46 •
The Lion King
• July - September 2016
What made you decide to start your
own business?
The motivation was generally for a
better life, to provide employment to
friends and put into practice the com-
puting skills I had learnt from childhood
and also to support our community.
A friend from Nigeria once told me,
“People who don’t want to do busi-
ness and make money and help their
people, are just selfish because pov-
erty helps no one. “And so I can’t be
selfish.
How did you get here?
I did not grow up in a rich family but
my parents were enterprising. I used
to balance books for my mum when
I was about 10 years old. So, I always
wanted to make money and also
grow the family business. At 13 years, I
begun programming computers, and
fell in love with it. After my High
School and then university, I started
building financial software for a busi-
ness in Kampala and that is how I got
into business and I have never looked
back since then.
What has the experience been like
so far?
It has been tough. It has not been
roses all the way, but there is also a
brighter and fun side. I have met the
President, made money, travelled to
Nigeria, met many industry giants, got
invited for Google IO 2014 confer-
ence in San Francisco but was not
able to go because I could not afford
it. There have been times I made
money, then also lost money, doubled
my investment and then almost lose
everything.
However, persistence and resilience is
what keeps me going and the hope
that tomorrow will be brighter. The
MEET THE
ENTREPRENEUR
A
mon Nyesigye
is a 2015 Alumni of the Tony Elumelu Foundation
Entrepreneurship Programme. He runs Amonsoft Corporation, a soft-
ware and technology development company. He is based in Kampala,
Uganda. In this interview with LKM, he speaks about his business, experiences and
aspirations as a young African entrepreneur.
but it is not right. Start small and grow
and never look back.
How did you raise capital?
I had to do some work for some
friends who had started earlier and
earn money which served as my seed
capital. Also, I always got financial
support from my parents when things
went south. But most importantly, I
started developing my human capital
(which is 90% of my business) from the
age of 10 years with my involvement
in the family business and learning to
write programs. The biggest financial
support for my business has come from
the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) in
2015. I am very grateful to them.
Do you have mentors and how have
they impacted on your business?
I have mentors. My parents have been
great mentors. Also Tony O. Elumelu
and a few others. My parents really
inspire me both in their failures and
successes which I have learnt from.
Elumelu, from my acceptance into
the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship
Programme (TEEP), I have followed
him closely, all his work, talk and
advice and that has guided me. He is
my inspiration because he has made
best experience is knowing that your
business can die or grow to become
really, really big and the knowledge
that you are the driving factor in what
eventually happens.
When is the best time for someone to
start a business?
There is no best time. It is the right time
when you feel it is the time to start.
Most times, people wait for difficult
periods in their life to get into business,
Amon Nyesigye, CEO, Amonsoft Corporation
