I started 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 joined them a few months later in San Francisco for YC and ended up working together for almost nine years.
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 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.
I now run the studio with Franklin Douglas and Samson Oyedija. We make websites and apps for artists and communities. We're also developing an internship program.
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
In 2013, I started a database of Nigerian designers called Curation. It didn’t go too far, but I connected with Akin Falomo as a result. A few months later, we founded Devcenter with Seun Awoyele and Kolawole Balogun.
At first the project 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 18,000+ software developers, designers and technology professionals. They also offer a developer support service called Gigson.
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.