Exceptional thinker, highly effective problem solver and excellent communicator, Chibueze Joshua holds a B.Sc in Computer Science from Covenant University.  He is the Cofounder of PushCV and PiggybankNG, products of the Sharphire Global, a company working to make life better for young Nigerians.

He sees customers as the competition and the need to continue to solve their various problems as regards wealth management as priority.

In this interview he talks about the highs and lows of building PiggybankNG, which recently received a $1.1million funding.

Hear him

Asides being the cofounder of PiggybankNG, who is Chibueze Joshua?

Joshua is a Brand and Marketing expert and a customer experience professional.

PiggyBankNG is that idea/product which gets almost every entrepreneur thinking “Why didn’t I think about this?”, How does it feel to be part of the winning team – bringing PiggybankNG to life and how did it start?

We saw an opportunity and we decided to execute on it immediately.

For those who don’t know, tell us a little bit about piggybankNG.

Piggybank is a simple web app that helps individuals and businesses manage their finances effectively. You can choose to save daily, weekly or monthly automatically and restrict withdrawals until set dates.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned building PiggybankNG?

Listen to your customers and let your metrics be your guide.

What the difference between using PiggyBankNG, Kolo and the normal savings account from a bank?

Piggybank is simpler, more convenient, flexible and rewarding. It basically simplifies wealth management and makes it more transparent and clear. No charges and higher interest rates

How has the journey been? After 2 years, what challenges have you experienced?

Managing customer expectation has been difficult especially because we work with a couple of other companies in the value chain. So, if there are any lapses, we have to take responsibility.

The $1.1million seed fundraise announcement has definitely sent more eyes to the brand and product, how is the team navigating this?

 

Well, we are actually more focused on delivering an awesome product that will outlive us and maintaining excellence across all our channels. We only see our customers as the competition and the need to continue to solve their various problems as regards wealth management is priority.

Few months ago, I was worried about saving on PiggyBankNG…I think scared is the word though. What if piggybank closes tomorrow, who do I hold responsible for my money? And I’m sure this concern isn’t peculiar to just me; what do you say to people with same concerns?

We have been in operations for more than 2 years and we just recently acquired an MFB license and this means that we’re duly licensed by the CBN and funds are insured by the NDIC.

What opportunities helped scale your work?

First, all of the team are millennials. Also, listening to feedback and having run a couple of tech startups in the past helped a whole lot.

Do you save with PiggybankNG yourself? What will you tell someone struggling with trying to save money?

Of course. One thing that helped my colleagues and I is that first, we are all actual users of the platform. We didn’t have the discipline to save.

In a country where anything could happen at any time and the economy is unstable, it’s always important to have a backup financial plan – put something aside (no matter how little) and Piggybank.ng gives you the necessary tools required. The interesting part is that you can start with as little as N100 daily, N1,000 weekly and N3,000 monthly.

What is the value of relationships and mentorship to you and your work?

It’s been a very interesting process especially going through accelerators like Google Launchpad. The quality of advice is amazing – you have people understand your sector and genuinely care about your business.

 

What are 4 things we’ll never find you doing?

Coding. I hate coding.

Playing Basketball

Eating Okro Soup

At a Concert except it’s Gospel.

What do we expect from the team in 5years? An expansion to other African countries?

We are on a mission to building a digital financial warehouse for African millennials and become a distribution channel for financial services and in 5years, we’ll be much closer than ever.

Yes, we are looking to saturate the Nigerian market first and are already taking steps towards launching in Kenya, Ghana and South Africa.