Olaide Alim, founder of SnappyExchange and SnappyPay, says startup founders can strengthen their leadership by developing a solid understanding of technology, particularly as Africa’s digital finance, e-commerce and technology sectors continue to evolve.
According to him, while founders do not necessarily have to become software engineers, having technical knowledge enables them to make more informed product decisions, communicate more effectively with development teams, and build businesses that can scale sustainably.
Alim noted that a growing number of startup founders are complementing their business expertise with technical skills to gain deeper product insight and improve execution in an increasingly competitive industry.
For him, that journey included completing a year-long full-stack software engineering programme at New Horizons.
Having launched SnappyExchange in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Alim said he enrolled in the programme to better understand the technology behind the products his company has developed over the past five years.
