In a country where weddings are loud, colourful, and filled with surprises, two Nigerian founders are on a mission to eliminate one of the most awkward parts of celebrations, unwanted gifts.
Ridwan Egbeyemi and Tolu Adesina bring strong technical backgrounds to their new venture. Ridwan has deep experience in product design and user research, while Tolu is a seasoned software engineer turned product leader.
Now, they’re using those skills to tackle a more personal challenge, making gifting more thoughtful and less wasteful.
Their startup, Unboxd, has just announced the close of its first round of funding, backed by friends, family, and a lead investor.
The idea for Unboxd was sparked when Ridwan was planning his own wedding and realised how difficult it was to avoid duplicate or unwanted gifts. He partnered with Tolu to build a simple MVP, a registry where guests could contribute, fully or partially, to gifts the celebrant actually wanted.
That one-off project evolved into a platform with wide appeal. Since launching, over 3,000 events have used Unboxd, all organically, with no marketing spend. The growth has been entirely word-of-mouth, driven by a clear value proposition and smooth user experience.
Alongside the financial investment, the team is receiving technical support and strategic guidance from some of the same individuals who participated in the round, helping them sharpen the product roadmap and scale with confidence.
“The funding allows us to rebuild our infrastructure from the ground up,” says Tolu Adesina. “We’re focused on making gifting not only more meaningful but more fun, for both the giver and receiver.”
Next up: scaling the platform to support more users, enabling seamless contributions from outside Nigeria, and expanding the features that make gift-giving feel personal, intuitive, and celebratory.
With Unboxd, gifting is no longer an afterthought, it’s becoming part of the joy.