Here’s a Smart Way to Connect Entrepreneurs to Investors for Funding

“Julius I have finished reading “Destined to Triumph”. William Faulkner, an American writer in receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for literature said in his speech, “The young man or woman today has forgotten the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing because only that is worth writing about, worth the agony and the sweat.”

Might I also mention that he wrote long sentences and long paragraphs. And he wrote many best sellers and movies were made from his books. Obviously by the number of people who are attracted to your work, “Destined to Triumph”, you draw people to your story. By the way, I love that title “Destined to Triumph” and it so well fits your story and maybe most of the best stories written. But what I want to say is that I think your writing, while your graphs are long and your sentences sometimes are also long (like Faulkner) your writing is able to capture that elusive something, which I’m going to call the heart in conflict with itself. You allow people to see inside your heartfelt fears and dreams, and inner conflicts and it is refreshing.

Dostoevsky, one of my favorite writers, although hard to read, also is a master at presenting the “ambivalence” in the heart of men and women. I think that’s what makes him great. He touches on the human conflicts as much as any novelist.

In “Destined to Triumph” you present a real human person striving to accomplish and sometimes failing and sometime succeeding and always keeping on trying again, a situation that others can relate to. Anyway, I do think you have great potential as a writer and as someone who can express the joys and agonies of living in Uganda or the United States or the moon for that matter. Read Faulkner’s speech he gave when he accepted the award. Best wishes. Keep writing and keeping hoping. And, I also enjoyed learning more about your country from the things you write.”  — Roney Shirley Howard.

The feedback above from acclaimed American author Roney Shirley Howard on my manuscript, ”Destined to Triumph,” at HarperCollins’ writers’ platform, www.authonomy.com (Authonomy), was both motivating and validating. 

Roney highlighted my ability to capture deep, heartfelt conflicts and human experiences. She compared my writing style to that of literary greats like William Faulkner and Fyodor Dostoevsky, emphasizing my potential to engage readers through authentic storytelling.

The Kindred GUBCCo’s powerful feedback, along with the unique “shelf” feature on GUBCCo Digital Facility, underscores the value of GUBCCo’s community-based ranking system and its potential to support business initiators through mutual feedback. In my pursuit to enhance my manuscript “Destined To Triumph,” I sought reviews from some of Uganda’s most celebrated writers, including retired Justice of the Court of Uganda, Professor George W. Kanyeihamba, who has published more 30 credible books; and Mukotani Rugyendo, author of “Barbed Wire and Other Plays” (African Writers Series; 187).

After addressing their insights, Mukotani Rugyendo emphasized the importance of having multiple reviewers for a manuscript, recommending that I utilize a robust digital facility for writers, namely Authonomy, to refine my work in terms of content, grammar, and style. Upon uploading my manuscript to the Authonomy, I engaged with fellow writers, many of whom were acclaimed authors with their own manuscripts. This collaborative environment allowed me to read and critique their work in return for feedback on mine.

Comments and reviews from peers were instrumental in improving my manuscript’s visibility on the platform. A key feature of Authonomy was its shelf system, where writers could showcase up to five manuscripts they found compelling. The more frequently a manuscript appeared on others’ shelves, the higher ranked. When I first uploaded “Destined To Triumph,” it ranked around 8,000th. However, after five months of active engagement, my manuscript garnered 207 comments, many as encouraging as Roney’s. My ranking improved significantly, reaching 37th place.

Unfortunately, shortly after this milestone, I got a lucrative job as a researcher and computer systems administrator, which limited my time for further engagement on the site. As a result, my manuscript’s rank began to slip. Despite this, achieving a position in the top 100 on the site signified strong interest from publishing houses.

By the time my manuscript reached 37th place, I received several publishing offers, including one from CreateSpace, Amazon’s publishing service. I ultimately accepted their offer, and the book is now available for order on Amazon: [Destined To Triumph](https://www.amazon.com/Destined-Triumph-Mr-Julius-Babyetsiza/dp/1461035791).

In my research on the top book publishing companies of 2024, I found that PaperTrue ranks HarperCollins as second, just behind Penguin Random House. HarperCollins used to offer free publishing to the five top-ranked books at the end of each month. However, unfortunately, the platform Authonomy was eventually shut down due to misuse, including the creation of fictitious accounts to artificially inflate rankings.

In light of these experiences, GUBCCo’s Digital Facility stands as a testament to innovation, drawing from both the successes and pitfalls of Authonomy. The new model addresses previous issues by allowing only paid or subscribed accounts to showcase business initiatives on their shelves.

In this structure, non-subscribed accounts cannot promote their initiatives by showcasing those of others in their shelves. At GUBCCo, our Digital Facility allows subscribed business initiators to display up to five initiatives from other subscribers on their shelves. Increased visibility on others’ shelves boosts the rankings of these business initiatives.

At the end of each month, GUBCCo identifies the top five initiatives and supports them with up to 75% of their technical development financing needs, positioning GUBCCo as a co-founder. To qualify, the supported business must have saved at least 25% of its technical development costs through the SACCO Scheme.

Additionally, GUBCCo offers loans to entrepreneurs to further empower their business initiatives. Concluding, the feedback system and shelf feature within GUBCCo’s Digital Facility emphasize our commitment to connecting business initiators with fellow entrepreneurs and potential investors, creating essential pathways for business growth and funding.

As such, this is another proof of concept of GUBCCo production model, aside the MIT BootCamps’, which was discussed in the previous article that can be seen here: https://www.pearltimes.co.ug/dear-well-travelled-political-and-university-leaders-dont-ugandans-deserve-the-development-you-see-abroad/.

You can read more related articles Here and There.

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