Mobile-first digital solutions provider VDL Technologies officially marked its 10th anniversary with a glamorous celebratory event held at The Anthonia by Civic Centre, Ikoyi, on Friday.
The milestone event brought together industry titans, long-standing partners, and staff to celebrate a decade of resilience and technological evolution.
Although the company officially reached the ten-year mark in February, the May Day celebration served as a grand reflection on a journey that began in a small home office and has since expanded into a powerhouse of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and consumer intelligence.
Addressing the guests, the Founder and CEO of VDL Technologies, Oluwarotimi Fasuyi, alongside his wife and Co-founder/COO Ayodele Fasuyi, shared an emotional recount of the company’s early beginnings, from resigning from his job to starting a business. For the first two years, Fasuyi carried out his business from his sitting room.
“If I can do it for the past 10 years, bootstrapping the business, surviving, and thriving in Nigeria, others can too,” Mr Fasuyi said at the event, encouraging others who may have cold feet foraying into entrepreneurship.
“It is what you believe that you become. We believe that there is no better place for us to launch our products and drive growth than Nigeria,” he added.
The CEO also unveiled an ambitious roadmap for the next decade, focusing on international expansion.
“In the next two to five years, VDL Technologies intends to expand to Europe, America, and also the Middle East,” he noted.
Delivering the keynote address, Professor Sola Oni, Dean of the School of Management and Social Sciences at Pan-Atlantic University and Non-Executive Director, Systemspecs Nigeria. Prof. Oni praised VDL’s longevity, noting that 95% of startups fail within their first few years.
“Ten years in this space is no joke. My charge to VDL and other tech companies is the proper utilisation of technology. We want the human to be at the centre of the solution… such that it is to the benefit of humanity and not to its detriment when these products hit the market.”
A central theme of the anniversary was the company’s pivot towards deep AI integration. Guests at the event experienced this firsthand through the Markov Games AI platform, an adaptive gamification tool that allows users to win rewards through skill-based challenges.
The COO, Fasuyi, emphasised that AI is no longer a futuristic concept but a present reality for the firm.
“AI is the next big thing and it is here to stay. We are leveraging AI to improve our services and help customers meet their needs. Our Markov Game AI interacts with the customer and adapts to them specifically.”
Aside from gaming, the company introduced its mental health platform Amani Health, which matches users going through emotional, psychological and behavioural challenges, to certified therapists. The company also highlighted MOVIL, a consumer intelligence platform capable of managing promotions for hundreds of millions of users concurrently for FMCGs.
The evening also served as an awards ceremony to honour the partners who have been integral to VDL’s success, including Stanbic IBTC, which was the recipient of the Technology Excellence of a Decade award; Intelligence Innovation received the Best Performing Partner award while MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria and Glo Nigeria all received the Decade of Excellence award. Interswitch Limited also received accolades for its contributions to the ecosystem.
Other highlights of the celebration included featured choreography, spoken word performances, and a live band.
Leave a comment