Successful tech businesses are built on meaningful customer feedbacks, not guessworks ―Oguntayo

Olawale Oguntayo is the founder of Techrevolve and the Technical Product Manager at Crawlbase. In this interview with IFEDAYO OGUNYEMI, he spoke about how young people can unlock insights and make better decisions and the myths surrounding the journey into tech.

Having worked through fintech, data systems and product strategy, at what point did you realise technology could be a tool for youth empowerment rather than just a career path?

I realised it the day I connected how much my own growth came from people taking the time to teach me. An example is when I was Head of Card Operations at CredPal, my boss and (now) friend, Amala, taught me how to use mail merge. It sounds small now, but at the time, it completely changed the way I worked. I went from manually preparing hundreds of personalised customer letters to automating the entire process in minutes.

That moment stayed with me because it showed me how a single skill could multiply someone’s efficiency and confidence. I carried that lesson into every stage of my career. I’ve received opportunities, exposure and knowledge from people who believed in me, and I’ve always felt a responsibility to pay it forward.

So for me, tech moved from being a career path to becoming a tool for empowerment the moment I realised how much one guided learning experience could transform someone’s trajectory. It happened to me, and now I try to create the same openings for others.

From your experience mentoring early-career professionals, what are the most common misconceptions young people have about entering product roles?

One big misconception is that product management is only for people who have worked in tech for years. I’ve met students, early professionals and even mid-level career folks who don’t realise they already have transferable skills that fit perfectly into product roles. Skills like communication, problem solving, customer empathy, documentation, prioritisation and even leadership from campus activities are all part of product work.

Another misconception is that product managers make big decisions alone. The truth is that you’re constantly working through ambiguity, engaging engineers, designers, business teams and customers. It’s not a solo role, and it’s definitely not as glamorous as people assume. You spend a lot of time learning, asking questions and admitting what you don’t know.

Many young people also think they need to master every tool before they even apply. What they really need is curiosity, structure and the willingness to understand users. Once they see that, they realise product isn’t far from them. It’s something they can grow into from wherever they currently are.

You’ve built Techrevolve around helping people make better decisions through feedback. What gaps did you observe among young tech aspirants that motivated you to create it?

Before building Techrevolve, I used to be a product reviewer on UserTesting. That experience opened my eyes to how powerful user feedback can be when businesses actually listen. At the time I started Techrevolve, there was no Nigerian platform doing anything similar. Businesses were building based on assumptions, personal opinions or pressure from competition. Young builders in particular were creating products and launching them without ever speaking to the actual users.

I noticed a pattern: people had ideas, but they didn’t have access to real, structured feedback to guide those ideas. They were building and then pushing products on users, hoping it would stick. My thinking was simple: why shove something down people’s throats when you can hear what they want and build from there?

Techrevolve fills that gap. It gives individuals and businesses an easy way to hear directly from users, validate ideas early and make informed decisions. It’s my way of reducing guesswork for young aspirants and giving them what I wish existed when I first started building products.

What would you say are the unique strengths young African talents bring to global tech teams?

Young African talents bring resilience that you can’t teach. They’ve learnt to innovate in environments with constraints and that builds creativity and grit. They are resourceful, hungry to learn and quick to adapt. Those strengths make them valuable in global teams that need people who can solve real problems under changing conditions.

Which challenges do you think product leaders should prioritise fixing, in spite of the barriers ranging from limited resources to limited industry exposure that they already face?

Product leaders need to prioritise clarity. Many teams fail not because they don’t have talent, but because they lack clear direction, consistent communication and strong execution habits. Even with limited resources, leaders can build teams that understand the vision, know what success looks like and feel confident in making decisions. That alone removes a lot of friction.

How can young people leverage data literacy, even at a basic level, to improve their chances in today’s job market?

Basic data literacy is one of the most underrated advantages young people can build today. You don’t need to be a data analyst before you start benefiting from it. Even simple skills like reading trends, interpreting charts, understanding user behaviour or comparing before-and-after results already put you ahead of many people in the market.

I have a saying: In God I trust, everyone else must bring data. It guides how I work, because relying on assumptions is expensive. The moment you can explain why something is working or not working with evidence, you immediately stand out. Employers are drawn to people who think clearly, ask better questions and support their ideas with facts instead of guesses.

What lessons from fintech have been most useful in guiding young people on how to build products for real human needs?

Fintech forces you to face reality very quickly. When you’re building anything that touches people’s money, you can’t hide behind fancy features. You learn that users care about trust, speed, clarity and reliability long before they care about innovation.

One of the biggest lessons I share with young people is that fintech teaches you to remove friction. I’ve seen cases where a feature looked great on paper, but users abandoned it because it added just one extra step. Fintech also teaches you that every user action has an emotion behind it. Sending money, paying bills, withdrawing cash, resolving a dispute; these are emotional transactions.

How should young tech aspirants position themselves to remain relevant while still building foundational skills, particularly at a time when there is a fear that AI may replace humans for entry-level jobs?

Relevance today is a blend of depth and adaptability. Young people need to build solid foundational skills that help them understand context, because AI can generate information, but it can’t replace judgment, empathy or strategic thinking.

I always advise early-career folks to learn the basics thoroughly. Understand users, understand problem solving and understand how systems work. Those are the things AI can’t take away. At the same time, they shouldn’t ignore new tools. If a tool makes them faster or more accurate, they should embrace it instead of resisting it.

As someone balancing family, leadership and learning, how do you model healthy growth habits for younger professionals who see you as a mentor?

For me, growth is about rhythm and intentionality. I’m a husband, a father, a product leader and someone who plays an active role in my local church, so I’ve learnt to build habits that keep me grounded. I’m also currently running an MBA, which has added another layer of responsibility to my life. Balancing school, work and family has taught me how powerful discipline and structure can be. I prioritise health and fitness because I’ve seen how much my physical state affects my clarity, patience and decision-making. Younger professionals see that I’m not trying to be everywhere at once, but I’m committed to doing the important things well.

I try to show them that a balanced life is possible when you are intentional. Many assume growth requires burnout or sacrificing what matters, but I help them understand that planning your week, blocking time for learning, choosing rest deliberately and keeping your commitments to both work and family actually makes you more productive. I don’t position myself as someone who has mastered everything, but I’m deliberate about modelling a lifestyle that honours family, faith, career and personal development while still maintaining peace of mind.

What areas of the tech ecosystem do you believe hold the most untapped opportunities for young Africans in the next couple of years?

Data, AI support roles, digital trade, B2B tools for African businesses and education technology are huge opportunities. There’s a growing need for people who can help organisations adopt technology, not just build it. Anyone who can combine tech skills with problem-solving will thrive in these spaces.

If you were to design a national youth tech development programme today, what three pillars would it stand on?

The first pillar would be exposure. Young people need to experience real industry problems, not just theory. Even listening to user calls, reviewing product decisions or shadowing teams can transform their understanding. The second pillar would be structure. It’s not enough to learn skills; they need to know how to work, collaborate, document and execute.

The third pillar would be opportunity. When young people get real projects, micro-internships or supervised challenges, their confidence grows. Those three pillars working together can shape a generation that is not just learning tech but contributing to it in meaningful ways.

What does long-term impact look like for you, both as a product leader and as someone committed to youth development?

Long-term impact for me is centred on people. As a product leader, I measure impact by how many lives are improved because of the products I help build. If something I worked on reduces stress, saves time or gives people more control over their finances, that’s meaningful to me.

On the youth side, impact looks like young Africans making better decisions because of something I taught or enabled. It looks like them building products, getting roles they once thought were out of reach and becoming confident contributors in the global tech space. If I can help multiply growth in others, then that’s the legacy I want to leave.