The journey of Hanson Nnadi (32) and Akinfemi Onadele (33), from secondary school roommates to co-founders of Homely, a platform for professionally managed stays and experiences, tells a story of partnership and its impact on success in the tech space.
How does a professional engineer collaborate with an accountant to form a startup that caters for hospitality? These two share their stories and inspiration to becoming tech founders with Technext in this series of Founders’ Spotlight.
Hanson obtained his first degree in Telecommunications Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana and a Master’s degree from the University of Salford in England. Femi is an accountant who obtained his undergraduate degree in Accounting and Financial Management from the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom.
Hanson likes to cook, enjoys trying new recipes, travelling and keeping fit with exercises. On the other hand, Femi loves watching movies, podcasting, and eating out with his wife.
“The interesting thing about our balance and match is that Femi brings things what I don’t have to the partnership, and I bring things he doesn’t have. We trust each other’s judgements, and this is how the partnership works” – Hanson Nnadi, CEO of Homely.
Was tech the initial plan?
The tech ecosystem in Africa has evolved with the rise of notable tech solutions and innovators that have significantly changed how people live and contribute to economic growth. These, in turn, attracted significant investments from across the globe. Consequently, the ecosystem has attracted all-comers with uneven interest and achievements.
So, how did these two men get into tech?
Femi’s qualifications as an accountant make him one of the most sought-after professionals in the world. According to Michael Page, accountants are amongst the world’s top ten most sought-after professions.
But Femi claims that accounting became a boring profession for him
The idea for the partnership
For both founders, the partnership idea started with an opportunity.
The first startup they came up with was Reevyse, a study platform. The COVID-19 pandemic caused outdoor activities to shut down worldwide, and work was being done remotely. Hanson and Femi decided to provide a platform that could allow individuals to learn online.
The idea was conceived after considering the shift that would occur worldwide during and after the pandemic.
However, Homely started as a home. It wasn’t supposed to be a company. It was a hobby that was later launched on the platform of opportunities that came afterwards.
Their major inspirations
It is not wrong to say that life circumstances inspire humans. For many tech founders, the chance to make an impact and to create solutions for problems facing humanity informed their decision to grow startups. Of course, that desire to achieve financial liberation is the bedrock for many people’s self-development that drives them to learn skills, work hard, and have sleepless nights to achieve results.
According to the Homely founders, their major inspirations for becoming tech founders come from wanting freedom, wanting to jump on opportunities, and feeling like taking up more challenges.
Life outside work
Do tech bros have a social life?
I believe this question many people often ponder about. Building products that create solutions to life problems should take complete dedication, a lot of programming and focus. Why should they play?
For Hanson, life is full of varieties, and exploring these varieties makes it all worthwhile. Apart from being an ardent reader, he enjoys art and exhibitions. Also, having a good time with the buzz and music isn’t a bad idea for relaxation sometimes. These outings play a major role in expanding his network and keeping his sanity.
Advice to fellow founders in the space
The tech industry is currently brimming with inventions, many of which are similar in the solutions they produce. However, continuous improvement is what sets the startups that fail from the ones that succeed.
On this note, Hanson advises that founders continually learn to be at the top of their game and always provide direction to the team they lead.
“Be always ten steps ahead, as your team is relying on you. Your team is not going to be as dedicated as you are. Another major thing is a forehand knowledge of other startups, it will prepare you to prepare for the many challenges you might not envisage at the beginning of your journey.”
