This week, we spoke with Marvin, the CEO of Hala, about his tech experience.
Hey Marvin, please tell me about yourself.
Sure. I’m Marvin Uche; I finished from Covenant university, where I studied computer science. I currently run a social commerce app called Hala; Hala helps people send money how they chat.
I love playing Ludo and riding bicycle with my friends; I spend a lot of time with my friends.
Nice! So did you know that you always wanted to work in tech?
I’ve always been at the intersection of tech and business. I started working with computers when I was in secondary school. Then, I used to go to cyber cafes to hack PSPs. I’d spend hours learning how to hack PSPs, then go to school and sell to my friends. I did the same thing while I was in University— I skipped classes sometimes to spend time learning how to jailbreak iPhones and iPads. Later on, I started selling gadgets in school.
Since then, I’ve known I would build a career around tech and business with a sprinkle of creative arts.
What was your first official job in tech?
My first official tech job was during my I.T; my role at the organization was around fixing computers and helping them set up. Then during NYSC I worked at an ISP company, I did customer service here, and from there, I was posted to other departments like programming. A while later, I moved on to a company called Deal Day; I was the lead content developer there.
When did you know that you were going to build Hala?
While working at Deal Day, I knew I wanted to build something in commerce, so I left the company.
I didn’t have polished programming skills, so I got some of my friends to join me. The idea was to build an Instagram with a ‘Buy’ button. I wanted to help people do business better; receive and make payments seamlessly.
Sounds Interesting. What’s one thing that has helped you grow your tech career so far?
I think it was access to a tech community; this mainly consists of my friends in tech. Everything I know came from them. I started to learn product design through a friend and grew my network by attending tech events, meeting new people in the space, and learning from them.
What advice would you give someone who is trying to get into tech?
Do a lot of internships; just keep learning. Some of them may not be paid roles, but you must keep learning and start from where there’s an opportunity.