CEO of PaidHR, Seye Bandele, has shared actionable insights for startup founders on identifying ideal clients and partners, emphasizing curiosity as a core driver of innovation and growth.

Speaking at the Africa Startup Festival 2025 in Lagos, Bandele described building a successful startup as fundamentally “a game of volume.”

“I said this is a game of volume, right? It’s a game of numbers. So you need to find thousands of those people as quickly as possible, depending on how big a business you are trying to create and the resources you have available,” he said.

Bandele stressed that the most valuable clients are those who understand the problem your solution solves and actively contribute to refining it.

“Choosing your best clients are the people who understand that your solution will solve their problem as quickly as possible. The questions they ask and the future they are trying to create can guide you toward better outcomes. These clients prioritize my solution, give me time, and are happy to ask intentional or intelligent questions that help me develop solutions to their problems,” he explained.

He also highlighted that business partners should be treated as customers, given their role in extending the reach and impact of a solution.

“Partners are the same. You need to look at them as customers. Someone partnering with you may be reselling your solution to other customers or solving a problem within their own ecosystem,” Bandele noted.

Closing his remarks, Bandele emphasized curiosity as the engine of innovation, encouraging founders to question everything.

“Curiosity is the bedrock of genius. Question everything. Even if something doesn’t save time or you feel you’re not intelligent enough, just ask questions. It’s by asking questions that you gain insights, become smarter, and eventually reach genius. Curiosity is the broker of genius,” he concluded.