Eager to redraw the world, Ivandro Ribeiro left Mozambique in 2004 and, after comings and goings, ended up drawing inspiration from his Cape Verdean origins and taking the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic, after a spell in Brazil. He then swapped continent for island life.
Ivandro represents the best of the Lusophone world. A Mozambican with Cape Verdean roots, he studied for 5 years in Brazil. Today, aged 38, he embodies the blend of all these references since, besides the many influences that characterise him, in 2008 he settled in Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, where he works for the company Bonako.
An expert at solving problems, Ivandro Ribeiro, an industrial designer, seeks them out, like any innovation professional, in order to develop solutions that fit any technological habitat and geography. “My work consists of identifying problems and seeking solutions, but I believe the obstacles found in the market are similar in a good part of African countries, such as the lack of a government or state committed to this sector, high taxes on acquiring test equipment, a shortage of skilled labour and other difficulties. However, I believe this is part of the process and makes us even more determined fighters,” Ivandro tells us. His eye for systems that need improving is so relevant that, throughout his career, he has taken part in creating several products in various innovation initiatives, such as Brazil's first amphibious jet ski or the first Cape Verdean games company, Bonako, “which became the first company to produce mobile apps dedicated exclusively to this line of products”.
In addition, with Bonako, Ivandro created the first Cape Verdean streaming app, Muska, and the first mobile TV app, as well as the first mobile games platform focused on the African market, which ended up taking him and his team to the renowned technology event Web Summit, for 4 years. “At the moment, I am working on creating a global map that includes digital replicas of buildings and people, so that they can be used in a metaverse that we are also developing. This metaverse will have various features and applications for different purposes,” the designer confides.
Although he is on the other side, the Atlantic side, Ivandro Ribeiro keeps his eye on what is happening on this side of the Indian Ocean. “I always have in mind how I can expand my products to Mozambique, thanks to the contacts and friends I still have there. I have been building bridges both for the development of new products and for the commercialisation of products already developed.”
Besides his current project, Muska, a platform with various tools to help artists make money from their work (music, video, events, merchandising, etc.), Ivandro Ribeiro aims to concentrate on the African market, reaching the Mozambican one in 2023. Although he does not yet have the payment methods focused on Mozambique and all the local artists on the platform, he maintains his focus on the African market.
Thus, just as in his creative process, Ivandro Ribeiro adapts his gaze to the environment in which he moves and looks for solutions that fit the needs of those he comes across. When he does not find them, he designs them.
