From Hustle to Growth: Lessons from Adewale Yusuf on Building a Purpose-Driven Startup
At the recently concluded Techpoint conference, I had the rare opportunity to hear directly from one of the most influential voices in Nigeria’s tech space—Adewale Yusuf, founder of AltSchool Africa and co-founder of Techpoint Africa. In a powerful and deeply personal keynote titled “From Hustle to Growth,” Adewale opened up about his journey from humble beginnings to building some of the most impactful platforms in the African tech ecosystem.
More than just a success story, his session offered raw, practical insights for anyone looking to build not just a startup—but a startup that lasts.
A Journey That Started with Hustle
Adewale didn’t sugarcoat his early days. He spoke of a time when all he had was a camera, a blog, and an unshakable belief that African stories deserved to be told from the inside out. That belief gave birth to Techpoint Africa,”The need to democratize Knowledge” he said, which has since grown into one of the continent’s most respected tech media platforms.
But his story didn’t stop at media. Vastly Travelled and equally vastly knowledged, Driven by the desire to solve the digital skills gap and empower Africans to build tech careers, Adewale launched AltSchool Africa, a platform that now trains thousands across the continent in software engineering, data, design, and other in-demand digital skills.
What makes Adewale’s journey compelling isn’t just his wins, it’s how he got there.
You Don’t Need Experts to Start—You Need Believers, Be Scrappy.
One of the most striking points in his keynote was the emphasis on starting with what you have, not what you lack. Adewale spoke about his early hiring mistakes and how he learned that startups don’t necessarily need top-tier experts at the beginning. Instead, they need Generalists—people who share your vision, and are willing to build and grow with you, even when the path is unclear.
“Startups are fragile in the beginning,” he said. “Don’t hire experts. Hire Generalists”
This approach helped him build resilient, flexible teams that were mission-driven, not just profit-chasing. He preached the gospel of how innovation is becoming more people inclusive, In his words, People are so worried about AI job automation and how AI will take peoples jobs, true but in retrospect these jobs werent even there 15-20yrs ago…According To statistics, AI took over 9 million jobs but created 12million in return.
The Power of Community
Adewale attributed much of his success to community—not just as a buzzword, but as a core business strategy. Whether it was building the Techpoint readership through consistent, grassroots storytelling, or growing AltSchool through word-of-mouth and peer referrals, he highlighted that a thriving community creates trust, distribution, and advocacy.
Community, for him, isn’t an add-on,it’s the engine that powers growth.
Raising Over $300,000 in Funding
While many founders obsess over raising capital first, Adewale flipped the script. He spoke about building value before seeking validation. When the time came, he successfully raised over $300,000 in funding for AltSchool—not by chasing every investor, but by showing real traction, proof of demand, and a powerful mission.
His advice to founders? “Don’t chase money. Chase clarity.” Once you’re clear on what you’re building, and why it matters, the money often follows, But comically he mentioned, “ DONT EVER RUN OUT OF MONEY” This sent a fit of laughter across the hall.
Building What Africa Actually Needs
Adewale also reflected on the responsibility that comes with building tech in Africa. For him, success isn’t just about scale—it’s about impact. AltSchool is not only training developers, but helping people break into tech, earn globally, and lift families out of poverty.
“Africa doesn’t need another copy of Silicon Valley. We need solutions that speak our language, solve our problems, and scale our reality.”
It’s a lesson for every aspiring founder: if you’re building for Africa, understand her deeply her pain points, her people, her possibilities and ultimately spread her wings across the world.
From Hustle to Legacy
Adewale Yusuf’s story is still unfolding, but what’s clear is that he’s no longer just hustling, he’s building with clarity, intention, and legacy in mind.
He is so obsessed with creation so much that our representative asked him if he will ever considering stepping back from tech and very interestingly he answered
For every young African dreaming of launching something meaningful, his message is clear: start where you are, grow through the mess, stay focused on impact, and never underestimate the power of vision backed by grit.
In a time when many founders are chasing valuation, Adewale is reminding us that value comes first. Growth follows.
