When Bode Roberts dey find work and e no see, e come realise say the problem no be from him body; na the system itself scatter. Instead of waiting make dem give am chair for another person table, e decide to build him own. Na this story John Adoyi chronicle, showing how Roberts turn three years of joblessness to Dataleum, an award-winning EdTech platform wey dey turn African talent to global export. E drop 297 applications, do 48 interviews, and spend three years without job.
For Roberts, who co-found the edtech platform Dataleum, those numbers no be just bad record. E show three years of hope, rejection, and uncertainty, wey make am rethink how e dey measure his worth. E talk say, "Na cycle of hope wey heavy silence of rejection dey follow." Some interviews and applications bin look promising, but silence go just follow am again and again. E confess say genuine confusion and tears bin dey, as the joblessness make am feel like say e no get value.
E come realise say if somebody with him background and ginger fit struggle like this, then the system itself don knock. Instead of asking how e go find work, Roberts start to think how e fit make am easy for other people to find their own place. E say e even dey grateful for those 48 rejections because na the ginger e need to build his own table.
Roberts' concern about opportunity start from childhood. E attend private school, but him mama be public school teacher. Sometimes e follow mama go work, see classrooms meant for small pupils but packed with over 300 children wey dey sit on the floor dey struggle to read and write. Dis make am conclude say "Talent is universal, but opportunity is not." As a child, e hang around older people dey play Monopoly, Ludo, and cards, wey teach am negotiation, strategic thinking, and emotional intelligence. E sabi numbers well-well from small, and in 2002 e win the Milo Nestlé award for mathematics. E even start his first business for secondary school.
In 2009, e enter Covenant University to study Computer Engineering, to know how technology fit solve human problems. Roberts use his university days do experiment, starting about 16 businesses to learn about suppliers, marketing, and sales. After graduation in 2014, e do master’s degree in Production and Operations Management, and e also go Lagos Business School to learn how to build businesses that last in Africa.
Later, e enter banking sector. For inside the financial institution where e work, e notice say to get training to upskill dey either scarce or too cost. E run the matter with his friend and future co-founder, Titilola Bello. Dem reason say if working professionals dey struggle get quality digital training, then unemployed youths go dey face worse shege. Na from there Dataleum start.
Dem test the idea with 20 people, and 15 confirm say dem need the training. First marketing campaign bring 27 interested people, and one organisation pay upfront for 10 slots to give dem their first revenue. As the company grow, dem work with big names like Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, Access Bank, UN, Coca-Cola, and Flutterwave. Roberts leave his bank job to focus on Dataleum, but COVID-19 pandemic disrupt their physical training in March 2020. E make dem launch virtual data hackathon called "Datathon", wey bring data analysts from everywhere online. Dis change how e view Dataleum reach, moving am from just physical centre in Lagos to global network.
By 2023, Dataleum don expand go UK and register as learning provider within two months. But e see say many Nigerian alumni and immigrants dey struggle for UK labour market. Dataleum step in to build community and support dem. Within three years, dem win Lagos State Startup of the Year award, and in 2023, dem win Best EdTech Startup in Africa at the Global Startup Awards.
Running the company change his leadership style from "command and control" to servant leadership. Now, e call himself "Legacy Builder", focusing on creating environment for other leaders to grow. E see African talent as "African Asset" wey the world need to solve complex problems. Roberts believe say the impact no be just about the student, but the family wey go escape poverty because the student get global job.
Even as e dey pursue his PhD for Covenant University on how AI fit help banks, him core belief remain strong. If everything crash today, e say e go still rely on his faith, resilience, and integrity to build again. E hope say his story no go just be about awards, but about the thousands of tables e help create for other people to sit down.
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