His name is David Obasiolu, and it all started with one tweet.
https://twitter.com/Obazzy_Dave/status/720028612775161856
…and a reply from Mark Essien, founder & CEO of Hotels.ng
https://twitter.com/markessien/status/720137740206096384
I like that Mark did not get hostile, as is the default reaction from most people when their hard work gets…trivialised.
I saw the tweets, laughed at the exchange and didn’t think much of it afterwards. Imagine my surprise when I learnt David spent the next few days building a hotel-booking platform named Afrivac.
https://twitter.com/Obazzy_Dave/status/720151504397709313
He registered the domain on April 14, a day after the exchange…
I had to check, incase there was any foul play going on here…
…and by Saturday, April 16, he was done!
https://twitter.com/Obazzy_Dave/status/721216992410095616
https://twitter.com/Obazzy_Dave/status/721222945138413568
While it appears that he based his UI design on the ever-popular bootstrap template (unconfirmed), it’s hard not to admire his spirit. And admire his spirit, Mark did.
Mark Essien was impressed and offered him a job at Hotels.ng
https://twitter.com/markessien/status/721304209694593028
…but David turned it down. He wants to “compete”.
https://twitter.com/Obazzy_Dave/status/721466667189014529
He’s already started contacting investors…
https://twitter.com/Obazzy_Dave/status/721254900701798401
https://twitter.com/Obazzy_Dave/status/721255179534888960
https://twitter.com/Obazzy_Dave/status/721769474353967105
https://twitter.com/Obazzy_Dave/status/721771532675072000