storytelling with data podcast: #87: the founder’s journey: From Lagos to Zurich to AI-Powered Insights

In this second installment of our new podcast series, The Founder’s Journey, we sit down with Odun Odubanjo, CEO and founder of Insight7, a platform making qualitative data instantly actionable.

Odun’s story starts in Lagos, Nigeria, where a chance internship at Google Zurich opened a door that would eventually lead to founding multiple startups, scaling a business across Africa, working at Shopify in Canada, and launching Insight7 in the U.S. Today, Odun helps organizations turn qualitative data—from customer calls to interviews—into meaningful business insights.

In this episode, Randy and Odun talk about:

• The surprising power of staying in touch

• Lessons learned building startups in Africa and breaking into new markets

• How Insight7 helps teams unlock the hidden value in their qualitative data

• The power of storytelling as a founder, including a “holy moly” moment with a new customer

• Navigating the AI revolution and how tools like ChatGPT and Claude are reshaping the way we build, communicate, and lead

Odun also shares his perspective on why now is the best time to be alive—and to start something new. Tune in and be inspired by the story of a founder who’s innovating across continents and categories.

• Learn more about Insight7 at insight7.io

• Connect with Odun on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/odunodu