Folayemi Agusto
Years in Tech
3
Current Role
Co-Founder, Eat Drink Media/Travel Experience Manager, Andela
Core Skills
I am an excellent communicator, very detail oriented, enjoy solving complex business problem and all these combined make me a stellar executor. I can conceptualize vague ideas and make it a reality. I also enjoy business writing – reports, process flows, proposal, manuals, and decks excite me. Sometimes, I look at a report I wrote and I just want to high five myself 🙂
Interview Date
14th December, 2018
Folayemi is the co-founder of Eat Drink Lagos. The endeavour that started in 2014 as “just” a food blog, has grown into the go-to bible for inhabitants and visitors deciding where and what to eat and drink in Lagos. In addition to blog posts reviewing their dining experiences at hundreds of restaurants, Eat Drink Lagos has branched out in other ways to influence and enhance the culinary landscape of Lagos. Most notably, Lagos’ favourite food festival-the annual EatDrinkFestival. Launched in 2015, the festival was a bold and pioneering move undertaken at a time when there was nothing similar happening in Lagos. It has since sparked a movement that places creativity, quality, and top-notch customer experience at the center of the culture of the food industry.
Folayemi has worked in a number of industries including finance as an equity research analyst, telecommunications, media and now feels she is firmly at the intersection of digital media and technology.
According to Folayemi, “my super power is organization, and my motivational mantra is that if I can think it, I can do it”.
Personal Links
What experiences led you to technology and how did you develop the skills to compete in the industry?
Honestly, it was my passion for event planning that encouraged me to take
At the same time, my love for planning events has also manifested in EatDrinkFestival and I am using technology to take it to the next level.
I developed the skills to compete in the industry because I always want to push the bar on excellence and try not to let the limitations of the “Nigerian factor” (which in summary is how nothing ever works here as it should) hold back projects that I’m working on.
How has your background helped/differentiated you in the tech industry?
It has for sure differentiated me because I bring a different perspective to things. Sometimes, I joke about my limited technical knowledge with software developers because it’s amusing how someone with such a “different” background like mine is in this industry.
What advice would you give to women considering a career in technology? What do you wish you had known?
I don’t think I’m quite qualified to give advice to women who are intentionally considering a career in tech as that wasn’t my route.
That said, if you really are fascinated by the technology industry and not sure