Kenneth
Ekandem.

Software Engineer · Lagos, Nigeria

Open to senior engineering roles

Building reliable systems for the web. Currently building Rivet — trust infrastructure for Nigeria's service economy. Previously at SMCDAO.

Off the clock: space, music, and gaming. Slowly making my way through the Three-Body trilogy.

Kenneth Ekandem
Work
SMCDAO ↗2023 — 2025

Software Engineer

  • Joined as a senior engineer and owned the entire backend and community infrastructure
  • Built and launched v1 and v2 of the mobile app — the primary interface for 40,000+ users and 5,000+ DAU
  • Designed and shipped a real-time chat service powering community communications, built on Phoenix Channels and OTP
  • Built an internal payroll system for the team
  • Architected the distributed backend: Auth, API, Socket, and Indexer microservices on Docker with auto-scaling
  • The platform raised $32M in funds on the strength of the infrastructure and product
Afara Partners ↗2022 — 2023

Backend Engineer

  • First experience in a structured corporate engineering environment — production finance systems, real compliance constraints, team workflows
  • Contributed features across live financial products serving real customers, building fluency in code review culture and production discipline

Intern → Lead Engineer

  • Started with no formal background — self-taught PHP and web fundamentals on the job as an intern at a digital agency in southern Nigeria
  • Kept building until proficiency earned real production responsibility — eventually owning delivery across web, mobile, and enterprise client projects
  • Built ManageAm — a medical platform for diabetic patients covering meal intake tracking, health tips, and care guidance — live on iOS and Android
  • Took on lead engineer responsibilities in year two, shipping products across multiple industries before leaving to go independent
Projects
Rivet ↗Service provision marketplace
SMCDAO ↗Decentralized community platform · 40,000+ users
ManageAm ↗Diabetes self-management on iOS & Android
Writing
Contact