A Nigerian HR-Tech startup, Pade HCM, was in the news recently after the team, led by CEO Seye Bandele, secured a $500k pre-seed from a pool of investors.
But what do we (at techparley.com) know about this man and his background? Keep reading to find out.
Seye, before cofounding Pade during the Covid-19 pandemic with leading software developer -Lekan Omotosho, was into marketing and selling of technology products and business solutions.
Background
The CEO is a graduate of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, where he obtained a Bachelor of Agriculture (B.Agric) degree, and majored in Plant Science.
He describes himself as a tech enthusiast, marketing pro, and Nigerian history buff who enjoys traveling.
Seye has a good eye for identifying fun and a good ear for music, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Little is known on how he developed interest in marketing and sales acquisition, and how learnt the rope to become a sought-after professional.
Colleagues and his superiors describe him has a brilliant professional with zest and hunger to become more.
“I worked closely and reported directly to Seye Bandele while I was at Yudala and also at Konga. I can see from firsthand experience yes he is highly skilled in human and project management. His perspective and keen eyes for details and excellent work is unrivaled,” stated Princely Imonlemen, a Senior Visual Designers at Andela.
Building Pade HCM
The Pade CEO met his cofounder in 2011 in Abuja while working at Millenium Integrated Limited, a reputable Information Technology firm, to make a beautiful story of colleagues who turned partners.
Before rising to become a chief marketing officer through his career, Seye cut his teeth as a marketing professional, serving as marketing lead for Yudala and Konga, two popular e-commerce company in Nigeria.
After studying the trends and dynamics of the tech industry in Africa, Seye invested into the opportunity to become a key stakeholder in the human resources niche with the aim of leveraging technology.
“Despite being the youngest and fastest-growing population globally, Africa has the lowest productivity metrics anywhere in the world,” Seye stated in an interview with Business Insider Africa.
“Africa’s population growth, according to Seye is expected to “create more than 600 million jobs over the next 15 to 20 years.
“Also, what this opportunity presents is that the workforce will now be populated with people known as digital natives, i.e., a combination of Millenials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha.
“It is pertinent that we begin to create the tools and systems that will make work easier, more efficient, and more enjoyable for this population. Nigeria is a critical nerve point for the African labour force, and that is why we have decided to create solutions for the HRTech sector.”
Seye’s Pade’s idea is to automate HR processes for businesses in Africa. And, with a $500k pre-seed in the bag, the startup may be on its road to changing HR sector through technology.
“Our goal is to help businesses become more efficient, freeing up their time to focus on strategic work,” said the CEO.
Places Seye worked before launching Pade
Seye has an impressive track recording handling marketing strategy for various organizations in the past.
Some of these organizations include Konga, Yes Mobile and DealDay Limited.
Below is a summary of his transition from one company to another with Millennium Integrated Limited being the company he spent the most years.
- Pade: December 2020 till date
- Showlove.io: Chief Marketing Officer — February 2021 – March 2022
- Konga: Head of Marketing —February 2018 – September 2018
- Yudala Limited: Head, Marketing — December 2016 – April 2018
- Yes Mobile NG: Head, E-Business — November 2015 – December 2016
- DealDey Limited: Manager, Strategy and Planning – October 2014 – October 2015
Social media Vs Professional networking site
On social media, Seye is probably more of an observer on Facebook as his profile looks scanty. However, the bird app is a sharp contrast. The CEO is active via @seyedele handle.
Seye Bandele also contributes to LinkedIn through writing resourceful articles on marketing and brand development.
