Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria from the age of 1, entrepreneur and founder Rilwan Lawal was surrounded by a culture of self-starters. Both his parents were entrepreneurs who managed multiple businesses.
Reflecting on his upbringing, Lawal, 33, shared with AFROTECH, “I don’t think I grew up seeing anyone around me waking up and getting ready to go to work. I feel like everybody around me had their own thing going on. And it was ingrained in me that at some point, I would be doing something on my own.”
He further explained, “My mom is the ultimate entrepreneur. I witnessed her start multiple businesses and saw it come to fruition. That has been very helpful. My dad was also an entrepreneur in the real estate space. So just seeing both sides, and being able to execute on just an idea and bring it to life, really gave me that positive thinking that I could essentially just do anything.”
At 17, Lawal left his family in pursuit of higher education in the United States. His interest in technology was sparked at the age of 8 when he received his first computer. Although a venture to build a platform for streaming African movies after being exposed to Hulu didn’t materialize, it fueled his curiosity in the field.
After earning a bachelor of science in management, Lawal spent three years in the corporate world before delving into the technology sector in 2016 by launching a startup that connected Airbnb owners with cleaning contractors.
In 2019, Lawal transitioned to become a founding product lead and ops manager at Hugo Labs, a school transportation company in New York.
Drawing from his varied experiences, Lawal launched GigEasy in 2022. The startup offers health, vision, and dental insurance to contractors, rideshare drivers, and freelancers, with corporations also having the option to subscribe to its resources under a separate business model.
Individual users pay a $35 monthly fee for benefits such as prescriptions, lab testing, imaging, virtual primary care, and in-person doctor visits. According to the company website, it takes users three minutes to complete an application for coverage quotes.
“We’re designing plans that fit the lifestyle of the gig worker,” Lawal explained. “We have a $35-a-month health insurance plan so that someone that makes a smaller amount of money compared to a corporate individual can afford at least to be able to see the doctor at least three times a year.”
GigEasy’s plans are flexible, allowing customers to enroll or opt out anytime during the year, reflecting the flexibility of the gig economy that is increasingly important to the new generation of workers.
GigEasy recently announced a $1.3 million pre-seed funding round with support from investors including Zeal Capital Partners, Barclays Bank, Bain Capital Ventures, and GoAhead Ventures. The investment will expedite product development and support the launch of a new feature reimbursing users for health expenses.
Source: AfroTech