SaaS · EdTech
Turning ILO methodology into scalable SaaS
Turning the world's most-used entrepreneurship methodology into SaaS
Designing BizFramer, a platform that digitizes the ILO SIYB entrepreneurship methodology so trainers can scale beyond the room they are standing in and trainees can keep momentum between sessions.
BizFramer is still evolving, but the strategy work already shows the builder and manager mindset the portfolio is meant to surface.
Challenge
The ILO Start and Improve Your Business program runs across more than 100 countries, but the experience is still shaped by paper workbooks and in-person facilitation. Trainers struggled to scale their reach, trainees lost momentum between sessions, and the methodology produced almost no visibility into quality or progression.
Context
ILO-certified SIYB trainers and their trainees across Africa who need a lower-friction digital layer around the existing training methodology.
Operating constraints
->Methodological fidelity was non-negotiable because credibility with the trainer network depended on it.
->The product scope had to stay aligned with an active partnership conversation with the Institute of Certified SIYB Trainers Kenya.
->Trainer digital literacy varied widely, so the product had to feel simpler than Excel rather than more capable than enterprise software.
->Pricing needed to work for emerging-market SaaS expectations, which changed scope and build-vs-buy decisions.
Strategic approach
Partnered with the trainer institute instead of going direct to trainees
Trainers were the trust gateway and distribution channel. That choice slowed go-to-market but increased institutional legitimacy and reach.
Scoped the MVP to the GYB module
Discovery interviews showed that idea validation was the highest-dropoff point. Focusing on one module created a sharper first problem and a clearer expansion path.
Made progression metrics part of the product, not an afterthought
The data model was designed to show trainers completion, revision, and quality signals because that visibility did not exist in the paper process.
My role
Acted as the sole product owner across discovery, strategy, and partnership development. Conducted 8 trainer interviews, shaped the product narrative for CMU-Africa incubation evaluation, and authored partnership protection documents for ICST engagement.
Results and impact
- *Completed the product strategy and partnership framework with the Institute of Certified SIYB Trainers Kenya.
- *Drafted and delivered mutual NDA and IP protection documents for the first formal technology partnership in ICST Kenya's history.
- *Rescoped the MVP from full-cycle digitization to the GYB module based on discovery evidence from 8 trainers.
- *Positioned BizFramer as the lead product narrative for a CMU-Africa incubation evaluation.
Reflection
The real challenge was not digitizing content. It was deciding what parts of the methodology were essential and what parts were just inherited paper-era format. Treating the methodology as a design constraint instead of a literal spec made the product more credible.