Mariam Adeyemi is breaking boundaries through her technology training platform; TechaVilly, and she is inspiring others while at it. She  is a passionate tech enthusiast  committed to unlocking potentials, transferring knowledge  and transforming lives through digitalization and tech training.

She is the Founder of TechaVilly, a tech platform aimed at empowering the black community through skills and knowledge transfer. She founded the company alongside her college friend, Omotoyosi Ogunbanwo who is also a tech enthusiast and currently works at Amazon USA.

Founded in 2020, Techavilly has trained over 10,000 black people from 2020 till date, helping them to fit into today’s dynamic job market. She rolled out the company’s very first training in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic. She chose that period to give back by sharing knowledge for free and giving people hope for a better life. Thousands of people were trained during the lockdown and some of them got good jobs after the training.

Mariam has worked in reputable companies like Nestle and managed globally recognized brands like Nescafe and Indomie Noodles. She moved to the United States of America in 2017 to improve her skills to remain relevant in the job market. She got her master’s degree in Business Analytics from Texas A&M University in Texas and was privileged to work in companies like Samsung Electronics America and other mid-sized companies in the United States.

Mariam is the first female EdTech (Educational Technology) founder to launch an educational communication app in Africa. She is committed to bridging parent-teacher communication while developing and transforming the child in the process. Her goal is to expand across African schools and integrate technology into the school curriculum. Discorz App is gradually expanding, and penetration is improving. It is currently available for download on Google Play and App Store. She shares her story in this interview.

 What does it take to be a digital media founder?

Being a founder means innovating something that solves a problem and we are glad TechaVilly is doing just that. Being a digital platform founder feels good because you can see the impact real time. It takes a lot of courage and consistency to be a digital platform founder.

You need to be disciplined and strategic because you don’t want to make any mistake with your offering especially when it’s digital. The digital space is a delicate platform as it can make or mar you. But the most important thing is to understand what you want to do, how you want to achieve it and to whom it is for.

There are billions of people on the internet, and you cannot target them all. That is why you need to niche out. Like I said, being in the digital space and making an impact needs a lot of commitments, tenacity and consistency.

How has your work at TechaVilly impacted your life?

 First of all, I am super proud of myself for the differentiation. I will say I am the first female EdTech Founder in Africa. There are other female founders but they are in FinTech.  It’s always fun to first you know?

My work at TechaVilly has changed my life tremendously. It made me realize how much people want to learn new things and be good at it. It’s more about other people than myself.

The testimonials show that we are doing a great job and I am grateful for the impact we are making. I appreciate my team for their relentless effort they put in every project we roll out.

Your programmes at techavilly are aimed at empowering people to gain more knowledge in tech and empower them with the basic skills they need. How much success have you recorded since you started out?

Before TechaVilly was founded, I was hosting my Tech courses on Udemy, an online course marketplace in the US where you can learn and host your courses for others to learn. I felt I could extend this skill acquisition to other people if I have a more flexible platform.

Then TechaVilly was born. I am excited that a couple of people got jobs both home and abroad after taking our courses. We’ve also helped so many others with study abroad programs. Data doesn’t lie. We mentor quite a number of Young Nigerians who need direction and guidance on the process.

We’ve been there before so we know what it takes. We only want to help them avoid some of the mistakes that we made.

In your opinion, do you think we need to create awareness about the tech sector?

Most definitely! We have digital power in Nigeria. According to Statistica, Nigeria has about 51.59% internet mobile penetration. As you can see, this is over 100 million mobile penetrations already.

So, you see, we have the bandwidth to create enough tech awareness if we really want to do it. This is the right time to let people know that tech is here to stay and how it has become a part of our day-to-day life. The Internet of things (IoT) is a proof.

 If not tech, what other dream would you have pursued?

It has always been Marketing & Advertising for me. So, if it’s not tech, it’s 100% Marketing.

Are there women in the tech sector you look up to for inspiration?

 Tope Omotolani of CrowdyVest, Adora Nwodo of Unstack and Solape Akinpelu of HarVest. Although they are all into Fintech. But I Iove their passion for what they do.

What drives Mariam?

Change drives me. I am passionate about seeing others improve. There is so much we can achieve if we are committed. It’s also important to put your footprints everywhere you walk pass, so you are remembered for the impact you made while you walked pass.

Where do you see Techavilly in 5 years?

I see a bigger Tech Academy in 5yrs, one-stop platform for Tech Training. If we get the necessary support and the right funding, we’ll definitely scale.

The good thing is that we are already expanding across Africa, Europe and North America but there is so much more we are bringing on board. Fingers crossed

Kindly share some tech nuggets with us

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. What is not done is not measured. You can only check your progress if you start in the first place.