Adedayo Adegoke was never the type to sit back and accept problems as they were. Born in Lagos, raised in Kwara State, and armed with a B.Tech in Physics from the prestigious Federal University of Technology Minna, he had always been drawn to big ideas. But his transition from corporate management to tech entrepreneurship wasn’t just a career move—it was a mission.
It all started at Kob0360, a fast-growing e-logistics startup in Nigeria, where Adedayo held various managerial roles, eventually becoming Head of Eastern Operations. He managed a team that generated over $500,000 in monthly revenue. But beyond the numbers, his time at Kob0360 was an awakening. “It was during my stay at Kob0360 my tech-preneur passion gained momentum,” he recalls. “I was opportune to leverage on the guidance, advisory, and mentorship of some very senior colleagues within the space.”
That passion led to Payskul, an idea rooted in a deep, systemic problem—students dropping out of school due to financial constraints. “Having seen students who have been victims of dropouts or psychologically traumatized as a result of financial setbacks, I knew something had to change.” With that conviction, Adedayo founded Payskul, a ‘School Now, Pay Later’ platform that gives students and parents access to on-demand school fee financing while also providing educational insurance.
Building Against the Odds
Starting Payskul wasn’t easy. “There were a couple of challenges while building, ranging from access to capital to bootstrap with, access to school databases in our pilot market, alongside some other market forces.” But rather than let those limitations stall progress, Adedayo and his team built a resilient strategy.
The App offers a unique approach to financing education. “A couple of factors that set us apart from other platforms are access to low-interest rate loans, flexible repayment plans that align with academic calendars, tailored financial-inclusive features, revenue management systems (RMS) for schools, and flexibility in accessing education insurance and scholarship features.”
It wasn’t just about loans—it was about reimagining the entire education finance system. The company is betting on emerging trends in fintech and edtech to make schooling accessible to millions. “Amongst the emerging trends intriguing is the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to learning, smart gamified systems to drive productivity within the edtech space, and financial-inclusive, BaaS, and DeFi features serving the underserved and banking the unbanked.”
From Beta to Scale
Adedayo is no stranger to building revenue-generating systems. At Kob0360, he contributed significantly to product development, introducing features that enhanced efficiency and productivity. But he views Payskul as his greatest achievement yet. “Building Payskul against all odds from ideation to its Beta version, now with the prospect of customer acquisition—that’s my biggest achievement.”
Payskul’s roadmap is ambitious. “Our goal is to transform the education landscape with the Payskul platform, so there are lots of developments to look out for: access to education insurance that helps parents spend nothing on prospective schools for their kids, flexible access to scholarships, the ability to access affordable schools and institutions with proximity filters, and even payment of school bills via crypto and other currencies.”
International collaborations are also in the pipeline. “We’re currently in discussions to close out partnerships that will help Payskul position better for rapid growth and expansion.”
A Future Fueled by Purpose
For Adedayo, the vision for Payskul extends beyond financial solutions. “The goal is to make Payskul a one-stop platform that solves every educational financial need and helps fuel every academic dream.”
His advice to aspiring entrepreneurs? “Be very intentional about your goals, understand the market, and create a solution with unique selling points that ignite curiosity from customers and drive hunger for them to maximize your product.”
At its core, Payskul is about breaking barriers. “No longer should students drop out of schools, be unable to attend the institutions of their choice, or fail to achieve their academic goals due to financial setbacks.” With Payskul, Adedayo did not launch just an app—he launched a movement to ensure education is within reach for all.
