The last film I watched was James Gunn’s Superman at EbonyLife Place. After deciding to see it, I simply opened my phone’s browser and purchased a ticket online. The process was seamless and straightforward-an experience vastly different from the cumbersome ticket-buying methods of twenty years ago.
Most people don’t pause to consider the intricate system behind such effortless transactions, much like how we rarely think about how electricity powers a light switch. Yet, this smooth experience is the result of a complex infrastructure that remains invisible to the average user.
In this installment of Day 1-1000, I had a conversation with Kolade Adewoye, the visionary behind Fusion Intelligence, the company that sustains the cinema ecosystem across Nigeria and West Africa.
Here is the journey of Fusion Intelligence, as shared with TechCabal.
Before Fusion: The Filmhouse Chapter
My journey began at Filmhouse Cinemas in 2018, where I was eager to take on any available work. I was involved with their primary operating system, Vista. One day, I noticed an invoice for the software amounting to $80,000 annually. Considering the exchange rate at the time, that was a significant sum. I remember thinking, “If I could just gather a small team, we could manage this ourselves.” It was an ambitious thought, but it sparked something.
It dawned on me that this was a hidden market. Unlike a restaurant openly displaying its POS system, no one ever inquires about the software running cinemas. Despite its size, the industry is almost entirely controlled by foreign firms because the software is deemed mission-critical.
The defining moment of my tenure was during the 2019 premiere of Avengers: Endgame. The website crashed under the weight of transactions. Customers paid ₦20,000 but received error messages instead of tickets. I was the sole support person on-site.
For three consecutive days, I stayed at the cinema, sleeping there, dedicating myself to assisting staff by verifying successful transactions so they could issue physical tickets. This crisis cemented my reputation as the dependable problem-solver. Some even speculated I was related to the managing director.
This experience built the trust and social capital I needed. When I eventually left to launch Fusion Intelligence, cinema managers welcomed me warmly, recalling the crisis and recognizing my deep understanding of the business. This trust secured our initial contracts.
The Beginning: A Night of Resolve
My official “day one” was more of a late-night conversation on WhatsApp with five other disheartened and financially strained colleagues. After leaving Filmhouse, I joined a struggling startup where I wasn’t paid, yet still generated revenue that went toward settling the company’s debts. I was frustrated, demoralized, and facing pressure from my family for being unemployed.
I announced my intention to start my own venture. Surprisingly, everyone wanted to join me. I was upfront: “I have no funds and can’t pay you.” They replied, “We haven’t been paid for months either. Anywhere is better than here with a CEO we don’t trust.”
That was the spark. It was 2022-no capital, no brand, just a conviction that things couldn’t deteriorate further. Our immediate goal was to secure any contract to get started.
Securing the First Deal
That very night, I reached out to everyone in my network. Thanks to my reputation as a reliable fixer, people listened. If they didn’t respond, I followed up persistently.
It paid off. I landed a contract to develop a website for Imperial Cinemas in Osogbo, worth ₦800,000. After months of inactivity, this felt like a windfall. We each took ₦50,000 as our first earnings.
We named the company Fusion Intelligence-a name I had admired for some time. This venture wasn’t driven by passion initially; it was about survival. I had ideas that could work, but first, we needed cash flow to bring them to life.
The Early Setback: A Costly Lesson
Within our first year, we secured a major app development contract with a leading Nigerian bank. While this was a significant achievement for a young company, it also became our biggest misstep. The project was highly complex, unlike anything previously attempted in Nigeria, and we underestimated the challenge.
Motivational advice often encourages saying “yes” and figuring things out later. We embraced this, promising delivery within six months. Yet, a year later, we hadn’t even launched a basic version. The delay was so severe that a bank representative called me out, dismissing my efforts as amateurish and regretting their trust. It was a harsh and painful experience.
This ordeal taught me a tough lesson about the gap between ambition and execution. We had to keep moving forward, step by step. The project eventually launched, riddled with bugs, and was considered a failure. The sting of that failure lingers.
Shifting Focus: From Projects to Products
Although we earned well that year, I disliked the dependency on a single client. Missing milestones meant delayed payments, creating constant financial instability.
After reading Subscribed, I became fascinated with the concept of recurring revenue. Giants like Microsoft and Oracle thrive on monthly subscriptions. Given Nigeria’s economic unpredictability, I craved a steady income stream to ensure survival regardless of external conditions.
We pivoted our strategy: using agency earnings to develop proprietary software products that businesses would license monthly. Since I was intimately familiar with the cinema sector, that became our initial focus.
Day 500: The Most Challenging Week
We faced the toughest week in our company’s history, when it seemed everything we had built was on the verge of collapse.
It began with our movie decryption software, Convoy, malfunctioning during a screening at Cafe One. The film abruptly stopped playing after months of development-a humiliating setback.
That same week, I had to make the difficult decision to part ways with a key team member due to underperformance, which was emotionally draining.
Additionally, a potential investor declined to back us, compounding the pressure.
To make matters worse, another client’s app crashed because of faulty code deployment, and we lost a separate client entirely.
My commitment to clients is intense; their problems become my sleepless nights. That week, I nearly broke down, even considering refunding a client’s deposit just to preserve the relationship. I remember stepping aside to shed tears of frustration.
Yet, my team’s dedication shone through. They came in on a Saturday to troubleshoot Convoy. We identified the issue, fixed it, and implemented new protocols, such as mandatory test screenings a week before events, to prevent future failures. We endured by taking one step at a time.
Day 1000: Expansion and Market Leadership
We emerged stronger and are now focused on dominating the market.
Fusion Intelligence has evolved beyond an agency. Our software now powers over 55% of cinemas across West Africa. We also support restaurants like Cafe One, Kinglace Creamery, and Panarottis, and developed the logistics platform for ABC Transport.
My vision is total market control-not through exploitative monopolies, but by delivering unparalleled value that makes switching providers unthinkable. This steady revenue stream safeguards my team and our future. After consolidating West Africa, our sights are set on the entire continent.
The next phase involves scaling and distribution. We aspire to become the African equivalent of Oracle or Microsoft, underpinning business operations continent-wide, all built from our home base.
Reflecting on this journey, if I could advise my younger self, I’d say, “Don’t do it. Get a stable bank job.” It’s been incredibly tough. But knowing myself, I wouldn’t have listened-and we’d still be here, building something I hope will endure.
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