Dayo Akinrinade recalls many challenges at work while working in the City of London for one of the world’s best management consultancies. She later realized she needed mentorship from a black woman in technology who was at least ten years her senior.
“Because a lot of situations I was facing, such as discrimination and detrimental treatment on account of my race, required me to speak to someone who was able to relate to me”, the British computer science graduate told the Mirror.
When she realized she couldn’t find one, she decided to form a mentoring community, which led to the formation of her tech startup, Wisdom, in 2021. The app connects like-minded users and fosters long-lasting friendships. It combines advanced artificial intelligence with the power of social audio to make the world a little wiser.
“With Wisdom, I am building an audio community with those who are ready to have conversations with knowledge seekers”, she told Mirror. “In essence, for me, it is about trying to help people overcome systemic barriers.
“When you need to level up your life and access wisdom, you can download the app and have a one-to-one conversation with someone who knows about what you want to know about. So you’re not limited by just who’s in your environment or neighborhood or network.”
According to Akinrinade, the app provides a safe space for women to discuss issues that are important to them, such as women’s rights, domestic violence, leadership, and wellness. “Our users who do not identify as women consider themselves allies and support the conversations by participating or simply listening,” she added.
The app allows users to participate in live conservation on a variety of topics as well as ask questions. Furthermore, any user can start a discussion or participate in a Q&A on any topic of their choice at no cost. The platform also includes features to help structure discussions so that they are accessible to all.
“The mission is to democratize access to mentorship and to democratize access to knowledge,” she told the platform. “I believe that knowledge shouldn’t be a privilege, it should just be a default — a right that anyone can have.”
Starting Wisdom was not a walk in the park for Akinrinade. She had to overcome several hurdles. She told the Mirror that she faced abuse on the app she founded.
“My team brought to my attention that there was a particular user who had created a talk on Wisdom and was body-shaming me and using racial slurs and sexually threatening language against me,” she said. “He said things like, ‘You know, she’s Nigerian, they are scammers.’”
However, Akinrinade has shown great strength in overcoming all odds, no matter how intimidating or tough the setbacks she has encountered.
