UDOM graduates turn university project into tech firm

The company, iPF Software, was founded by Grayson Julius, Nelson Malekela and Jackson Twalipo, three graduates from the University of Dodoma (UDOM), who began developing software solutions while still students.

Over the years, the company expanded from working on university systems and small software contracts to becoming a technology firm with more than 35 ICT professionals involved in digital transformation projects across different sectors.

iPF Software developed financial technology solutions, enterprise systems and AI-based tools, positioning itself among local companies supporting automation and digital transformation.

However, before the company gained recognition through partnerships and awards, the founders had faced a difficult decision after graduation, whether to pursue employment or continue building a company they had started while at university.

For their parents, who had invested years supporting their education, graduation was expected to mark the beginning of stable careers and financial responsibility.

But Grayson, Nelson and Jackson had already decided to continue building iPF Software.

According to iPF Software’s Business Development Director and Co-founder, Grayson Julius, support from their parents played an important role in allowing them to pursue entrepreneurship despite the uncertainty involved.

“We organised a brunch for our parents and told them we would pay for it. From there, we explained that we did not need money or funding, we only needed their support,” Grayson said.

That support gave the founders confidence to continue developing a technology company at a time when opportunities for local software firms were still limited.

Their foundation was built at UDOM’s College of Informatics and Virtual Education (CIVE), where their interest in software development developed into practical solutions.

While still students, the three engineers worked together on different projects, helping individuals and organisations that required digital systems.

Their first major opportunity came when they participated in developing the University of Dodoma Student Registration system, commonly known as UDOM SR, which had previously been referred to as the Academic Registration Information System (ARIS).

The project became a turning point because it demonstrated that local engineers could develop systems that institutions often depended on external companies to create.

Mr Grayson said the opportunity came after a professor challenged them to consider how their skills could create value beyond academic work.

“There was a professor who told us that if people were paying a lot of money for software systems, why we couldn’t build them ourselves?” he said.

The university later formed a team of seven engineers, including the three founders, to work on the system while they were still second-year students.

“They put together a team of seven engineers. At that time, we were only in our second year, and that was the spark that made us realise we could actually build something,” Grayson said.

The experience changed their view of software development, turning it from a career path into a possible business opportunity.

By their third year, they had registered iPF Software as a business name in 2015 while continuing to work on projects at the university.

“We continued working on different projects at the university. We were earning some money, and it helped us. We were also among the best students in our class,” Grayson said.

Initially, the founders wanted to develop technology products rather than operate as a software service provider.

One of their early ideas was Africa Fashion, an application designed to connect fashion lovers with designers across Africa.

The idea gained attention and the start-up became a finalist in Pivot East, a regional start-up competition held in Nairobi.

However, the business struggled because the founders had limited knowledge of the market.

“At that time, we did not understand anything about fashion, and convincing someone to use a solution and pay for it was difficult,” Grayson said.

The experience showed them that technical skills alone were not enough to build a sustainable company.

They later joined Buni, a technology innovation hub that helped them understand business development, pitching and customer needs.

“Buni played a pivotal role in teaching us about business. I remember we were paired with Jumanne, who had started Buni, and that helped us understand how to build a business,” he said.

By 2015, the founders had reached a difficult stage. The company was still young, resources were limited and several organisations had offered them employment opportunities.

Some institutions, including UDOM, wanted to recruit them. However, the founders chose to remain together and continue developing iPF Software.

“The university wanted to hire us, but there were only two positions. We told them that if they needed us, they had to take all three of us because we knew what we were building,” Grayson said.

The decision pushed them to focus on making the company financially sustainable.

They began accepting software development projects from organisations looking for websites and digital systems.

Their first major project earned them Sh1.8 million.

“That was our beginning in providing services. We shared Sh300,000 each and kept the remaining money for internet costs,” Grayson said.

The income allowed them to move into a rented three-bedroom house that served as both their office and residence.

A major turning point came through a partnership with CARE International to develop CHOMOKA, a mobile application designed to support women and informal savings groups commonly known as VICOBA.

The platform provided financial tools that helped savings groups manage funds, access loans and improve economic opportunities.

“A pivotal moment occurred through the seven-year partnership with CARE International to build the CHOMOKA platform,” Grayson said.

Through the partnership, iPF gained exposure to international software engineering standards and enterprise-level development practices.

“After working with that team, we started doing real enterprise-grade software engineering. That experience helped us become pioneers of software engineering practices in Tanzania,” he said.

The company became among the early adopters of Agile, Scrum and DevOps methodologies in Tanzania.

Through CHOMOKA, IPF helped facilitate more than Sh6 billion in loans for women and recorded more than Sh13 billion in savings through the platform.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, iPF continued expanding.

By 2020, the company had grown to between 15 and 18 employees, supported by projects with organisations including the World Bank and CARE International.

Its growth was recognised in 2021 when the Tanzania ICT Commission awarded iPF Software the Best Software Development Company award.

“It was our first award, and I think after that the journey continued. Not making too much noise helped us grow steadily. Even when challenges came, we remained stable,” Grayson said.

The company later partnered with Sahara to conduct technology audits for 60 start-ups, helping businesses improve their digital systems.

According to Grayson, the initiative addressed challenges faced by start-ups that had received funding but lacked proper technology structures.

“There were start-ups that received funding and disappeared because there was no solution to assess their technology. This model helped address that challenge,” he said.

iPF later expanded its work with financial institutions, developing compliance systems and solutions such as the Real Time Supervisory Information System.

“Today, we are serving the queens and kings of the banking industry in the country,” Grayson said.

The company also shifted its focus towards helping African businesses transition from manual processes to intelligent enterprises powered by AI.

“We don’t think ‘Software Company’ is the narrative we want to keep for the next five years. We need to move towards transforming operations with enterprise AI,” Grayson said.

It introduced the AI Ladder, an assessment tool that helped businesses evaluate their digital readiness and identify steps required to adopt intelligent systems.

The company also prepared AI boot camps and masterclasses through iPF Academy to address the shortage of advanced technology skills in the region.

“We are providing AI solutions to improve workflows. We built a tool for companies to do their own assessment, which we call the AI Ladder,” he said.

iPF Software’s international recognition continued after the company was selected as an OpenAI Select Partner.

The milestone added to its partnerships with Google Cloud and Meta for WhatsApp solutions, as well as its ISO 27001 certification for information security.

From a university project developed by three students to a technology company contributing to Africa’s digital transformation, iPF Software’s growth reflected the expansion of Tanzania’s local technology sector and the increasing role of home-grown solutions in solving business challenges.