“As a Gen Z founder, I spent nights writing codes and also financed the project with one of my biggest cheques from freelancing when I could have just used it to enjoy life“
We’ve come across several questions raised out of curiosity with regards to Gen Z founders and how they navigate life.
Individuals born between 1997-2012 are seemingly in a race to catch up with millennials. When it comes to tech innovations and business strategy executions, there is the need to level up to the standards of the industrial age.
Is age really just a number? Keep scrolling to find out in our Gen Z special edition.
It is no news that startups are springing up rapidly, to address loopholes in different sectors. The consistency in technological innovations sometimes championed by the Gen Z has often spurred excitement. Now, people ask questions like; What next will they come with? How do they move at such a pace? What is the secret?
Today, we took it upon ourselves to host an interesting Gen Z. Our guest will give us a glimpse into his life as a budding tech founder. In an interview with Oluwatimilehin Ogume, Co-founder of Trakka, we discussed the attributes of a Gen Z founder.
We also spoke about the recent trending sentiments. That is if there are too many fintech solution providers in Nigeria.
Our guest reviewed Trakka, his life as a founder, and took a deep dive into the story behind the journey so far.
An Insider Into The Corporate Life Of A Gen Z Founder
Here’s one thing to know about Gen Z, they are remarkably curious and open to learning.
Timilehin is a 19-year-old, 300 level student of Babcock University who has shown tenacity for greatness. He is currently the Founder of Finstaq Technologies Limited, and CEO of Trakka. Amongst other things, he is a Lead Developer at Babcock University Computer Club, and also an intern at GetEquity.
When we asked him about his experience being a Gen Z founder, he said ‘any successful story has a sacrifice. “I spend nights writing codes and also financed my tech project with one of my biggest cheques from freelancing when I could have just used it to enjoy life. I have also had to forfeit social activities so I can concentrate”.
While the concept of Gen Z working day and night on computers may seem foreign to the Nigerian older generation, Timilehin’s parents have grown accustomed to his busy lifestyle. He explained that his parents have been supportive of his career path ever since he chose it.
One unique feature of Timelehin’s team is that they are all Gen Z who have a thirst for knowledge. Young lads some might say, but these young lads are dangerously masterminding exquisite tech innovations and business strategies which is visible in Trakka.
In his words;
“ We had this thirst for knowledge and were inquisitive to know more about what we were building. Another thing that helped us was time management, we were able to multitask while working on the project and also managed our resources”.
Being a busy person is one thing but being the founder of a company is another thing entirely. This also applies to Gen Z. Maintaining relationships with friends and family while juggling work responsibilities can be quite daunting.
For such persons of highly placed positions, nothing rings truer than the saying:
“With great power comes great responsibility.”
However, the Gen Z founder said he hasn’t had any fallout with anyone as a result of his busy schedule. He further explained that being a founder before hitting the big 30 has made it easier for him to navigate life without needing to bother about family or kids. The fact that he has always been a busy person made it easier for him to cope with communication challenges.
Having worked for a while before starting the company, Timilehin understands that sacrifices need to be made to be a better person in the community and has mastered it.
Speaking about his intentions on Trakka’s purpose and progress, he explained that he envisions Trakka being an all-in-one digital solution for customers to make easier financial transactions. Trakka was built to help its users to manage multiple bank accounts, create a financial budget and also track their finances within the app.
Timilehin Ogume believes in setting realistic expectations that can be met with a steady input of efforts. He envisions a time when Trakka will have a mature ecosystem for its users and believes that Trakka’s unique solution will pave a foolproof path to its breakthrough in the Fintech industry.
Above all, Timilehin looks forward to living the life of his dreams within the next five years and he believes that the sky is the limit for Trakka’s co-founder and the rest of its team.
