What a difference six months makes when young talent is properly nurtured and supported.
Proof of this is the brand new AmaLotto app from Durban-based app development studio immedia; the latest creation of a fresh new, all-girl team. Even more impressive is that Nirissa Govender (Designer) and Siveshnee Moonsamy (iOS Developer) are both under the age of 26 and began training on app development a mere 6-months ago.
Govender says ‘girl power’ is a must in every industry and in the case of the AmaLotto app has led to a unique final product. “AmaLotto is slick, glossy and stylish and goes beyond user expectations which stems from us focusing on the heart of every good app – personality. We achieved this by focusing on how to deliver the goods i.e. functionality but in a stylish, fun manner,” she explains.
In terms of ‘where to from here?’, Moonsamy says there are a few things that the team would love to add to the app, in terms of functionality. “We are young women, with fresh ideas in an ever changing industry and we’re dedicated to producing super-awesome apps that we and the rest of the immedia team can be proud of. AmaLotto is definitely the first of many!”
Looking at the bigger picture immedia CEO Anice Hassim says what is most exciting, is that the development of the multidisciplinary talent associated with bringing these kinds of apps to life, means immedia can imbue all the work it does with a dynamic set of African values and sensibilities.
“We have invested heavily in our own training programmes, a move which is now yielding spectacular results. This is because we realise that App development is a highly-creative industry and that any budding talent pool needs their own ‘playpen’ to allow their skills to grow”.
‘The post-PC world is driven by talent who are now no longer so dependent on the suits. Today is more about talent management than running a business. You have to address and engage your talent in full by offering them a balance of money, culture and meaningful contributions to society.”
This new philosophy is new but will very soon become the norm and now it seems that the ‘sistas down south’ are blazing a trail with their very own ‘quiet revolution at Silicon Beach’!