Chapter 1 The Starting Line
I run two companies from Guinea: Kalinko Labs (software) and Kalinko Store (laptops for students at 40-60% below market). Before that, I built loan platforms for a NYC fintech and analytics tools for an asset manager.
It started in 2011 in a room in Conakry with unreliable power. I made my first website — it was terrible — but watching something I built become accessible to anyone, anywhere changed everything. Fourteen years later, the tools have changed but the drive hasn't.
Chapter 2 What Curiosity Built
Numbers don't tell the whole story. But these come close.
Chapter 3 The Way I Think About Code
I design systems anyone can debug at 2 AM with a phone hotspot. I've been that person, fixing production on mobile data in Conakry.
I understand the business well enough to argue priorities before writing code. The worst systems I've inherited came from engineers who mastered the technology but misunderstood the problem.
I ship early because the gap between imagined and actual user needs is always wider than I expect. Kalinko Store taught me that — when a student expects a working laptop and your checks missed something, feedback is immediate.
If I do something manually twice, I automate it. The step I skip today becomes the bottleneck that wakes me up next month.
Chapter 4 The Road So Far
Making quality technology accessible in Guinea. We’ve put 500+ laptops in students’ hands at 40-60% below traditional retail prices.
How it works:
- Direct sourcing: Certified refurbished and new devices from the United States
- Quality guarantee: Every device tested and certified, 3-month warranty
- Real support: Free Windows and Office training, 24/7 support in local languages
- Who we serve: Students, schools, businesses, and government agencies across Guinea
Built and maintained the core loan underwriting system for a fintech that grew into TBO Bank. Over six years, I led the migration from CodeIgniter to Laravel, modernized the frontend with Vue.js, and helped the platform scale from startup to acquisition.
What I Built:
- Loan underwriting system: The core engine that processed applications from intake through decision to disbursement. Built originally with CodeIgniter/MySQL/jQuery, later rebuilt in Laravel/Vue.js.
- Platform modernization: Led the full-stack migration that made the codebase maintainable and the team faster.
- Integration layer: Connected the platform to payment providers, credit bureaus, and internal banking systems.
- Operational tooling: Built the dashboards and admin interfaces the operations team used daily.
Outcome
Hyphen merged with TBO Bank in 2024. The platform I built is still processing loans today.
Built the internal analytics tools that Plaza Street Partners relies on daily. Over 8+ years, I’ve automated reporting that used to take hours, rebuilt the platform for maintainability, and delivered three custom applications that drive portfolio decisions.
What I Built:
- Automated reporting: Replaced 8+ hours/week of manual Excel work with a custom dashboard that pulls data and generates reports automatically.
- Platform modernization: Migrated from CodeIgniter/jQuery to Laravel/Vue.js, cutting page load times in half and making the codebase maintainable.
- Analytics applications: Built three web applications for portfolio analysis that the firm uses for investment decisions.
- Microservices transition: Led the move from monolithic architecture to Laravel-powered APIs with Vue.js/TypeScript frontends.
Outcome
These tools are still in production, used daily by the firm’s analysts and decision-makers.
Founded in 2014, Kalinko Labs helps companies automate the workflows that eat up their time and ship the software they can’t build in-house.
What we do:
- Process automation: We turn 3-hour manual workflows into 3-minute automated ones
- Custom software: Web and mobile apps built to spec, not from templates
- Technical rescue: We inherit the codebases other agencies won’t touch
- Embedded engineering: Senior developers who join your team and transfer knowledge
Based in Guinea, working with companies globally.
Chapter 5 The Instruments
Chapter 6 When the Screen Goes Dark
I run trails outside Conakry most mornings and paddleboard when I can. I read without a plan — last month a history of Standard Oil, this month a sci-fi novel about generation ships. The thread connecting all of it is the same thing that pulled me into tech: I want to understand how things actually work.