‘A game of numbers’, Seye Bandele shares blueprint for scaling at Africa Startup Festival 2025

CEO of PaidHR, Seye Bandele has shared insights with startup founders on how to identify the best clients and partners, while highlighting curiosity as a key driver of innovation and growth.

Speaking at the Africa Startup Festival 2025 in Lagos, Bandele highlighted that building a successful startup is fundamentally “a game of volume.”

“I said this is a game of volume, right? It’s a game of numbers. So you need to find thousands of those people as quickly as possible, depending on how big a business you are trying to create and the resources you have available,” he said.

Bandele explained that the most valuable clients are those who not only understand the problem a solution addresses but also actively engage to help founders refine it.

“Choosing your best clients are the people who understand that your solution will solve their problem as quickly as possible. The questions they ask and the future they are trying to create can guide you toward better outcomes. These clients prioritise my solution, give me time, and are happy to ask intentional or intelligent questions that help me develop solutions to their problems,” he said.

He also urged founders to see business partners as customers, noting that they play a crucial role in extending the reach and effectiveness of a solution.

“Partners are the same. You need to look at them as customers. Someone partnering with you may be reselling your solution to other customers or solving a problem within their own ecosystem,” he added.

Closing his remarks, Bandele turned to what he described as the driving force behind innovation: curiosity. He encouraged founders to question everything and embrace inquiry without hesitation.

“Curiosity is the bedrock of genius. Question everything. Even if something doesn’t save time or you feel you’re not intelligent enough, just ask questions. It’s by asking questions that you gain insights, become smarter, and eventually reach genius. Curiosity is the broker of genius,” he concluded.

The post ‘A game of numbers’, Seye Bandele shares blueprint for scaling at Africa Startup Festival 2025 appeared first on Vanguard News.