Aim Very High, Work Very Hard, and Care Very Deeply — Odunayo Eweniyi
#SCAIWD2022: An interview with the Co-founder and CEO of Piggyvest
We started the IWD series to celebrate and spotlight women in tech and encourage the women coming after them to go after their goals boldly and with all they’ve got. For our third episode, we had an interesting interview session with Odunayo Eweniyi, the co-founder and CEO of Piggyvest. We talked about her journey as a woman and founder in tech and the lessons she has picked up in her journey.
Odunayo Eweniyi is the Co-Founder and CEO of Piggyvest. Piggyvest helps millions of people to achieve their financial goals by helping them save and invest with ease.
“Please note that some parts of the interview have been paraphrased for readability’s sake and pleasantries have been skipped. “”
SCA: How did you get into tech?
Odunayo: I studied Computer Science at Covenant University and attended a job interview two weeks after graduating. It was in July 2013, the first time I met my co-founders. I was returning from the job interview and my co-founder looked out of his car window and called out to me. I went to meet him and I asked what they were doing. He replied that they were working on a startup and that I was welcome to join them. That’s how I started working in my first tech startup.
SCA: How would you describe the journey so far, from the job interview experience till now?
Odunayo: It’s been a good one; I would say it’s a learning curve. I was a fresh graduate who just got into tech and started to build. I learned a lot of things along the way. I have made mistakes and received support from people to continue nonetheless. People have supported me, and now, I’m doing the same for the next generation. It’s been fulfilling and rewarding.
SCA: We constantly hear about how women in tech are grossly underestimated and discriminated against. Do you have any experience of such an event?
Odunayo: I think that I haven’t faced blatant sexism; it’s not always all in my face. It’s majorly microaggressions that are directed towards you because you are a woman. In 2014, when we were running PushCV, someone had sent an invite to everyone running a HR startup except us. I took time to ponder on what could be the reason and how we were different from the rest.
It comes up in fundraisers too. People start to ask weird targeted events like, “What happens to the company when you get married?” I mean, absolutely nothing happens. The work will continue.
Such questions and experiences made me rethink whether I wanted to be here or not; they were demoralizing. I think the message here would be, “Don’t quit; continue regardless.”
SCA: What would you describe as the lowest point in your journey as a founder?
Odunayo: In December 2015, we had gotten caught in the trap of ill-planning and we were running low on cash. By mid-December, the company was down to the last nil, unsure of how to move forward. We had to lay off staff because we could not afford to keep them on board. That was the lowest point of my career, and we determined we were never going to be in that state again.
Two weeks later, we got the idea for PiggyVest. We focused on planning effectively to ensure that there was no repeat of the same mistake. It’s been seven years now, and so far, so good.
SCA: What values have you held on to during this journey?
Odunayo: I am grateful for my background and who my parents trained me to be. My dad’s words to me were, “Aim very high, work very hard, and care very deeply.”
So my ambitions are very naked; I’m a bold I-want-to-get-to-the-top person. And while doing all of these, I try to remain the same, maintain authenticity, and not deviate from the core of who I am. Before making any decision or judgement, I have to understand and have a full grasp of the situation.
I work very hard; I put in the work. However, while doing this, I care very much about the impact. How does what I’m working on end up being positive? It’s important that lives are being transformed by what I do.
“Aim very high, work very hard, and care very deeply.” I learned these from my dad, and hopefully, it shines through.
SCA: What is your IWD message?
Odunayo: The theme for this year is #BreakTheBias. There are many biases I could focus on, but what’s very precious to my heart is getting more venture capitalists and funding. So my IWD message is Give Women Capital.
“Odunayo: I think that women hear a lot of “Don’t quit” or “Speak up”. Women have been working and pushing, so perhaps, it’s time to speak to the other part of the table: Give Women Capital.”
Interview by Olamide 'Pearl' Makinde and Ekemini Okpongkpong
Catch up on our last interview episodes:
