In Nigeria’s fast-paced tech scene, the popular myth is often that if you cannot code, you cannot work in tech. But Oluwatunmise (Mise) Ishola and Orewa (Jenny) Olusanya, co-founders of Tech Sales Starter, are doing their bit to create a clear path for the next wave of tech sales professionals in Africa’s tech scene.

Tech is often seen as the domain of coders and engineers. Why did you decide to focus on non-coders? But before that, can you share about how you got into tech sales?

Oluwatunmise:  I actually started my career as a QA analyst for AI data annotation at Hugo, a US-based tech BPO. That role gave me the early foundations of professionalism, structure, and working with global clients. However, since I studied Business at the University of Lagos, I was always naturally curious about how companies operate beyond execution, especially around growth and revenue.

So when an opening came up in the business team, I jumped at it. The team was still very new, so it felt like being thrown into the deep end. We had to figure out operations, execution, and most importantly, demand generation. That experience really shaped me, I learned how businesses position themselves, how systems are built to scale teams quickly, and ultimately what it takes to drive profitability. Because my first exposure was on a global scale, I was able to cut through noise quickly and understand what truly drives growth.

That path naturally led me into tech sales for SaaS companies. At its core, a tech sales professional helps companies solve problems using technology. We identify pain points, show how our solution can create value, and guide clients through the decision-making process. It’s about building trust, understanding customer needs, and connecting them with the right product in a way that drives both their success and the company’s revenue growth.

Orewa: My path into tech sales was anything but straightforward. I studied English at university because I loved reading, but I had no clear career direction at the time. After NYSC, like many graduates, I was scrambling for work and ended up in a role I really disliked.

Things changed when I joined Hugo, a US-based BPO, where I was given responsibility very early. That experience laid the foundation. I learned how to structure processes, manage client relationships, and build discipline into sales operations.

In 2023, I joined AiPrise, a Y Combinator-backed compliance technology company, as their first sales hire. It was a defining moment: I had to design the entire sales system from scratch, implement the tech stack, and build a go-to-market strategy that could work across multiple regions. Within a year, we grew annual recurring revenue to 7 figures, with clients in Africa, Europe, LATAM, and North America. That experience cemented my conviction that sales is not just about transactions. It’s about creating the systems that allow a company to survive and scale.

A strong tech sales team impacts the bottom line in very tangible ways. First, they shorten the time it takes for a product to generate revenue, which is critical for early-stage startups. Second, they reduce wasted resources by targeting the right customers and aligning sales with product capabilities. Third, they give the business predictability through structured pipelines and repeatable processes, you can forecast growth instead of relying on guesswork. In a market like Nigeria, where fundraising is competitive and margins are tight, those three things often determine whether a startup thrives or stalls.

What led to the establishment of your initiative/cause?

Oluwatunmise:  Tech Sales Starter really came out of two things. First, in our sales leadership roles, I noticed that anytime we tried to hire, most people coming in didn’t have real tech sales experience. They were usually from completely different backgrounds, which is fine, but it made training and mentorship way more demanding than it needed to be. I kept thinking, what if there was a place that gave people the basics before they ever got into their first role?

The second piece was more personal. Meeting young Nigerians and comparing them with peers globally, it was clear the talent was there; they’re just as smart and capable. What was missing were certain key skills and even the awareness of what was possible in this industry. Our break at Hugo and other opportunities really shaped our outlook, and we felt like others deserved that chance too. So for us, Tech Sales Starter became a way to close that gap, to pay it forward, and to show what African talent can really do when given the right tools.

Orewa: Absolutely! What really pushed us into creating Tech Sales Starter was seeing how many talented young people were being locked out of tech, not because they weren’t capable, but because they didn’t code. The narrative was always, “learn to program or you can’t be in tech.” But in reality, sales, customer success and operations are just as critical to whether a company survives.

Another motivation came from working closely with early-stage founders. Time and again, we’ve seen brilliant products stall because there was no one to build the revenue engine. The founders were juggling everything, from fundraising to customer onboarding, and sales became an afterthought. That gap between technical brilliance and commercial sustainability is exactly where Tech Sales Starter comes in.

For me, the real reward has been watching the ripple effect. Once people are trained in these overlooked but vital roles, two things happen: young professionals discover career paths they never imagined, and startups finally get the operators they need to grow. It’s not just about breaking individuals into tech it’s about strengthening the ecosystem as a whole.

I trust that between the time you started and now, some other programmes offering a similar service have commenced. What makes your approach unique?

Oluwatunmise: We keep things really hands-on and community-driven. It’s not just theory; we walk people through real-world sales situations, from finding prospects to actually closing deals. That way, they don’t just know what to do; they understand the real impact they should be making on a company’s bottom line.

A lot of sales teams here hand out quotas with little or no support, and that sets people up to fail. We wanted to flip that, so we focus on showing teams how to build the right way.

We also know sales don’t stand still. The way things were when I started at Hugo in 2021 is already outdated, and AI has sped things up even more. So we’re big on teaching adaptability, how to learn, unlearn, and pivot fast. At the end of the day, we’re raising salespeople who can thrive in today’s market and whatever comes next.

Orewa: Something else that makes our approach unique is that we built Tech Sales Starter out of conviction, not commercial gain. Similar sales courses in the industry can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, which is simply out of reach for most young people in Nigeria. We decided to keep our program free because, for us, it’s about building the pipeline of non-technical talent that the ecosystem desperately needs.

That choice has made a huge difference. By removing cost as a barrier, we’ve been able to train over 100 people so far, with about 65% of them already landing jobs in startups across Africa. Some of those graduates have gone on to become sales hires at companies like Lingua, Bizedge, AiPrise and Awarri, directly shaping how those businesses grow.

So yes, there are now other programs in the space, but what sets us apart is that we’re not just teaching skills, we’re opening doors. We’re proving that world-class sales talent can be developed right here, and that access doesn’t have to depend on privilege.

You have trained over 100 young Nigerians, with a 65% placement rate. What does this mean to you?

Orewa: It is incredibly humbling. We started with just a handful of young people, sharing what we knew, and today we’ve seen so many of our graduates placed in both local and global startups. Each placement is more than just a job, it’s a young person breaking into an industry they once thought was closed to them, and it’s a company gaining someone who can contribute from day one.

What excites me most is the ripple effect. When a founder hires one of our graduates, they’re not just filling a role; they’re getting someone who understands how to drive revenue, build relationships, and scale processes. That confidence, that ability to deliver with minimal supervision, is what makes startups stronger.

For me, every single placement is proof that access changes lives and strengthens the ecosystem. It reminds me why we started this in the first place to show that Nigerian talent, given the right support, can thrive on any stage, from Lagos to London to San Francisco.

Oluwatumise: One of our graduates from the first cohort (Chukwuemeka Nwalia) was a fresh law graduate. Today, he is a salesperson at a leading US SaaS company. His story is just one of many. We see what we are doing as a movement. We keep an eye out for each student, especially because the cohorts are quite small and close-knit. This way, we share opportunities, make introductions and provide support for our students. A lot of our students network together and rally around each other, sharing opportunities and friendships along the way. It is really beautiful to see. We have a Slack channel where we coordinate this.

What will you say is the overall impact and importance of tech sales and similar non-coding roles for Nigeria’s digital future?

Orewa: Non-coding roles open the door for millions of young people. You don’t need to write a single line of code to drive growth in a tech company. Sales, marketing, customer success, and support are the bridges between innovation and the market. Without them, even the best technology struggles to find adoption.

What makes these roles so important is that they are where technology meets people. Sales professionals connect products to customers. Support teams build trust. Operations and compliance make it possible for startups to expand across borders. Together, they are the backbone of scale.

For Nigeria, the impact is enormous. These roles represent the majority of jobs in the startup value chain. That translates into hundreds of thousands, potentially millions of opportunities for young people. And beyond employment, the multiplier effect is huge: taxable income for the government, stronger internally generated revenue, and foreign direct investment when global VCs see Nigerian startups building sustainable businesses.

So, when we focus on non-coding roles, we’re not just creating career paths, we’re building the foundation for Nigeria’s digital future. It’s about making sure innovation doesn’t stay locked in labs or codebases, but actually transforms lives, businesses, and economies.

What advice do you have for young Nigerians / Africans who want to break into tech?

Oluwatunmise: For Africa’s digital future, non-coding roles like tech sales are just as important as the technical ones. They’re the bridge between great products and the market, and without that bridge, even the best technology won’t scale.

Beyond skills, I always tell people not to stay in their little bubble. Community and networking change everything. You’ll always find people who are solving problems in more creative ways, and that exposure helps you grow faster.

One thing Jenny and I discovered early in our careers is that there’s literally a Slack community for every profession. Finding the ones that align with your goals and actively networking there can open doors you didn’t even know existed. For anyone looking at tech sales, of course, start with the basics, pick up the right skills, and learn from as many sources as possible. But also plug into communities, because that’s where opportunities and real growth happen.

Orewa: Yes, absolutely! My advice is this: don’t be discouraged if you don’t have a technical background. There are so many valuable roles in tech, and sales is one of the fastest ways to enter and grow. But the key is to be intentional, learn the basics, build your communication and problem-solving skills, and always stay curious about how technology is solving real-world problems.

At Tech Sales Starter, we keep our cohorts small on purpose. That way, the few people who make it in get high-quality attention, mentorship, and the kind of support that makes a difference early in a career. It’s not just about teaching you theory; it’s about preparing you to deliver in a real startup environment.

So, if you’re serious about breaking into tech, be ready to put in the work, seek out communities that push you forward, and don’t be afraid to apply to programs like ours. We’d be glad to receive you, and if you make it in, you’ll get the kind of presence and guidance that can help you not just land a role, but truly thrive in it.

What is your vision for the Tech Sales Starter? Do you plan to scale it? Open it to more countries? Where do you see this in the near future?

Oluwatunmise: Our vision is to scale Tech Sales Starter without lowering the bar. We are rebuilding a more robust curriculum and moving onto an LMS so we can serve more people while keeping live coaching, projects, and clear outcomes. We are adding more mentors, including mentors like Daniela Debebs, so every learner gets hands-on feedback and accountability.

We teach fundamentals and strategic thinking, and we stay tool agnostic with a simple learn any tool in three days method. In the near term, we will launch the LMS, run regular cohorts, grow our hiring partner network, and track outcomes like time to first interview and offers.

Geographically, we are opening beyond Nigeria into other parts of Africa and keeping everything remote-friendly so the diaspora can join. The goal is simple. Help complete beginners become production-ready SDRs who create pipelines in weeks, not months.