David's entrepreneurial journey has been marked by a strong passion for building and creating. Before establishing Edify, he played significant roles in two startups: a renewable energy startup where he served as a minority co-founder and a workflow automation startup where he held the position of CEO. These experiences allowed him to develop valuable skills and shaped his determination as a builder.
The idea for Edify, an application for streaming Christian sermons, originated in 2018 when David observed the struggle Christians faced in maintaining consistency in their devotional practices. Drawing inspiration from successful Bible applications like the YouVersion app, which employed gamification features to encourage consistent Bible study, David decided to address this challenge by creating Edify.
From a young age, David's upbringing in a business-oriented family, with his father being a businessman, instilled in him a fascination with building and creating. This fascination naturally led him to pursue entrepreneurship in software engineering.
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In 2017, David embarked on a new venture as a minority co-founder of Photizo, a renewable energy startup. This experience lasted for about two years and allowed him to refine his skills. Subsequently, in 2020, he founded Quabbly, a workflow automation startup that offered a no-code platform to help small businesses streamline their processes. Running Quabbly proved to be an intriguing journey for David, as it marked his first full-time leadership role. After nine months of dedicated effort, David and his team successfully raised approximately $250k in pre-seed venture capital from investors in Nigeria and Silicon Valley.
The journey of building Quabbly provided David with valuable lessons that are integral to his current business. After two years, he voluntarily stepped down from his position as CEO due to burnout and minor health concerns.
Fast forward to 2022, David began making plans to make Edify a reality. The only hurdle he had to cross was a technical one; he had to research and learn how to build the product features. A couple of friends, one of whom is Faithful Ojebiyi, a software engineer, were also helpful in giving him technological advice. David emphasizes the importance of thorough research before entering the entrepreneurial field, recognizing that adequate information and knowledge are essential for success. “Do a lot of research before getting into the field. It's very important to get into a business with the requisite amount of information or knowledge.” He advises new founders.
Edify is still in its early stages as a minimum viable product, with long-term plans to become an on-demand audio streaming platform for Christian sermons and various Christian audio content. The goal is to create a community platform where Christians can foster consistency in their devotion while engaging with like-minded individuals worldwide. To overcome language barriers, AI tools such as transcription and translation will be utilized to provide access to preachers from different countries.
Currently, David is single-handedly building Edify but plans to expand his team to include professionals across product development, growth and marketing, research and design, and user experience. One of his favourite quotes is by Stephen Schwarzman, which says, “If you're a 10, God bless you, you'd be widely successful. If you attract "10s" as a leader, they'll always make it rain if you need rain. They have the ability to sense problems, design solutions, and do new things.” So he is intentional about assembling a passionate and excellence-driven team, recognizing that the team plays a crucial role in the success of any business. “Take your time to gather the best team, because your team will either make or break whatever business you're building.” He advises.
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Throughout his journey, David has benefited from the guidance of mentors who have directly and indirectly shaped his mindset. Influential figures such as Dr. Myles Munroe and Bishop Oyedepo have played pivotal roles in his personal and professional development.
He learned from one of his mentors that “there are two ways to learn: mentors and mistakes, and you have to choose one of them.” He believes that mentorship plays a vital role in one’s personal and career growth process. “Mentorship helps you accelerate your career and eliminate mistakes.” He recommends that every new founder read The Dip by Seth Godin for a clearer understanding of the entrepreneurial journey.
David's drive stems from his desire to positively impact millions of people's lives and build businesses that make a difference. He recognizes the critical role entrepreneurs play in driving growth in Nigeria and Africa, particularly in sectors such as energy, agriculture, and finance.
With an optimistic outlook on life, David is confident that he is on the right path as a founder. He applies the principles learned from his mentors and resonates with Sam Altman's quote: "Figure out the mission, then learn any skills you need to succeed at it." While still in the early stages of his entrepreneurial journey, David eagerly anticipates what the future holds for him.