2022: My Year in Review.

7 min readJan 3, 2023

This post marks my 5th anniversary of writing my Year in Review, a tradition that I have kept alive for the past five years. I’m proud to look back on the previous reviews I’ve written and the changes I’ve gone through since then: 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. While I usually publish this annual review on December 31st, this year it is arriving a bit late due to circumstances outside my control.

It was a long year, but I managed to make the most of it and find ways to move my life forward. I’m excited to share my personal year in review for 2022 and take a look back at the journey I’ve been on throughout the year.

Work

I have to admit, though with some reluctance, that I like working. I got to experiment with a ton of new stuff, as I usually do, so it was really quite a wonderful year in this aspect. I got the opportunity to start a project that I’ve been thinking about since the beginning of 2021 and also do something completely new to me.

One of my 2021 end-of-year goals was to enter the venture capital world. In January, I got accepted as a venture scout for SHL Capital, where my JD is to find exciting startups, chat with them, write investment memos, and refer them to the fund if they are a suitable fit. I spoke with over 50 early-stage startups during the year.
Left my job in Lagos, Nigeria as a product marketing associate at Quabbly sometime in March.
Started my first job in the UK as a Product Owner for a London-based software engineering studio. I joined the team as the first product manager and started from scratch working on a fantastic solution that combines open-source with fintech. Finding a job is not easy bruv.
Every year, I build a no-code project, and for 2022, I built GTVAdvice, a free, all-in-one directory with all of the information you need to put together a strong UK global talent visa application. Having received the Global Talent endorsement and knowing how hard it was to put together my application, I decided to create this tool to make it easier for others.
Started some sort of side hustle consulting to help people put together their UK Global Talent Visa. Nothing that serious.
Work on Afriktrip has been suspended, and an official note was issued to all of our partners and esteemed customers informing them of the decision. It had been an incredible two years, but it was time to move on to something much more exciting.
For me, Traveltech in Africa is the next oil. Based on the learnings from Afritkrip, a good friend and I started building Direx, an all-in-one digital solution for tourism businesses in Africa. We launched a pilot phase during the year, and it has been an incredible journey. I will be discussing Direx more in the new year, but this is really my first time doing so in public.
Got accepted for the Envision Accelerator Cohort 5 in the second half of 2022 through Direx. I received non-equity funding, mentorship, an amazing community of new friends, and many more benefits. Side note, I got accepted on my fourth application in the previous three years.
Direx got selected as a Tech Nation Rising Star 5.0 city winner for the Midlands. Was super thrilled to be recognised as one of the UK’s most innovative and exciting early-stage tech companies.
Did something new in the area of building communities by organizing physical tour operator meetups across 3 African countries.

School

I stated in my 2021 review that I would no longer write about school in my reviews. I didn’t have an option but to do one more thing that was actually worth it, and that was my graduation from the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta with a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Computer Science. I don’t know what my certificate looks like, but hey, mama, I am a graduate.

Reading

Without a doubt, this has not been my year for reading books. Despite having an extensive reading list, I could only finish three books in 365 days.

The Mom Test: How to Talk to Customers and Learn If Your Business is a Good Idea when Everyone is Lying to You. Book by Rob Fitzpatrick
Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist. Book by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson.
Secrets of Sand Hill Road: Venture Capital and How to Get It. Book by Scott Kupor.

Travelling

This year, I finally started showing signs of the Ajala the Traveler trait. Travelling with a green passport is risky and will teach you patience, and I believe the year’s verdict in terms of chasing visa applications was Ibukunoluwa (5) vs. (1) Embassy. I travelled to five countries: Kenya, France, Greece, Romania, and the United Kingdom (I relocated here on a UK Global Talent Visa for Digital Technology). Between those journeys, I branched out to Morocco, Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, and Uganda. So, we can say 10 countries.

Conferences and Meetups

In this regard, it was a mild year for me. I showed up at a few notable conferences and meetups, all of which were in London, and had a great time.

London Tech Week 2022
AI Summit London
The Business Show 2022
Stripe Meetup: London
AWS x GTA Black Women in Tech
Founder-Investor Mixer hosted by VP, QED and AWS Activate

Entertainment

Several entertainers and content creators, via their songs, videos, movies, vlogs, podcasts, etc., have helped to keep me afloat this year, and I would like to say a very big thanks to them.

Music

According to my Spotify, I spent 49k minutes listening to music, with my Top 5 artists being Dave, Burna Boy, J Hus, NSG, and Bnxn FKA Buju. Honorable shoutouts to guys like Wizkid, Brymo, Black Sheriff, Asake, Hardy Caprio, and AJ Tracey that didn’t make the list. Here is my 2022 playlist.

Podcasts

On the top of my list are the amazing guys at 90s Baby Show — Temi, Fred, and VP—the absolute best. Others include Filthy Fellas, the HC Podcast, the Y Combinator Podcast, the Champions League of Everything, Make It Make Sense, JD Survey Says, the Zeze Millz Show, and the ISWIS Podcast.

Others

A big shout out to the amazing Nigerians creating funny content on YouTube: Korty, KieKie, Bimbo Ademoye, Chinasa Anukam, Taaoma, Mr Marcaroni, Edem Victor and his crew, and many more.

20233333

As I reflect back on the year 2022, I am filled with gratitude for all the experiences, successes, and lessons that the year has brought. This past year has been an exciting and challenging journey, filled with moments of joy, growth, and discovery. From the highs of achieving major goals to the lows of facing difficult obstacles, I am proud to look back on the strides I have taken in my personal and professional life. 2022 has been a year of growth, as I have embraced new opportunities, developed meaningful relationships, and gained valuable knowledge. I am thankful for the people I have met, the experiences I have had, and the lessons I have learned. As I look toward 2023, I am excited to see what the coming year will bring.