Ade Abayomi Olufeko (born 1980) is a Nigerian-American technologist and designer known for his early adoption of emerging tools and practices, particularly in developing regions. He is the founder of Visual Collaborative, an international platform collaborating with diverse experts on socio-economic issues, innovation, and the humanities. In 2017, Olufeko contributed to the rediscovery and documentation of Sungbo's Eredo, an extensive system of historical earthworks in West Africa. In 2024, he established the Wing Chun Foundation Lagos, an initiative based in Lagos, Nigeria, that applies martial arts principles to leadership and cognitive development.

Early life and education

Ade Olufeko was born in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, Minnesota, and spent his formative years in Lagos, Nigeria, living in Surulere during the country’s Second Republic. He attended Unilag Staff School for primary education and St. Gregory's College in Obalende for secondary school. In the mid-1990s, he returned to Minneapolis, where he studied at Camden and delivered guest lectures to his International Baccalaureate peers on cultural perspectives in English literature. He later lived in Stevens Square, a National Historic District, before enrolling at Metropolitan State University in Saint Paul. There, he studied computer science with a focus on multimedia technologies, as part of a broader journey that laid the foundation for his interdisciplinary work in technology and culture.

Career

Dot-com and foundations

Olufeko began his career in 1997 with a law internship at Hinshaw & Culbertson, where he assisted in digital integration for legal archiving. During the dot-com era, he transitioned into technology, working in interactive design, internet technologies, and hardware at companies such as Ameritech, Imation, and

IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...

. While living in Minneapolis, he collaborated with musicians in New York City, including Amel Larrieux, using web design and digital strategies to expand their audience reach. He later relocated to New York City, joining Warner Music Group, where he contributed to its digital properties. Between 2004 and 2007, Olufeko worked in quality assurance at Shavlik Technologies and Adobe Systems, focusing on software testing and product stability. In 2007, he founded Visual Collaborative, a platform that showcased over 150 artists over a decade. He returned to IBM in 2016 as a management consultant, working on technology-driven initiatives.

Work in Nigeria

After relocating to Lagos, Nigeria, Olufeko focused on initiatives in the creative and technology sectors. Prior to settling in Lagos, he had undertaken consulting projects in Lagos and Abuja. He later served as a management consultant for ''The Avenue Projects''. From 2021 to 2023, he served as the first chairman of the Creative and Entertainment Group within the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), where he advocated for policies supporting SMEs and creative enterprises, particularly in intellectual property. Olufeko emerged as an early advocate for decentralized technologies in Africa's creative economy, emphasizing their potential for intellectual property preservation and artist empowerment ahead of mainstream

blockchain The blockchain is a distributed ledger with growing lists of Record (computer science), records (''blocks'') that are securely linked together via Cryptographic hash function, cryptographic hashes. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of th ...

adoption.

Discourse and impact

Olufeko has been active in technology, creative sector initiatives, and public discourse. He has delivered talks at institutions such as the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

, Yale University, and

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

, contributing to discussions on innovation, digital transformation, and Africa’s economy. He has served as a special guest moderator at

London Business School London Business School (LBS) is a business school and a constituent college of the federal University of London. LBS was founded in 1964 and awards post-graduate degrees (Master's degree, Master's degrees in management and finance, Master of B ...

and Columbia University, facilitating discussions on technology, creativity, and global economic trends. Additionally, he has spoken at Ivy League and leading institutions, including Georgetown University, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Lagos Business School, sharing insights on interdisciplinary approaches to innovation and development.

Humanities

Olufeko’s engagement in the humanities spans multiple disciplines, including art, philosophy, and literature, with a focus on cultural preservation and interdisciplinary dialogue.

Art

Showcased Bespoke AYO Mancala designed by Ade Olufeko

Self-taught as a digital painter and in mixed-media artistry, Olufeko's creative process as an

avocation An avocation is an activity that someone engages in as a hobby outside their main occupation. There are many examples of people whose professions were the ways that they made their livings, but for whom their activities outside their workplaces w ...

evolved over a decade. His exhibited work explores

Africanfuturism Africanfuturism is a cultural aesthetic and philosophy of science that centers on the fusion of Culture of Africa, African culture, history, mythology, point of view, with technology based in Africa and not limiting to the diaspora. It was coined ...

, experimental

Chaos theory Chaos theory is an interdisciplinary area of Scientific method, scientific study and branch of mathematics. It focuses on underlying patterns and Deterministic system, deterministic Scientific law, laws of dynamical systems that are highly sens ...

and Counterculture. In 2021, he introduced a wax print version of the indigenous Ayo mancala in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

fabric, initially producing 200 units for the consumer market. Following positive reception in local media, he expanded the product line with Kente and Adire versions, gaining traction across West Africa and its diaspora. According to audited data, sales of locally made units exceeded 5,000. During a period of capital flight in Nigeria and a fire outbreak in one of the largest woodcraft communities, part of these proceeds supported artisans and their families. His artwork '' Remember To Rise'', a collaboration with

, and '' Iyasile Naa'', a project with

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

, reflect his integration of technology and cultural narratives into visual storytelling. In 2017, Ade Olufeko led a multidisciplinary project documenting Nigeria's Sungbo's Eredo earthworks. The team employed blockchain technology for metadata preservation alongside geospatial mapping and local oral history collection.

Martial Arts

Olufeko established the Wing Chun Foundation Lagos, contributing to the study and practice of traditional martial arts in West Africa. His approach emphasizes the philosophical principles of movement, discipline, and mindfulness, aligning with broader cultural and historical frameworks.

Literary works

As part of the ''North Star'' Electronic Catalogue for Visual Collaborative, Olufeko authored ''Voyager (Vol. 2)'', ''Vivencias (Vol. 3)'', and ''Supernova (Vol. 4)'' in 2019, followed by ''TwentyEightyFour (Vol. 5)'' in 2020. During the same period, he wrote ''The Enterprising Young African: Avoiding Pitfalls in Technology and Business (''2019), which examines challenges in Africa’s evolving digital and business landscape. In 2020, Olufeko engaged in a dialogue with Robert Greene, author of '' The 48 Laws of Power'', discussing themes of power, human nature, and strategic thinking in the digital age. Excerpts from their conversation, published in '' ThisDayLive'', explored how historical insights shape modern leadership and adaptability. His contributions reflected a multidisciplinary perspective, drawing from technology, design, and culture to examine influence and decision-making in an interconnected world.

Notes

References

External links

Legacy website
(Continuum Archive) {{DEFAULTSORT:Olufeko, Ade 1980 births Living people Artists from Lagos American artists of Nigerian descent American people of Yoruba descent American people of Nigerian descent American emigrants to Nigeria St Gregory's College, Lagos alumni American mixed-media artists IBM employees American digital artists People from Minneapolis People from Ijebu Ode Nigerian company founders 21st-century Nigerian businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople Businesspeople from Lagos 21st-century American artists Nigerian technology businesspeople American technology businesspeople Camden High School (Minnesota) alumni