WithChude & Dataphyte

In an era where media organizations across Nigeria grapple with shrinking revenues and operational challenges, technology is emerging as a powerful tool for improvement. For Joy Inc.’s #WithChude and Dataphyte, leveraging technology has been key to navigating the competitive media landscape while staying true to their missions. Their journeys, powered by NAMIP’s support, demonstrate how innovative platforms and strategic interventions can optimize revenue, improve operations, and unlock growth. 

Click Here to Download NAMIP’s 3 Year Impact Report

First It Told Stories, Then It Sold Stories: The #WithChude Story 

Storytelling lies at the heart of African history, and #WithChude builds on this tradition, offering heartfelt interviews, documentaries, and discussions that resonate deeply with audiences. Kicking off with a discussion panel podcast style in 2022, and only averaging 500 views per video, #WithChude has grown significantly to reaching over 100,000 average views in its videos, with a knack for being viral on X/Twitter. The platform is known for heartfelt and vulnerable interviews with Afrobeats celebrities, politicians, thespians, influencers, fashion designers, and startup founders and investors. Occasionally, #WithChude publishes documentaries, interviews, and podcasts that sit with Nigeria’s vulnerable (such as terrorism and police brutality victims) towards making heavy social concerns important topics of national discussion.  

By 2022, #WithChude had built a loyal following, achieving organic success through impactful YouTube content. However, the platform faced significant hurdles: revenue from YouTube monetization was limited, and the lack of centralized content management created inefficiencies in user engagement. NAMIP’s intervention was instrumental in addressing these challenges, equipping #WithChude with the tools to optimize its operations and diversify its revenue streams. 

The launch of WithChude.com solved this problem. The website consolidated all of #WithChude’s offerings—videos, podcasts, blogs, merchandise, and events—into a unified, user-friendly platform. This transformation not only streamlined content access but also enabled advanced audience tracking, allowing the team to better understand user preferences. A key addition was the donation feature, giving fans a direct way to support the platform financially.

The impact was immediate. By October 2024, digital revenue accounted for 20.5% of total income, up from 17.8% in December 2023. Paid subscriptions increased by 5%, and social media platforms like TikTok saw an average monthly growth of 3%. NAMIP’s support in hiring a Growth Lead and Community Manager further enhanced #WithChude’s capacity to engage users and execute targeted campaigns.  

WithChude.com’s success highlights the importance of tracking numbers and audience performance through data, a position which NAMIP reinforces and supports. #WithChude’s product lead, Dorcas Taiwo, told NAMIP that “working with NAMIP has enabled us to build withchude.com […] This platform has improved our tracking capabilities, addressing setbacks related to limited access to third-party backend systems, and has also maximized our engagement with new audiences”. A key lesson from Ms. Taiwo’s comment is the need to own one’s publishing platform, regardless of format, to avoid being held hostage by host platforms failing to understand language and nuance, thereby limiting distribution potential.  

A 2022 #WithChude tweet about platform censorship

With the support of NAMIP, #WithChude has demonstrated that with the right strategies, media platforms can overcome challenges, unlock new opportunities, and sustain impactful storytelling for years to come. These initiatives combined storytelling excellence with technological innovation, ensuring that #WithChude remained both impactful and profitable. 

The Dataphyte Journey: Productizing Data for Revenue Growth 

While #WithChude optimized its distribution channels, Dataphyte focused on turning its data expertise into a marketable product. Known for its incisive data journalism and election analyses, through products such as ‘X and Y Convos’, ‘#NotebookGate’ Dataphyte envisioned a platform that could extend its impact beyond storytelling. The result was Goloka, an AI-powered tool launched in 2022 to provide hyperlocal data and actionable insights for businesses, NGOs, and government agencies. 

Backed by NAMIP’s funding and advisory, Goloka’s development journey wasn’t without challenges. Initial engineering outsourcing models proved insufficient for product development, leading Dataphyte to build an in-house engineering team. This shift enabled the successful completion of critical features, including a multi-currency wallet system and contributor onboarding tools. 

Goloka’s impact has been profound. With over 1,500 contributors and partnerships in mining, agriculture, and governance, the platform generated $50,000 in revenue within its first two years. The wallet system streamlined payments for contributors, while AI-driven survey tools allowed clients to gather insights more efficiently. Goloka’s clients have praised its ability to deliver localized, actionable data at a fraction of traditional research costs. 

Dataphyte’s journey also benefited from NAMIP’s strategic guidance, which included business coaching, productivity tools, and staffing support. The addition of a Business Development Lead and senior engineers ensured continuity in Goloka’s development while driving client acquisition. Looking ahead, Dataphyte plans to expand Goloka’s reach across Africa, introducing features like an AI-powered data marketplace to unlock new revenue streams. As Dataphyte’s founder, Joshua Olufemi, noted, “NAMIP’s assistance has gone beyond Goloka’s development and launch. It has influenced our overall strategy, improved our sustainability models, and fostered growth across our operational ecosystem.” 

Goloka’s success amidst other Dataphyte products proves that there is an opportunity for media organizations to pursue productization of their varied inherent expertise and capture value from business interests in adjacent and ancillary industries without losing the core of their operating objectives. Many media organizations pursue revenue through a purely advertisement lens, which tends to hamper other opportunities that may be available, as seen in Goloka’s situation. There is something across the field, if you seek it. 

Lessons in Technology-Driven Transformation 

The stories of #WithChude and Dataphyte highlight key lessons for media organizations seeking to leverage technology for growth: 

1. Centralizing Operations Drives Efficiency and Revenue: For #WithChude, consolidating content on a centralized platform streamlined audience engagement and unlocked new revenue opportunities.
2. Productizing Expertise Can Diversify Revenue Streams: Dataphyte’s Goloka demonstrates how media organizations can monetize their core competencies to serve new markets while staying financially viable. 
3. Strategic Support Accelerates Growth: NAMIP’s bespoke coaching and funding provided the foundation for both organizations to implement and scale their innovations. 

A Shared Vision for the Future 

As #WithChude expands its audience through innovative storytelling and Dataphyte scales Goloka’s reach, their journeys serve as powerful examples of how African media organizations can use technology to thrive. By integrating operational efficiency with impactful storytelling and data-driven solutions, both organizations are charting a path for sustainable, transformative growth. 

Their stories remind us that when technology meets purpose, the possibilities are limitless. 

Click Here to Download NAMIP’s 3 Year Impact Report