Naledi3d Factory graduates from Business Incubation

Reason to celebrate! The Innovation Hub's Incubation Manager, Jill Sawers, congratulates Dave Lockwood, MD of the Naledi3d Factory, on the company's graduation from the Business. Projects Naledi3d has secured include: A rural hygiene simulation for communities in Uganda An HIV/AIDS awareness programme for Ethiopian teachers An employment awareness system, being piloted in Alexandra, near Johannesburg ESKOM (visualised 12 new power technologies for use in rural communities) Developing a virtual lathe and milling machine simulator with the Department of Labour and National Skills Fund Supporting potential bee-keepers amongst emergent farmers in Zimbabwe (Kellogg Foundation)

One of the first start-ups to join the Business Incubator at The Innovation Hub three years ago, the Naledi3d Factory (Pty) Ltd, recently met the exit criteria for companies moving out of incubation and graduated to become a fully-fledged Associate company of the Hub.

According to Dave Lockwood, MD of the Naledi3d Factory, significant value was derived from being part of the incubation programme at the Hub as a start-up company. "Networking through regular events and assistance with marketing to get our messages publicised really helped. So did the mentoring and sharing of ideas with an experienced business manager, as well as the credibility of being associated with established brands such as The Innovation Hub and Blue IQ," he said.

Dave started the company by joining the then pilot Business Incubator The Innovation Hub in November 2000. As a "pilot" tenant, Dave and his team assisted in defining the services required by start-up companies that enter incubation programmes, and in influencing the shape and form of the Business Incubator.

Within five days of joining the Business Incubator, Dave signed his first international contract with UNESCO. In just 40 months, the Nadedi3d Factory has grown from 3 to 7 people and, in addition to local projects, has secured 10 international contracts.

"Being at The Innovation Hub amongst other start-ups with whom we could share experiences, the highs as well as the lows, have helped us to better understand how to make our business work," says Dave. "At the Naledi3d Factory we focus on the development of visual learning content using virtual reality (VR), also called "interactive visual simulations".

VR allows the creation of content as well as context-rich, realistic and stimulating three-dimensional environments where individuals can develop new skills without risking damage, loss or injury. "Gone are the days when this technology was the exclusive reserve of "techies" with expensive head-mounted displays and tactile gloves. Today we are able to bring this powerful and practical communication medium to most modern desktop PC's and to any community", according to Dave.

He is convinced that in the African context, where most of their company's efforts to date have focused, VR can play a tremendous role to overcome poor literacy skills and language barriers that pose a significant challenge to learning. In fact, it is an area where VR comes into its own. The intensely visual showing as opposed to telling nature of VR overcomes learning barriers, giving it a distinct and powerful advantage over more traditional learning methods.

"We also focus on industrial simulations, where VR can play a large role in addressing industrial training and safety issues, demonstrating new technologies and town planning or landscaping concepts. We have just completed our first major industrial training project, having developed a virtual lath and milling machine simulator for the Department of Labour and the National Skills Fund," Dave explained.

A third area that the company is starting to address is the use of VR models for the commercial marketing of manufactured goods, which could range from industrial pumps and machinery to the marketing of domestic appliances.

"The Naledi3d Factory lives by its value system, which is also the advice Dave passes on to other start-ups, namely: "Don't start a company merely because you want to make money. Start it because you have a vision and want to achieve something bigger."

Congratulations to Naledi 3D Factory!

For further information contact Dave Lockwood at +27 12 349 0385.

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