Developing entrepreneurial IT in Brunei

ENTREPRENEURS in Brunei face an extremely hard time getting their businesses off the ground. Indeed, that's why the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) established the iCentre small- to medium-sized enterprise (SME) incubation programme.

Expansys Technologies, one of the "incubatees" at the centre, however, has shattered the mould and broken into the global market through its YouGotSnapped Facebook application.

For Keeran Janin, managing director and founder of Expansys, the breakthrough comes as a result of entrepreneurial drive, a natural flair in the field of success, a touch of luck/fate, some parental support and a lot of hard work.

Although he launched Expansys Technologies in 2005, his passion for computers began at an early age, and somewhat by accident.

"I've always been into computers since primary school. I was quite young and I remember begging my parents for something like a Super Nintendo for my birthday," reminisces Keeran, now 27.

"Come my birthday, when I opened the box thinking that's what it was going to be, mum had actually bought me a PC."

Even today, Keeran is still unsure whether it was by mistake or on purpose, but the PC became the focus of his attention in his free time.

"I knew that I was going to be stuck with it for a couple of years back then, and since there were no games for it, I decided to make my own stuff," he says.

Keeran's passion for computers began to manifest itself on a continuous basis, but with backing from his parents. Describing their support, Keeran is grateful they recognised that his interest was more than just a passing fad. "I think when they could see I was really interested, even though it wasn't obvious that it would bare any good results, they wanted to see where it went," he said.

"I was quite lucky," admits Keeran, "when I started with computers, they weren't what they are today, and Brunei got the Internet quite fast, and early."

With his father working at UBD at the time, young Keeran was able to witness the growth of the Internet from just a few million people around the world to the global phenomenon it is today.

"Even from a young age, I realised the Internet and computers were going to be a big thing and that's what got me hooked," he says.

The tinkering paid off. Keeran won an award at the Creative, Innovative Product and Technology Advancement (Cipta) in 2005, which became the platform for him to begin Expansys Technologies with the prizemoney he had won.

It also allowed Keeran to turn a life-long ambition into reality. Returning to Brunei after studying in UK, Keeran landed a job in telecommunications. "When I got back, I fell into a job in telecommunications, and 3G had just happened (launched) in Brunei," he recalls.

The job Keeran talks about was with B-Mobile, the country's first and back then, the only 3G telecommunications operator.

The job allowed Keeran gain a deep understanding of mobile content. "After that I was able to apply my network of contacts and what I had learned to Expansys. the company that I had started," says Keeran.

"Since then I've continued on the jobs that I've done, and after (each job) looked at what the market wants and decided, 'Right, that's what I want to do,' and that's where we find ourselves today," he said.

Leaving his job with B-Mobile to kick off his company was something Keeran always wanted to do, and while today he looks back with a considerable measure of success, he emphasises that it wasn't a very easy thing to embark on.

"There were times when you think, 'Am I really cut out for this? Shall I quit and just go back to something safe?"' he recalls. "But because it was something that I always wanted to do, the passion was always there, and sometimes that's all you really need.

"It's nice to earn a bit of money though, because passion doesn't really put food on the table," he laughs.

"We've got the potential to do a lot more, but then everyone has the potential to do things," says Keeran.

At the iCentre, Keeran now finds himself amongst other like-minded individuals and companies who have taken to task realising their potential.

"You can see how some of the companies here are," says Keeran, who believes they have embraced a collective thinking along the lines, "Let's stop talking about our potential, and get down to business."

"There are a lot of industries in Brunei, not just IT, that talk about how great our potential is, but not many people are out there right now doing it," he points out.

There is one downside for Keeran, and that is the eventuality that Keeran and Expansys will step out of the iCentre, and carry on their success outside the incubation programme.

"I really like working with these people, and it is actually quite a shame that in February our incubation period ends with the iCentre and Expansys becomes a graduate.

"I'm hoping that after that there is still some kind of tether that brings us back."

Keeran's long-term goal for Expansys is more than just being financially successful or becoming a market leader in his field. "In the last couple of years when I've been hiring Bruneians graduating from ITB and UBD, it's not the potential you always see in the papers which are churned out, but a lot of their technical ability they're better than I am.

"The difference is that I've been able to get out of Brunei and I have this 'Can do!' attitude, while a lot of people in Brunei are more 'No, we can't!'.

"They say, 'That's America... That's Singapore... That's China... We're Brunei!' I don't see why 'We're Brunei' is something we should be ashamed of or something that would hold us back," Keeran argues.

"It's a great thing because we're in a place where a company, and people like me, can bid for some of the national-scale projects. Where else in the world can you do that?"

Keeran would like to see Expansys grow to the point where it can sustain hiring locals.

"Unfortunately, when they come out of university they're accustomed to local jobs the government jobs and the easy way of life, and not many people want to take that risk (of being in a private company).

"What we've done and a lot of the companies at the iCentre is doing, is that we've taken that risk we're working hard to be successful so that people coming out realise that there is another option," says Keeran.

He wants other Bruneians, fresh graduates or those who have ambitions to enter the private sector to say, "I can actually do this."

With less than half a year before Keeran and his team at Expansys move out of the iCentre, the time spent there should ensure they are equipped to start their next chapter in business.

While their ambitions maybe lofty, they are praiseworthy and hopefully the catalyst for an even bigger expansion to Brunei's growing IT industry.

The Brunei Times