From Realtor to Startup Founder
“I started my journey in tech for the money, but I found I could do much more with tech.” — Kehinde Daniel Odubunmi
As a young boy, I watched elderly people in my community struggle to manage errands and household chores as they aged, and thought there should be a service to help them. As I grew older, I realized that there was a growing demand for such services, among people of all ages. The idea for a business was born, but I never pursued it.
As a graduate of Urban and Regional Planning, I started my career in real estate immediately after finishing university. I however knew there was more and I began to rethink my life and where my future should lead.
My twin brother and best friend were working in tech at the time; I became curious about venturing into tech as well. This curiosity doubled when my best friend moved to the UK. I wanted a similar lifestyle, and I believed tech would give me that.
With the help of my friend, I began searching and trying out online classes. I was initially interested in learning just User interface (UI) and user experience (UX) but my friend urged me to explore a broader view of tech. To aid my research, he sent me a list of three potential schools, one of which was Semicolon. I researched all three and felt connected with the offerings of Semicolon. I knew I would need to sacrifice one year of my time to achieve my dreams, and I was ready to give it all. The flexible payment option the Learnspace loan presented and a community of other learners was all I needed to solidify my choice.
Little did I know that my forgotten dream of creating a solution for household chores was about to be reawakened. In my first two weeks in Semicolon, taking the problem-solving module of design thinking & critical thinking was all I needed to reignite the idea. I threw myself into the program and ensured I soaked in all I could. The knowledge that Semicolon also had a Ventures arm that could support my dream after my training encouraged me. After my ninth month in the program, while my classmates went for their internship, I moved into the Semicolon Ventures program and BoyBoy was birthed.
Just a few months in, BoyBoy is now a live platform! That little dream now connects artisans to users. With a growing user base, BoyBoy serves as the intermediary that bridges the gap between artisans and customers, providing timely, reliable and trustworthy services.
I started my journey in tech for the money, but I found I could do much more with tech. Today, I’m a founder of a tech startup, and I’m grateful for the platform Semicolon offered that has led me here.
