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Get to Know James Norman, the Serial Innovator Behind Fast-and-Furious Customized Cars

| How Africa News

 

James Norman, the CEO and founder of Pilotly, sees himself as a tech industry serial creator. When he began selling video games and vehicle audio at an early age, he did not realize the size of his goal would be enormous. Later, he applied these business principles to his first e-commerce venture, MJH Sound, which he founded with a friend in 1995 when he was just 15 years old. James, who was already confident in his talents, believed that if he continued his education, he would be more prepared for his course.

To pursue a career in electrical engineering, he enrolled in Michigan University. Following graduation, he made the decision to combine his passion for designing automotive audio with his expertise in manufacturing specialized vehicles for the film industry. In this sense, one of his significant accomplishments was creating specialized vehicles for the Fast and Furious movie series in the early 2000s.

However, because the auto industry had been severely damaged, he also felt the financial quake’s full force when the world experienced the worldwide crisis in 2008, which meant he needed a new source of income. In response to the challenge of coming up with something remarkable, he created a video-streaming business to provide people with amusement in the midst of the economic crisis.

According to Stitcher, his first encounter with the video-streaming company gave him the confidence to launch Ubi Videos, a streaming video aggregator that provided users with a central location to discover intriguing content.

Raising money to invest in his new company was one of the obstacles James encountered, but he quickly discovered new ways to support it from a product planner who founded Dropbox. It inspired him to expand his company and put up a strong team to carry out his business plan. James experimented with Ubi Video for about six years.

Running the streaming platform presented its share of difficulties, but it also helped him soar to new heights. He used his years of company startup experience to address the issues society was facing. James’ time at the NewMe program, which helped people of color break into Silicon Valley in 2011, can be linked to the special niche he represents. He had a lot of options with this chance, including San Francisco Bay. He spent a lot of time at the Bay honing his software engineering abilities.

James started a non-profit organization after his military career was over to bring together black professionals and provide them advice on how to avoid common problems that business owners encounter. The Transparent Collective, established in California, specialized in assisting professionals raise money while also honing their financial and investment strategy skills.

Since then, the NGO has helped 40 firms establish their footing and raise more than $30 million to advance their businesses. James is presently working on Pilotly, a platform for consumer insights that he founded in 2014 and that has changed the game for companies looking to gain market insights about their customers.

| How Africa News

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