IBTC Bank, iROKING, Jobberman, Konga, Etisalat, with support from VC4Africa, Ventureburn, Capital Square, Easy Taxi, Ebonylife TV, YNaija and RELOADED Magazine.
