From ₦500 flyers to millions of views: The creator journey of Abayomi Semudara

When Abayomi Semudara first picked up design as a bored university student, he had no idea he’d someday become one of the most recognisable faces in Nigeria’s tech creator scene. Known for his 60 Seconds Startup Pitch series, Abayomi has built a platform that gives founders a chance to make a powerful impression, in less time than it takes to boil water.

From earning ₦500 for a flyer to racking up millions of views online, his journey is a mix of design, storytelling, and a relentless drive to figure things out on the fly.

If your career journey were a movie, what would the title be and why?

Maybe Flash; he’s always using his hands to cause problems, and always using his hands to solve them. Sounds a lot like my journey.

Can you tell us about your career journey? How did it all start?

I actually started learning design while I was at the University of Lagos (UNILAG). I was studying Educational Management, and by my second year, I realised I could prepare a day before exams and still get a B or C. The course content was relatable, covering topics like mismanagement or underfunding in education, which I found boring. I needed something else to keep me engaged, and that’s when I picked up design.

I started with motion graphics. I asked my mom and siblings to help me get a laptop, and once they did, I spent most of my time in the education library because there was always light and internet. I’d binge YouTube tutorials, sometimes even skipping classes, which got me into a bit of trouble.

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Eventually, I realised my laptop couldn’t handle heavy software like After Effects or Cinema 4D, so I switched to logo design, which was lighter. I started learning Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop; they are still heavy software, but my laptop could still handle them. My first paid job was a flyer for ₦500, and I was so nervous I didn’t even spend the money immediately. Then I designed a logo for a classmate’s grill business. He wanted something like the Chicken Republic logo, and he paid me ₦3,500. That was around 2016, and it felt good at the time. From there, I focused on logo design and continued freelancing during my time in school. It helped with school expenses and built my confidence.

After school, I did my NYSC in Kwara but redeployed to Lagos and worked with Raising New Voices, an NGO focused on grassroots leadership. That gave me structure, but I still continued to do design work on the side. After completing my NYSC, I posted on LinkedIn stating that I’d studied Educational Management and had been designing, and that I’d love to work in EdTech. The founder of Edukoya saw it and reached out. We had an interview, and that’s how I landed my first tech job as a brand designer at EduKoya, an EdTech startup that helps students prepare for WAEC and JAMB exams.

What inspired you to launch the “60 Seconds Startup Pitch” series, and have you started monetising it?

I started creating content in May 2023, right after Nomba announced their $30 million fundraise. I picked up my phone, recorded a quick reaction video, and posted it. That was the first time I did anything like that; it’s still on my page, just buried way down now. Previously, I had only posted design work. I’d just finished a 60-day logo challenge, where I designed a new logo every single day.

But that Nomba video made me realise something: when I showed my face and shared my thoughts, people engaged more. So I kept going. I started reacting to news, tech, and even politics sometimes. The numbers grew, and so did my audience. It wasn’t planned. I didn’t sit down one day and decide to be a content creator. I was just sharing my take on what was happening around me.

Then came the idea for 60 Seconds. It started from a conversation with Anil Atmaramani from Antler. He showed me a video of someone in India conducting short startup interviews, asking founders questions like their total addressable market (TAM), monetisation model, and similar details. But I felt that wouldn’t really click here in Nigeria. The average person doesn’t want content packed with jargon; they want it short, clear, and relatable.

So I thought, why not give founders just sixty seconds to pitch their startup?  I tried it for the first time with Omolara from Midddleman during Founders Connect. That video did incredibly well across Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. From there, it took off. Initially, I’d attend events and have founders pitch on the spot. But we’ve since evolved; now we also invite founders to a studio for a more organised shoot.

When it comes to monetisation, there’s a free and paid tier. If I meet you at an event, the pitch is completely free. But for studio shoots, there are costs involved, like hiring videographers, editing, studio rental, and logistics, so that falls under the paid tier.

Do you have any plans to scale the “60 Seconds Startup Pitch” series?

So far, the 60-second pitch has had a massive impact. For example, just 24 hours after Dome pitched, they saw a 13% increase in their user base. AI Examiner, a paid product, sent me receipts showing a surge in paid users, in USD, after their pitch went live. Even Kudi SMS reached out, saying they’ve onboarded several new startups since appearing on the series.

But because there’s only so much you can say in 60 seconds, the next step is to bring some of these founders back for longer sessions. We want to dive deeper into what they’re building, their journey, and their vision. People are asking for it. There has also been talk about hosting a startup pitch competition, but we’ll see how that goes. Currently, the focus is on providing these founders with a larger platform to share their stories in greater detail.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in building your career as a content creator?

A lot of people say I’m very consistent, but honestly, I don’t think I am, and that’s probably the biggest challenge I’m facing right now. There was a time I used to post three times a day, every single day. These days, I struggle to even post once. So maybe it’s self-criticism, but I know the level of consistency I’ve maintained in the past, and I want to get back to that.

Another thing is that I’m actually a very private person. When I started creating content and people began recognising me, I’d wear face masks just to hide. Some people still figured it out. It took me a while to become comfortable with the visibility. It’s also why I avoid many tech events; I wasn’t used to being ‘seen’ like that. I’m better with it now, though. I no longer wear masks, and I don’t get anxious when people approach me. I’m adjusting.

Before all of this, my face was nowhere to be found on the internet. You’d only see my work. Even people I worked with had no idea what I looked like, because I worked remotely and rarely turned on my camera. However, I can switch when needed. I’m naturally introverted, but if the situation calls for it, I’ll put myself out there, meet people, engage in conversation, and network. I think that’s just how I operate: if something needs to be done, I’ll figure out how to get it done.

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Have you ever had “creator’s regret”? Have you ever published something and wished you could take it back or do it differently?

When I put out the Paystack vs. Flutterwave video, the reaction was intense. A lot of people were saying, ‘You shouldn’t do this,’ or ‘This kind of content isn’t good for the ecosystem.’ There was pushback. I even considered taking the video down. But my friends talked me out of it, so I left it up.

Looking back, I think that video actually helped Flutterwave more than anyone expected. It provided them with raw, unfiltered feedback from real users, especially around pain points in their product. One comment that stood out was people saying they had to use Paystack’s documentation to solve issues they were facing on Flutterwave. Flutterwave listened. They’ve already worked on a new documentation update, and I think it’s supposed to go live later this quarter. They even mentioned it in one of their New Year breakdown videos.

To me, that’s what a responsive company should do: take feedback seriously and act on it. Although the video initially received a lot of criticism, it ultimately proved constructive.

Do you think people underestimate how much creative labour goes into what you do? What part of your process would surprise people most?

Staying in front of the camera and just ‘yapping’; a lot of people think it’s easy, especially with the kind of content I do, which is usually research-heavy. But the truth is, it’s really not. Most of my videos aren’t scripted, so I’m coming on screen and sharing raw, unfiltered thoughts about what’s happening in the ecosystem. That’s not something easy.

Even when the content is scripted, being in front of a camera is still a lot of work. One aspect that people often underestimate is the research. I like to keep my videos short and straight to the point, but that doesn’t mean they’re quick to produce. Sometimes I’ll spend three or four hours researching just to put out a 30-second video. So you’re watching half a minute of content, but there’s hours of work compressed into that. That’s the part most people don’t see.

You’ve built a brand as a content creator. What advice would you give to content creators?

I think you should just do whatever it is you want to do. The numbers shouldn’t really matter that much. Sure, they’re a form of validation; they show that people are interested in what you’re doing, but I’d rather people focus on creating the kind of things they want to see in the world.

When I started, I didn’t see anyone doing what I was doing. I just had thoughts I wanted to share, so I did. I didn’t know it would grow into anything big or meaningful. I was just putting myself out there.

So my advice is: do the thing. Have fun with it. Don’t overthink. If I want to start something new tomorrow, I’ll dive in headfirst and figure it out as I go. It’s the overanalysis that stops many people from starting in the first place.

What’s one “creative risk” you’ve taken that you’re proud of?

Most of the time, I can almost always predict the reaction to a video before I even post it.

But one video that really surprised me was the one I did for Paystack’s Zap launch. I didn’t overthink it, didn’t expect too much. And then it just blew up. I think it hit around 3.4 million views on Twitter alone. I knew it would get some attention, but I didn’t see that level of virality coming at all.

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