Transforming screen time into growth time – IT-Online
In a world of endless scrolling and dwindling attention spans, a young South African entrepreneur offers a compelling alternative. Twenty-year-old Muako Maepa has created IQ, a novel take on quiz gaming that turns the habit of quick digital bites into something purposeful, where every tap strengthens the mind instead of dulling it.
“I see a world increasingly overwhelmed by content that adds noise rather than meaning,” Maepa explains. “Most platforms are designed to keep us scrolling, capturing our attention instead of cultivating it. IQ is my response to that—using those tiny daily moments to build something more fulfilling and energising.”
IQ is a progressive Web app (PWA) that blends the immediacy of mobile games with the depth of curated knowledge. Players from anywhere can join in brief, thought-provoking trivia rounds—spanning science, history, pop culture, and entrepreneurship—earning points that feed into monthly, quarterly, and annual leaderboards.
The rollout will also leverage mobile networks as a gaming platform, beginning with Telkom. Telkom Plus subscribers will not only play IQ but also unlock real-world rewards, including vouchers, event tickets, and premium prizes like iPhones or travel experiences.
Yet at its core, IQ is about growth more than gaming.
“Today, attention is effectively currency,” Maepa notes. “I wanted to create something that gives back rather than exploits our engagement—something that sharpens people, broadens their knowledge, and boosts confidence in what they know.”
Maepa’s approach is purpose-driven, not profit-driven.
As founder of the IlluMMination Foundation, he has long explored how creativity, education, and entrepreneurship intersect to empower young people. IQ extends that philosophy into the digital space, turning curiosity into capability.
“The world doesn’t need another app to pass the time,” he says. “It needs tools that make our time count.”
Rooted in his hometown of Johannesburg, IQ carries a distinctly African perspective on technology—accessible, community-oriented, and built to include rather than exclude. Launching as a Progressive Web App means IQ works anywhere, on any device, with minimal data and no downloads.
“Accessibility is the real innovation,” Maepa asserts. “If you want to change how people engage with information, you must meet them where they are, in a format that feels effortless and familiar.”
Visually, IQ embraces a nostalgic retro-arcade vibe that recalls the joy of classic gaming, while pairing that look with fast, modern functionality. Quizzes refresh automatically, scores update in real time, and new themed packs arrive each month.
Beneath the colorful motion lies a deeper purpose: a digital experience designed not to consume attention, but to cultivate it.
Since its launch, IQ has drawn interest from players and educators alike, emerging as a homegrown example of how African entrepreneurs are reshaping the global conversation about technology for good.
As the platform grows, Maepa hopes IQ will become both a symbol and a catalyst—a reminder that South Africa’s next generation of innovators isn’t waiting for change but coding it into existence. And this is the part some people miss: the belief that local ideas can have a global impact, when given the right tools and support.
