A few weeks ago, I had the chance to attend the Naira Life Conference organized by Zikoko! in partnership with PiggyVest. As a long-time PiggyVest user myself, I can confidently say it has been a true lifesaver since my school days, a secure space where I could save, stay disciplined, and even earn while doing so. 

One of the sessions that really stood out to me was titled “How to Build a Truly Transformational Company”. It was an insightful session shared through the PiggyVest story by Odun Eweniyi (Chief operating officer), Somto Ifezue (CEO of PiggyVest), and Josh Chibueze (Co founder and chief marketing officer) , and it left me reflecting on what makes a company not just successful, but truly transformational.

Even though PiggyVest operates in the financial technology space, the lessons they shared resonated strongly with me as someone working in the civic tech space. At Civic Hive, we like to call ourselves civic tech besties, committed to building solutions that connect citizens and governments, supporting changemakers, making democracy work better for everyone through initiatives like Learn with Civic Hive and other civic education platforms . 

5 Key Takeaways for Civic Tech Founders

-Transformation Starts with Internal Culture

PiggyVest’s Co-founder, Odun Eweniyi, emphasized that growth begins from within. For civic tech leaders, this means creating a culture of accountability, openness, and teamwork inside your organization. If your team embodies the values of transparency and inclusion, it becomes easier to reflect that in the products and platforms you create for citizens.

• KeepClear and Transparent Communication

One of PiggyVest’s biggest strengths is its communication style: simple, consistent, and trustworthy. Josh Chibueze, the Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer, shared how the team made it a rule to always keep their posts and tweets straightforward, even when facing public attacks about trust in their early days. Instead of overexplaining or being defensive, they leaned on clarity and openness and that approach built credibility.

Civic tech founders can take a lot from this. The way you explain policies, laws, or civic processes matters. Citizens don’t need jargon or complicated breakdowns. They need information that is clear, relatable, and accessible. The simpler and more transparent your communication, the easier it is for citizens to trust and engage with your work.

• Anticipate Questions/needs Before They Come

A powerful point made was the need to be proactive. Instead of waiting for users to ask, PiggyVest works to answer ahead by adding more tools to their app. As civic tech leaders, this could mean anticipating the questions citizens will ask about elections, governance, or policies and preparing resources and platforms that simplify their search for answers.

• Always Put Citizens First

PiggyVest’s growth is rooted in putting users at the center of every decision. During the session, Somto Ifezue shared a striking example: when PiggyVest’

s virtual accounts with Providus Bank were suddenly deactivated, thousands of new users couldn’t create accounts. Instead of waiting it out, he stayed up all night making calls and pushing for a quick switch to Wema Bank. Within a short time, the problem was resolved all because the team chose to prioritize their customers above everything else.

For civic tech founders, the lesson is clear: citizens must be at the heart of the work. Every platform, research, campaign, or innovation should be designed to solve a real pain point, not just to showcase what’s possible with technology. If it doesn’t make civic life easier for people, it risks losing relevance.

• Consistent Actions Lead to Big Change

What inspired the founder of piggvest was that someone shared a tweet about saving ₦365,000 by putting aside ₦1,000 daily in a wooden box throughout the year. It was such a simple but powerful metaphor: little steps add up to big wins and this birth to big fintech in Africa. For civic tech founders, this is a reminder that every advocacy campaign, every voter sensitization, every open data research, even if small, cumulatively drives long-term transformation in governance and civic participation.

Final Thoughts

The Naira Life conference was more than just a conversation about money, it was about impact, culture, and purpose. PiggyVest’s journey reminds us that building a truly transformational company requires clarity of vision, transparency in communication, a culture that empowers, and an unwavering focus on purpose.

The session reminded me that whether you’re in fintech or civic tech, the principles of transformation are the same: strong internal culture, clear communication, proactive service and not reactive, and citizen-first thinking.