Meet KD Squares, Winner of Startups of The Year 2024 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria | HackerNoon

The special Startups of The Year 2024 Winners Interview series is a celebration of all this year’s Tech Champions. You’ve earned it! The HackerNoon community can’t wait to learn more about your journey!

Tell us about your startup

KD Squares is a tech education and automation consulting company committed to equipping young Africans with the digital skills and systems thinking needed to thrive in today’s global economy. While our training programs empower the next generation of no-code systems engineers, our consulting arm partners with startups, agencies, and businesses to streamline operations, automate workflows, and scale faster. This allows our clients to redirect their focus towards more critical aspects of their business.

Tell us how your startup is changing the world

We’re solving two major problems at once: digital unemployment in Africa and operational inefficiency for businesses. Through our training programs, we’re creating a new class of African tech talent skilled in automation, systems integration, and no-code tools. On the consulting side, we step into companies and transform how they work — automating repetitive tasks, cleaning up their systems, and helping teams reclaim time and scale without chaos. In both cases, we’re using tech to unlock human potential and business growth.

What sets you apart from the competition?

We’re not just another training academy or just another agency. We do both, and that synergy is our edge. Our systems engineers are not only trained by us but are deployed in real client projects. We’ve helped U.S. and Canadian – based marketing agencies and sales agencies rebuild their backend systems using GoHighLevel, Airtable, Make.com, and more. Our ability to teach, build, and deliver at the same time is what makes KD Squares a category-defining company.

What does it mean for you to win this title?

It’s a powerful validation of what we’re building. This title isn’t just for us — it belongs to every young African who’s dared to believe that they can break into tech, every founder we’ve helped scale through automation, and every team member who’s been part of the journey. It’s fuel for the next phase of our mission — and a reminder that we’re just getting started.

What do you love about your team, and why are you the ones to set out for this mission?

Our team is made up of people who’ve lived the problems we’re solving. Many of us learned tech skills while navigating power cuts, limited internet, and systemic barriers — but we didn’t stop there. From operations strategists to automation engineers to course creators, everyone at KD Squares is obsessed with impact and excellence. We foster innovation through weekly retros, open feedback culture, and a shared hunger to build solutions that truly work.

Looking back, what milestone was the biggest turning point for your startup?

The turning point was when we began consulting for global agencies, who discovered that our engineers could not only learn fast but also deliver real, revenue-impacting systems. One of our early wins was automating the full sales process for a Canadian agency—reducing their admin work and increasing conversion tracking accuracy. That win made us realize: we don’t just train tech talent — we build scalable systems that solve real business problems.

What’s one valuable lesson you learned this year that you’d pass on to other startups?

The biggest lesson of 2024? Build systems before you scale. We learned this firsthand — from managing internal processes to delivering client work, clear and well-automated systems saved us from bottlenecks. Whether it’s onboarding, payroll, or lead tracking, if it happens more than twice, automate it.

How do you envision your industry evolving in the coming years, and how will your startup stay ahead?

The future is systems-driven. Businesses will continue to lean on no-code and AI automation to cut costs, increase speed, and stay lean. We see African talent becoming the backbone of this movement — offering affordable, high-quality automation expertise to companies worldwide. KD Squares will stay ahead by staying hands-on: continuously training talent, solving real-world automation challenges, and staying plugged into emerging tech trends.

How do you or your company intend to embrace the responsibility of this title in 2025?

This recognition is more than a badge — it’s a call to lead with purpose. In 2025, we intend to use this platform to amplify our mission and deepen our impact. We’ll expand our free training programs for underserved African youth, offering access to high-quality, industry-relevant skills that can change lives. We’ll also use the momentum to form new partnerships with global agencies, not just to place talent — but to transform how businesses run through smarter automation.

What goals are you looking forward to accomplishing in 2025?

• Train 3,000 young Africans in no-code systems engineering — with at least 1,000 trained completely free through our social impact initiative targeting underserved and high-potential individuals.
• Partner with 40 global agencies to deliver backend process automation, marketing systems, and CRM optimization.
• Launch the KD Squares Fellowship, connecting top-performing students with paid, remote internship opportunities in global agencies.
• Expand our free training initiative, in partnership with local NGOs and community centers, to reach youth in rural and low-connectivity areas.

How have recent tech changes and global events affected your startup and industry?

The pace of change in 2024 was relentless — new AI tools, shifting economies, and changing client needs. But it worked in our favor. Businesses now realize that lean, automated teams outperform bloated ones, and our services became even more in-demand. We embraced AI in our curriculum and in client systems, helping brands become more agile and our students more future-proof.

We would love your feedback on HackerNoon as a tech publication! How has your experience been with us?

HackerNoon stands out in a sea of noise. It offers substance, not just hype. As a tech publication, it’s helped us stay informed, inspired, and connected to stories that matter. We appreciate the platform you’ve built.

Any words of wisdom you’d like to share with us?

Yes — build with purpose, not just ambition.

At KD Squares, we’ve learned that chasing impact creates more sustainable success than chasing trends. Whether you’re training talent or automating a system, focus on solving real problems for real people. That’s where the magic happens.