I make software for a living, with a focus on user experience design and financial technology. I've built products operating in over six countries and used daily by people all over the world.
Paystack - Head of Design
I founded Paystack in 2015 with Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi.
At first it was a contract to redesign and build Checkout, a web app for accepting payments in the browser. I later joined them in San Francisco for YC and ended up working together for almost a decade.
As Head of Design, I built and led a 20-person design organization spanning brand, product, editorial and operations. We created the company's visual identity, designed key products like Checkout and Terminal, and established design systems and processes that scaled with our rapid growth.
Paystack is by far one of most important experiences of my life. The company values are a model for my personal life, the people are kind but critical, the work is meaningful and I was constantly learning.
In 2020, the company was acquired by Stripe.
Helloworld - Cofounder
In 2014, Timi Ajiboye and I started working together as Helloworld. We made digital products for clients and small experiments of our own.
Helloworld was also a collective. On larger projects, we enlisted friends like Onyekachi Mbaike, Lolu Bodunwa, Segun Famisa and Efe Money.
We're now focused on our own ideas, starting with Fable, an app that transforms any document into a podcast.
Delivery Science - Design Engineer
In early 2014, I joined Lanre Oyedotun at Chronos as a web designer. Months later, he teamed up with Chuka Ofili and Ezra Olubi to start Delivery Science.
At DS, we were encouraged to learn everything. Version control. Backend Development. Microservices. Monitoring. Everything.
We were often working on multiple projects at a time and there was always room to pick up something new. This was very formative for me, and I got a well-rounded education in software development.
Ezra and I left for Paystack at the end of 2015. A few other friends at DS - Seike Ibojo, Loknan Nanyak and Shope Johnson - also joined us.
The company was later renamed to Field Insight.
Devcenter - Cofounder
In 2013, I created a database of Nigerian designers called Curation. It didn't go far, but I connected with Akin Falomo as a result. A few months later, we signed up Seun Awoyele and Kolawole Balogun to start Devcenter.
At first it was a website for sharing side projects but slowly it evolved into a community. I worked on the Devcenter brand and product for about two years. I also founded its open source arm Devcenter Square.
Under Akin's direction, Devcenter is now a community of 20,000+ software developers, designers and technology professionals. The product is now a developer support service called Gigson.
Backstory
- 2009 I picked up graphic design as a hobby in my first year of uni. My friends referred me for a job, and for the next three years I made posters, pamphlets and other print items for student organisations.
- 2012 I started learning web design during an internship. I subsequently worked for a few months with Chris Ogunlowo (Kwirkly) where I got exposed to advertising and copywriting.
- 2012 Through Kwirkly, I got a consulting gig with Mamuzo Emielu (Webxpress) making websites for businesses. This also lasted for a few months and I got much better at web design.
- 2013 I also worked with Dika Oha (Cart NG). My role was to design and customise Wordpress themes for eCommerce. Here, I learnt a lot about CSS, PHP and product management.