After experiencing two startup closures triggered by regulatory challenges, Adebanji Oluwatoni reached a crossroads that could have ended his journey in entrepreneurship. Instead, he chose to begin again, this time with a clearer focus and a new direction that led to the creation of CloutEye, a social intelligence platform built for Africa’s growing creator economy.
In this edition of After Hours, he reflects on a path that began far from tech, moving from a background in political science into building products that now span fintech, cryptocurrency, and the creative space.
His early curiosity about technology did not start in a classroom but through games. Growing up in a middle class home, access was not always easy, and priorities at home were firmly centered on education and discipline. His mother, a teacher, placed strong emphasis on academics and a structured path forward.
That curiosity, however, never faded. A turning point came when an uncle gifted him a PlayStation. It was a moment of excitement, though it came with an unexpected limitation since there were no games available on it. That gap pushed him to explore further on his own.
What followed was a self guided journey into the early corners of the internet. He learned how to find game files online, figured out how to burn them onto CDs, and gradually began exploring mobile games and other digital tools. Without realising it at the time, he was developing a foundational understanding of how digital systems and technology ecosystems work.
By the time he gained admission into Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana to study political science, technology was still not part of his planned career direction. That changed once he stepped into an environment where students were actively building digital products.
Seeing peers create simple websites and turn ideas into functional tools shifted his perspective. It made him understand that technology was not only something to interact with, but something that could be built, shaped, and used to solve real problems.
