This is Not Motivation (A Love Letter to My Team)

Honestly, I didn’t know what to title this. 

If you’ve watched the show Silicon Valley (and if you’re a startup founder, I highly recommend  it), you’ll remember the scene where Richard was offered a billion dollars and turned it down. 

Film aside, would you stick with your principles if offered a billion dollars? 

That’s a discussion for another day. But imagine the chaos it would cause in a team if a struggling  startup turned down a billion-dollar offer. For some, that might be the end. But in Silicon Valley, despite Richard’s refusal of offers that could have “blown” Pied Piper up, his team—although  constantly grumbling—never compromised on the mission. 

No one left until the startup was dismantled at the end of the series. (I actually cried.) 

Maybe it’s fiction, maybe it’s far from reality. But that show taught me this: startups don’t just  need a team—they need believers. People who share in your “madness” and continue pushing  even when there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. 

Some aren’t even full-time team members. Take Erlich Bachman (though he cashed out early),  who never really left. Remember when he taught Richard how to negotiate with hostility and  rudeness? (Please don’t do this in real life—it worked but backfired.) 

Now, as a founder in Nigeria, finding those kinds of people might seem impossible—maybe even  evil. But what if you received a ₦1,000,000,000,000 investment? That’s a trillion naira. The chaos  it could bring? Unimaginable. 

Still, I say: find your people. The ones who are your warmth in the cold, your flicker of light in the  dark, your fuel during the no-funding winters. They’ll become your light at the end of the tunnel.  But—and here’s the catch—you better be a good person. 

Not a do-gooder or someone trying to one-up everyone when “everything is stew,” but someone  your team trusts. 

As a Nigerian founder who knows what he’s doing—and isn’t doing a startup as a service—you  need a team that sticks with you, funding or not. 

How do they endure challenging times? 

Returning to Silicon Valley, the two key hires—Gilfoyle and Dinesh—had side hustles and were  highly sought-after programmers, yet they remained with a startup still grappling with its MVP.  Notably, Dinesh even developed a personal video chat application that ultimately saved Pied  Piper. 

Your team must be fervently committed to your idea—to the extent that every failure serves as  a catalyst for growth, and every setback propels you forward.

The adage “doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different outcomes is insanity” holds  no validity in the startup realm—for that is the very essence of the game. 

While Pied Piper was a fictional concept, iWello is a tangible reality. (I felt compelled to mention  it.) 

Our journey commenced in 2020, with the construction of our MVP in 2021. Subsequently, we  underwent numerous pivots, each of which was pivotal. Finally, in 2024, we launched as a  healthcare platform that categorizes users based on shared healthcare characteristics. Our  platform offers personalized, preventive, primary, and emergency care, with annual cashback  rewards of up to ₦100,000–₦120,000 for promoting healthy behavior. 

Our primary user base comprises low-income earners earning between ₦700–₦1,500 per day,  individuals who perceive healthcare as an unaffordable luxury. This is precisely the essence of  our pitch. 

However, this article is not primarily concerned with pitching. Rather, it aims to illuminate the  individuals behind the extraordinary achievements. 

My team has remained steadfast through every pivot, demonstrating exceptional resilience and  dedication. 

Dr. Boluwatito Balogun (née Apampa): We met on Twitter in 2019, and since then, they have  been my sounding board and unwavering support. Currently, they are a prominent NHS doctor  in the United Kingdom. 

Dr. Fatima Ajayi: A close friend’s significant other and one of iWello’s earliest inspirations. Despite  initial skepticism, she has consistently embraced our vision, overseeing consultations and  medical operations. 

Ben Quarshie: A jack-of-all-trades, combining the skills of Dinesh and Gilfoyle. He spearheaded  the development of our first MVP and persevered through numerous setbacks, continually  rebuilding our efforts. 

Edna Adeoti: An accounting expert with extensive experience working with two of the Big Three  firms. Adeoti is renowned for her unwavering precision and attention to detail. 

Lasisi Hassan: A visionary in inclusive design, Hassan, Lead UX Researcher at iWello, seamlessly  integrated strategy with empathy. He designed a USSD-based healthcare system for low-income  Nigerians, facilitating access to care, wellness rewards, and emergency support. 

Olarenwaju Oredipe: A UI guru who has witnessed every visual iteration of iWello. His  contributions are pervasive throughout the platform. 

AbdulRaheem Ayawunmi: Our Frontend Intern, who seamlessly manages the demands of  academic life while simultaneously contributing to iWello’s work.

To our new teammates and behind-the-scenes supporters, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for  your invaluable contributions. 

To those who have remained steadfast but temporarily stepped back, we offer our appreciation: 

- AbdulRasheed Ijaodola: Our first lawyer, possessing a Stanford education and Wall Street  training. He remains accessible and dedicated to our cause. 

- Adebola Adeniran: Adeniran brought our ideas to life on Figma, currently working with a  prominent fintech company. 

- Chidinma Nwuta: Nwuta served as our first female Project Manager, who has since launched  her own startup. 

- Princess Karen: Our first female designer, who continues to contribute while pursuing her  studies. 

- Abdul Rasheed Akande, Tayo Akosile, and AbdulRaheem Ayawunmi: Our first interns, who  remain dedicated to their studies while actively contributing to iWello. 

- Aghoho Ojoh: Our first social media manager, characterized by unwavering energy and  unwavering belief in the brand. 

- Anthonia Oneno: Our first staff member, who played a pivotal role in the early stages of iWello. 

- Sam Ojietohamen: Our first full-stack volunteer, who made significant contributions while  pursuing his studies. 

Note: iWello remains in the early stages of development, actively building and striving to make  healthcare accessible and affordable for all income levels. 

While this message serves as a source of motivation, it is essential to recognize that it is primarily  a heartfelt expression of gratitude and love for my team. 

Ismail Adejonwo, 

CEO, iWello.