Our founders
The people behind the vision.
Every good platform starts with a belief that things could be better. NIDEA began with a vision for a more connected way to chat, discover and take part, and the determination to build it.
An ambition to build something that lasts.
NIDEA comes from a shared ambition to rethink how people connect and take part online.
We see communication, information, creativity, learning and opportunity as parts of the same everyday life. So instead of leaving them in separate places, NIDEA is being built to bring them together.
The people behind NIDEA bring entrepreneurship, technology and strategy, and a commitment to building something that can grow into a lasting platform.
Founder
Franklin Kesiena
Founder & CEO, Netgrawl Limited · Co-founder, NIDEA
Franklin Kesiena is a technology entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of Netgrawl Limited, the Nigerian technology and venture-building company behind NIDEA. He has more than 15 years of experience in the technology sector, spanning product development, technology-led initiatives, business building and consulting for organisations in the private and non-governmental sectors.
What he brings to NIDEA
Franklin leads NIDEA’s product vision and technology direction. He brings Netgrawl’s experience in conceiving, building and running platforms, taking an idea from concept through to a working product.
Background
Through Netgrawl, Franklin works across product development, technology strategy, business development and consulting. His clients and partners include organisations in both the private and non-governmental sectors, which gives him a practical view of how technology serves different kinds of institutions.
Approach
Franklin treats technology as the means to build businesses, not only software. Netgrawl’s model is to conceive, build and run platforms that solve practical problems, and he holds his ventures to that standard.
Focus: Venture building, product vision, technology strategy and business development.
Co-Founder
Amb. Daniel Mayor Aikpokpodion
NIDEA Co-Founder
Amb. Daniel Mayor Aikpokpodion is an entrepreneur, institution-builder and development advocate working across technology, enterprise development, agriculture and youth economic empowerment. As a Co-founder of NIDEA, he is part of the founding vision behind the platform.
What he brings to NIDEA
Daniel brings an entrepreneur’s and institution-builder’s perspective to the founding team. He looks at how ventures connect with partners, organisations and communities, and how a platform can grow into an institution that outlasts its founders. He is particularly interested in how digital platforms can widen access to information, learning and enterprise across African markets.
Background
Daniel is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Global Career Developer Industry Limited (GCDIL Group) and the Founder and President of the Global Youth Economic Festival (GYEF). He also works in agricultural enterprise development and youth economic development. His academic qualifications are in Agricultural Technology, Public Health Technology and Animal Science.
Philosophy
Daniel believes lasting impact comes from building institutions and systems, not only products. His guiding principle is PCC: Partnership, Collaboration and Combination, the idea that people, ideas, resources and organisations achieve more when joined around shared goals.
How we lead
Building for more than the moment.
We build NIDEA with the long term in mind. Technology should be shaped around the people it serves, the trust it has to earn and the places it works in.
That means looking beyond launches and features. It means building for everyday use, improving the experience all the time, and growing a platform that can change as the people using it change.
The company behind the founders
Building through Netgrawl.
NIDEA is developed and operated by Netgrawl Limited. As a technology and venture-building company, Netgrawl provides the company and operational foundation that NIDEA is built and run on. It reflects how Netgrawl works: spotting opportunities, building technology-led businesses and growing them for the long term.
Learn more about NetgrawlA vision in progress.
NIDEA is a continuing journey of building, learning and creating new possibilities. We invite users, partners, institutions and communities to be part of it.