At 22- year-old, Yousef Taleb wants to revolutionize the tablet segment in the world. Combining two cutting-edge technologies in a single device, this little genius gives us his story.
An innovative Moroccan company, which primary fieldwork is new technologies, is a rare occurrence. A novice Moroccan startup, Provok Developments, has succeeded in developing the tablet of the future. Yousef Taleb, the young boss of only 22 years, introduced to us the functional prototype of the Moroccan tablet. It is equipped with an overhead projector and a technology that allows it to turn any flat surface into a touch keyboard.
Since scarce options are offered to clients in this segment, Yousef Taleb wants to give them an alternative. Indeed, the market has only two types of tablets: Those with a 10-inch screen with the comfort of a large screen, and the smaller 7-inch for mobility.
"Mine, with its 50-inch projector solves this problem and provides comfort and mobility," said Youssef Taleb. The final product will be equipped with a Windows 8 operating system, a 6-inch screen, a Stylus for pointer and a remote control. "As for the rest, memory, processor and battery, we will allow the buyer to decide," said the young boss.
For this, he prepares for a fundraising through crowdfunding, in July. The goal is to raise 3 million dollars to enable the funding of the remaining development and production stages of the tablet. "We are already in discussions with two of the largest manufacturers of tablets in the world," says Yousef Taleb.
Instinct of a contractor
Despite his young age, Yousef is not new to entrepreneurship. At 16, his appetite for risk leads him to invest in the stock market, a sum of money borrowed from his father. Three years later, he made a profit that allowed him to buy a farm. This achievement nurtured his desire to succeed. He then decided to market a rather exotic product: a marking ecological soil. A solution that could be used, he said, for advertising but also for signage. "Unfortunately, it has never been done, there was no authorization of municipal services for the concept, which does not exist in Morocco," says the boss of Provok Developments.
Meanwhile, he obtained his high school diploma at the American School of Casablanca, and then joined the Al Akhawayn University to study management. Thereafter he started a Bachelor's degree at Regent University in London, but left it on stand-by to devote himself to his invention. "The idea of the tablet came to me last August when I was still a student in London," he tells us.
Believing firmly in his project, he decided to return to Morocco and started his own business. He devoted himself completely to it for six months. "I later figured out that I had to set up a team and make things happen". Advised by his father, accountant, he then started all alone in February Provok Developments. Other people have joined since, and he hopes to hire others to accelerate the development of the company. Yousef Taleb concludes: "We're currently considering other products, to ensure the sustainability of the start-up and also to strengthen Morocco's position on the international stage in the field of technological innovation."
This article initially appeared in Telquel magazine and was published in French.
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