I’m David — a farmer, entrepreneur, software engineer, and product person based in Kenya.

These days, I’m spending more of my time on farming, operations, and practical non-coding work: building things in the real world, learning from the land, and thinking about sustainable businesses from the ground up.

My background is in software, product, data, and startup-building:

• Co-Founder & CTO of Wazi — pioneering digital mental health for Africa.
• Co-Founder of GrantAI — helping organizations streamline grant applications with AI.
• Led software & data platforms at Zembo, building e-mobility and clean energy infrastructure in Africa.
• Built and led software teams, product systems, data platforms, and early-stage technology products.

Open to thoughtful conversations on:

• Entrepreneurship, esp if you're focused on African markets
• Building teams, products, and organisations that last
• Product strategy and early-stage startups
• Software, data, systems architecture, and technical leadership
• Farming, agribusiness, and sustainable local enterprise
• Practical uses of AI, IoT, and automation

Connect with me: LinkedIn • Website • GitHub

⚡ Fun fact: I’m a big sci-fi & fantasy fan (books, movies, comics) — and currently looking for calm, friendly big dogs (thinking of adopting a Cane Corso 🐕).

Wrote below to help communicate how I like to work.

Guiding Philosophy:
I follow three guiding principles:

• Is it true?
• Is it necessary?
• Is it kind?

If something doesn’t tick all those boxes, I hesitate to share it. If it’s true & necessary, I aim to find a kind way to share it.

• Email: Important but not urgent – I respond within a day to a week.
• Slack: Important but not urgent – I respond immediately to within a few hours during working hours.
• WhatsApp / Direct Call: For super important & urgent only (system downtime, blocking issues, real-time logistics).

💡 For calls: Please ask "Do you have 5 or 10 minutes for a quick chat?"

• I may not respond immediately if I’m in back-to-back meetings, but I’ll follow up as soon as possible.
• Urgent = outages, blocking issues, real-time logistics.
• Everything else can wait until I’m available.

• No communication on weekends, holidays, or after hours (before 9am, after 5pm) unless urgent.
• I may send emails or Slack messages, but don’t expect responses until working hours.

• I live by my calendar — feel free to schedule time, but include context (via Email/Slack).
• Avoid unplanned calls unless urgent.

• We use Jira + Scrum → Sprint-based iterative work, regular feedback, constant improvement.
• Focus time is key. Sprint scope changes only if urgent (bugs/blockers).
• Feature requests → backlog.

• I trust team members to make judgment calls if I’m unavailable, especially if my input would only change outcomes by ~30% or less.
• I expect everyone to take ownership of their tasks and proactively communicate if things are going off track. It’s okay to ask for help early, but leaving things until the last minute can create unnecessary stress.

Example:

• Mobile devs know mobile best — I defer to them.
• DevOps/API specialists know their domain — I trust their expertise.

• Direct, respectful conversations resolve most issues.

• Always open to learning and improving.
• Happy to support your growth and receive feedback on mine.

• I work best in focused blocks but welcome quick brainstorming with heads-up.
• Mental health matters: For you and for me. If I’m having a tough day, I’ll communicate that I may need extra support or a push. Sometimes, just pairing up on tasks can help me get unstuck.
• I believe in treating everyone with respect and understanding that personal lives affect work. We all have ups and downs. If you need to reschedule due to personal reasons, feel free to be open about it.
• and I’m happy to offer the same in return. Found this to be helpful in the past

• Take ownership of tasks and communicate early if things go off track.
• Asking for help early prevents last-minute stress.

I value kindness, openness, and respect.
I’ll treat you as the best person for your role, and I trust you’ll do the same.