Our Story

WE BUILT THIS
FOR THE GRIND
& THE DREAM.

Sidehustle was born in Lagos — from the lived experience of professionals who had skills, had the drive, but had no infrastructure to convert evenings and weekends into real income. We're changing that.

The origin

Built by hustlers,
for hustlers.

Every founder on this team has lived the problem. We've sent the WhatsApp message asking "do you know anyone who can…?" We've been that person — skilled, available on weekends, but invisible to the clients who needed us.

Nigeria's formal workforce is one of Africa's most talented. Over 80% of professionals have a side hustle — a skill they monetise quietly through personal networks, word of mouth, and fragile trust. The system around them had not caught up.

Global platforms like Upwork and Fiverr were built for full-time remote freelancers — not for the accountant who has Friday afternoons free, or the UX designer who works evenings after 7pm. Local channels — WhatsApp groups, LinkedIn DMs — had no escrow, no vetting, no structure.

Sidehustle is the infrastructure that was missing. A marketplace designed specifically for the part-time, professionally employed Nigerian worker — with Naira escrow, employer verification, and scheduling built for how life in Lagos actually works.

2.5M+
Lagos formal-sector professionals with marketable skills sitting idle outside of 9–5 hours
₦200 - ₦500K
Monthly income sitting unrealised for top-tier professionals per month
80%
Of Nigerian professionals have a side hustle — but no proper platform for it
₦7.2Trn
Estimated informal economy value locked in Nigeria annually — we're building the unlock
THE BIG PICTURE
"To empower Nigeria's
professional workforce
to monetise what they
already know."

We believe Nigeria doesn't have a talent shortage. It has a system shortage. Every day, millions of professionals wake up with world-class skills and no trusted, structured channel to convert those skills into income beyond their primary salary.

Sidehustle is the layer that makes that conversion possible — verified, secure, Naira-denominated, and built for the rhythm of Nigerian professional life.

What we stand for

Six principles
we never compromise.

01
Trust is the product
Every feature — escrow, employer verification, ratings — exists to make strangers trust each other enough to transact. Without trust, there is no marketplace.
02
Built for reality
We design for Lagos traffic, Naira wallets, and WhatsApp-first workflows — not for a hypothetical global user. Context is everything.
03
Professional dignity
Every person on this platform is a skilled professional — not a commodity. We build features that affirm that, from employer badges to premium portfolio presentation.
04
Income is serious
People's livelihoods flow through this platform. We handle that with the same care as a bank — fast, reliable, and zero tolerance for payment failure.
05
Fairness by design
Escrow protects both sides. Dispute resolution is transparent. Pricing is visible. Neither the provider nor the client should ever feel exposed.
06
Community over platform
The best marketplaces are ecosystems. We're building a community of Nigerian professionals who support, refer, and elevate each other — not just a transactional tool.
The team

People who've
lived the problem.

The Sidehustle founding team brings together expertise in product, fintech, operations, and the Lagos professional ecosystem — each with direct personal experience of the side-hustle challenge.

CE
CEO & founder
Strategy · Partnerships · Innovation . Fundraising
Background in strategy, growth, management consulting and fintech. Deep network within Lagos corporate sector. Has navigated the informal freelance economy personally for over a decade.
CT
CTO & Co-founder
Product · Platform Engineering
Full-stack engineering background. Has built and scaled marketplace and fintech products in Nigeria. Deep expertise in Paystack/Flutterwave payment infrastructure and ML-based matching systems.
CO
COO & Co-founder
Operations · Trust & Safety · Customer Success
Operational background in financial services and tech. Deep understanding of Nigerian regulatory and payment landscape. Leads trust architecture, dispute resolution, and corporate partnerships.
Traction

Already live.
Already working.

Sidehustle is not a concept. The MVP is deployed in Lagos with real providers, real bookings, and real escrow transactions.

✅
MVP
Core marketplace, escrow, profiles & booking flow live
📱
Apps
iOS & Android mobile apps deployed
🤝
Corp.
Early conversations with Lagos employer partners underway
🤖
AI
AI talent matching algorithm in active development
Join us

HELP BUILD
NIGERIA'S
TALENT FUTURE.

Whether you're a hustler ready to earn more, a client who needs trusted talent, or an investor who sees the opportunity — there's a place for you in the Sidehustle story.

Join the Waitlist
invest@sidehustle.ng·+234-813-836-7703