AI is creating exciting new jobs in fields such as natural language processing, computer vision, and machine learning. Startups like TechPow are at the forefront of these innovations that are transforming the way we work.
Hello, my name is Rahmot Afolabi, I am a product manager and currently co-founder and CEO of TechPow, an AI-powered chatbot that makes acquiring digital skills as simple as chatting with a friend.
What I Do
Otis S. Johnson’s quote, “If you believe in a cause, be willing to stand up for that cause with a million people or alone”, perfectly summarizes the spirit of TechPow.
As a former computer science teacher in a rural community, I witnessed firsthand the lack of digital skills among people of all ages. When I asked my students why they were there, 95% of them said they were solely focused on passing the JAMB exam. Only 5% expressed interest in acquiring digital skills, mostly adults aged 35 and over. This observation deeply saddened me, as I know that in today’s world, having digital skills is essential for success.
My dedication to promoting digital literacy earned me the prestigious Diana Award in 2021. However, it wasn’t until 2024, after taking a career break, that I decided to take matters into my own hands and tackle this urgent problem. Although I explored several ideas, none seemed as feasible as I had hoped. Frustration built up until one day, lying on my bed, I asked myself: “Rahmot, what do you love to do?” The answer was clear: teaching. Then came the crucial question: “What change do you want to see in the world?” Without hesitation, I envisioned a world where everyone is digitally competent and prepared for the future of work.
It was following this realization that TechPow was born. Our main goal is both simple and ambitious: to empower individuals from all backgrounds to acquire essential digital skills, so they can thrive in the ever-evolving technological landscape. Through innovative solutions and a passion for teaching, TechPow strives to make digital literacy accessible to everyone, because in a world dominated by technology, no one should be left behind.
My Mission
At TechPow, our mission is crystal clear: to bridge the digital divide by making essential technological skills accessible and engaging for everyone. We believe that in an increasingly technology-driven world, no one should be left behind.
Here’s how we accomplish this mission:
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Personalized Learning: We leverage the power of AI to create personalized learning paths. TechPow understands your unique needs and goals, then tailors a program that matches your pace and learning style.
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Engaging Content: Gone are the days of dry lectures! TechPow makes learning fun and interactive. We use bite-sized lessons, gamification elements, and real-world scenarios to keep you motivated.
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Focus on Practical Skills: We go beyond theory. TechPow equips you with hands-on skills that you can immediately apply in your studies, career, and daily life.
Why is TechPow Important for the Future?
The world is undergoing a digital transformation. From communication to work, technology is fundamentally changing how we operate. Having strong digital skills is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity.
Here’s how TechPow helps you prepare for the future:
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Improved Employability: A strong set of digital skills makes you a more attractive candidate in the job market.
Better Productivity: Technological skills allow you to work smarter, not harder, by leveraging technology.
Lifelong Learning: TechPow provides you with the tools to continuously adapt and acquire new skills in an ever-changing digital landscape.
By making digital literacy accessible and appealing, TechPow empowers individuals and communities to reach their full potential in the digital age. Join us on this exciting journey and, together, let’s bridge the digital divide and pave the way for a brighter future for all!
Currently, creating my startup TechPow is my greatest achievement. I had wanted to do it for years, and I’m very proud to have taken the leap, even though I’m still in the early stages.
For the future, my goal is to make TechPow a well-known and trusted brand, particularly in Africa. I want to use the platform to enable more people to access technology, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds. Achieving this kind of impact would be incredibly rewarding.
Each stage of my life has taught me valuable lessons. I’m looking forward to continuing to learn and make a real difference through my work.
Being a Product Manager and Taking Advantage of AI.
Let’s suppose your best friend wants to celebrate her 16th birthday and entrusts you with the role of party organizer. This means you’re in charge of everything, from choosing the food to serve to ensuring there’s enough space for everyone to dance. A Product Manager is a bit like a party organizer but for a product or application rather than a party.
They’re the ones who determine what the product should do, who it’s for, and how to make it the best it can be. They work with many different people, like designers, engineers, and marketing specialists, to ensure everyone is on the same page and that the product is great.
Now let’s talk about how I use AI in my work as a Product Manager. AI is like a super intelligent assistant. It helps me gather and analyze data to understand what people expect from our product and what they need. For example, if we’re creating a new app, AI can help us determine which features to include based on what users are looking for. It also helps me predict our product’s future performance by examining trends and patterns in the data.
To sum up, I use it to perform time-consuming tasks such as data analysis and report generation, which allows me to focus on more strategic tasks.
A day with me
Being the CEO of TechPow is pretty cool, but it’s certainly not a walk in the park! It’s a bit like being the captain of a superhero team, except instead of capes and masks, we use the power of technology to create an extraordinary learning platform. Since we’re a lean startup, I wear many hats – CEO, CTO (Chief Technology Officer), CPO (Chief Product Officer), CMO (Chief Marketing Officer), and more! Here’s a glimpse of a typical day at TechPow:
Morning Mission Mode (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM):
Refueling and Team Meeting: The day starts with a quick energy boost (think water, not coffee – gotta stay alert!). Our COO, the super-organized operations genius, and I meet with our awesome Product Manager (who’s also our friendly Social Media Manager). We discuss upcoming projects, brainstorm new ideas, and make sure everything’s running smoothly.
Tech Talk Time: As the CTO, I dive into the technical side of things. This could be tweaking our homepage, fixing a bug, or researching the latest AI technologies to keep TechPow on the cutting edge.
Afternoon Action (1:00 PM – 4:00 PM):
Learning Lab: It’s time to change hats and become CPO! I might be sending emails to users to gather their feedback to ensure that the TechPow chatbot is fun, easy to understand, and truly effective in teaching these essential digital skills.
Marketing Mastermind: I’m putting on my CMO hat! I might be brainstorming interesting marketing ideas to make TechPow known to high school students like you. This could involve creating social media posts, designing eye-catching flyers, or even answering interview questions (that’s where you are now!)
Evening Wrap-Up (4:00 PM – 5:00 PM):
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: We end the day with another quick team meeting. It’s an opportunity to discuss challenges encountered, celebrate our victories (big or small!), and plan for the next day.
Being CEO of TechPow is very fun, but it’s also a big responsibility. There are days that pass in a whirlwind of activities, and others that require great focus. But one thing is certain: it’s never boring! Each day brings a new challenge and a new opportunity to make a difference by giving students the digital skills they need to thrive.
My Journey
My path to the world of technology wasn’t straight out of a textbook. It all started with a childish fascination for the cool hackers in movies, typing away in hoodies. After high school, my father enrolled me in a computer training institute, where I was able to acquire the basics of digital skills. It wasn’t the most glamorous start, but I devoured every lesson with appetite.
A few years later, I dived into front-end development, learning the building blocks of websites with HTML and CSS. To be honest, it seemed a bit mundane to me. I wanted a challenge, so I took a 180-degree turn towards back-end development, where I struggled with JavaScript. Let me tell you that learning JavaScript on my phone alone was no small feat! But perseverance is key, isn’t it?
My curiosity then led me into the world of the Internet of Things (IoT). I even led a team of teachers in building a weather station – pretty cool, right? Data science then caught my attention. After all, the term “data scientist” just sounded incredibly awesome.
Until 2021, when I was accepted into the Women Techsters fellowship program, which changed my life. During the orientation, each learning path facilitator opened my eyes to the vast possibilities that technology offers. That’s where I first came across product management. The description spoke to me on a whole different level. Suddenly, I was faced with a dilemma: data science or product management?
The universe, however, had other plans. Due to its immense popularity, data science was removed from the program options. It was a real blow! But sometimes, the best things in life happen unexpectedly. Product management became my default choice, and let me tell you, it has been an incredible adventure.
After completing my product management training, I was accepted into the Outreachy internship, a paid remote internship program that supports diversity in free and open-source software. Then, I became a Hub Coordinator for the Genius Hub, an initiative by Mindstream-ai and the Mayor of London’s Skills program aimed at equipping underrepresented Londoners with tech skills. Next, I worked in a fintech company as a product manager. So far, I’ve worked in several fields that are not limited to Edtech, Blockchain, AI, and so on.
High school students, here’s the thing: My journey wasn’t linear, and that’s perfectly okay. The beauty of technology is that there are endless paths to explore. Don’t be afraid to experiment, take risks, and challenge yourself.
Focus on GitHub
GitHub is a kind of virtual hub where people come together to work on software projects. It’s a platform where developers store and share their code, collaborate on projects, and keep track of changes made to the code over time.
As a product manager, learning to use GitHub can be extremely useful. By understanding how GitHub works, you can collaborate effectively with engineers and other team members, track project progress, and provide valuable insights and feedback.
One of the reasons GitHub is so useful to the community is its role in open source projects. Open source projects are software projects whose code is freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute. GitHub provides a platform for developers around the world to contribute to these projects, making them better and more accessible to everyone.
Additionally, GitHub helps create a sense of community among developers. It provides tools for communication, collaboration, and sharing knowledge and resources. Developers can learn from each other, share ideas, and work together to solve problems and develop innovative solutions.
Overall, GitHub plays a crucial role in the software development community by facilitating collaboration, encouraging innovation, and enabling developers to work more easily together on projects of all sizes and types. As a product manager, a basic understanding of GitHub can help you better support your team and contribute to the success of your projects.
The Techsters Fellowship
It is a one-year virtual program for young women aged 16 to 40 across Africa.
The program consists of two parts: the first six months are dedicated to in-depth learning of various technology fields. The last six months are focused on gaining hands-on experience through an internship. You will also receive mentoring throughout this period.
The Women Techsters Fellowship program is highly competitive, but if you’re a motivated woman passionate about technology, it’s really worth applying. This program can be a game-changer, providing you with the skills and support you need to launch a successful career or business in the exciting world of technology.
Women in Tech
That being said, I’m encouraged by the increased awareness and discussion around these issues in recent years. It seems there’s a growing recognition, at least in some organizations, that we need to double down on fostering more inclusive and equitable workplaces. Initiatives such as mentorship programs, unconscious bias training, and efforts to amplify women’s voices are starting to translate this awareness into positive changes.
However, there’s still a long way to go. We need to continue pushing to dismantle these deeply ingrained biases and create work environments where people of all genders can truly thrive. It’s an important issue that’s close to my heart, and I hope we’ll continue to see significant progress in the years to come.
Volunteering and Balance
During my free time, I am very involved in volunteering. I really enjoy helping people and having a positive impact on my community. I have volunteered for organizations such as Girlz,FTW, where I was part of the leadership team. I have also worked with the WHO Global Health Workforce Network, helping to organize their annual youth conference. Finally, I have collected and analyzed data for the Sickle Cell Advocacy and Management initiative (concerning sickle cell disease).
Beyond that, I love spending time with children. Playing with them and seeing their joy is so rewarding for me. It’s an excellent way for me to recharge and give back.
I also enjoy mentoring beginner product managers, sharing my experience and advice. I occasionally speak at events or lead training sessions – for me, it’s an excellent way to share my knowledge and connect with others.
Volunteering, community engagement, mentoring, and public speaking are all important passions for me. I find great satisfaction in using my time and skills to make the world a little better. It’s an integral part of who I am outside of work.
Volunteering has allowed me to gain valuable collaboration skills, particularly in working with colleagues remotely. This experience has directly translated into my work as a product manager, where I often have to coordinate dispersed teams to complete projects.
It’s quite easy for me. During work hours, I focus fully on my job. I don’t let myself get distracted by personal matters. But as soon as I leave the office or log off, I completely switch to my personal life. My family and hobbies are my priorities outside of work.
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Role Model Yes, my role model is Jane Egerton-Idehen. She is the CEO of NIGCOMSAT and I really admire her. Although she is married and has children, she continues to climb the corporate ladder. She is fearless and motivated, and I see her as my future self. |
Some Advice
Looking back on my career journey, there are a few key pieces of advice I would give to my younger self. First, I would emphasize the importance of getting a degree, regardless of the chosen field. A solid education opens doors and provides invaluable skills and opportunities. I missed out on quite a few things because I don’t have a degree.
Secondly, I would encourage my younger self to embrace the winding, exploratory nature of a career path. Moving from one technical role to another and from one career to another, which sometimes felt aimless to me, actually served me well when I eventually landed in product management. Each new experience, whether it perfectly aligned with my goals or not, made me more resourceful, adaptable, and open-minded.
Finally, I would advise my younger self to approach every opportunity to learn or acquire a new skill with enthusiasm and dedication. No knowledge is ever truly wasted – you can always find ways to apply skills in unexpected ways as your career evolves. Curiosity and a willingness to constantly learn have been one of the keys to my success.
The path isn’t always linear, but embracing unexpected turns, leaning into curiosity, and committing to lifelong learning pays off in the long run. Trust the process and always keep an open mind.
For anyone reading this, my final advice is this: In a world where you can be anything, never forget to be kind and human. Dream big and don’t be afraid to pursue your dreams, even if they seem impossible. Because you know what they say: everything seems impossible until it’s done. And I truly believe you can do it! I’m cheering you on every step of your journey.
Edited by Mazzarine D. Léa C. and Sylvana S.
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