David Chima’s journey in business started long before he ever coded a platform. Growing up in Owerri, Imo State, he watched his mother, a civil servant, run a side rice distribution business to supplement her income. Those early lessons in supply, demand, and customer relations would shape his entrepreneurial mindset.

Chima launched his first business while studying Materials and Metallurgical Engineering at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO). He supplied custom-tailored clothing and branded T-shirts, handling everything from sourcing in Aba’s bustling markets to logistics on campus. These contracts, including one for the Student Union Government providing apparel for thousands of students, taught him the mechanics of end-to-end operations and cash flow management.

His first attempt at a digital venture, Housing Zone, aimed to streamline property rentals, but the COVID-19 pandemic stalled the project. Using the pause to recalibrate, Chima returned in 2022 with Bondly, an escrow payment solution designed to build trust between African merchants and hesitant global buyers.

Recognizing the need for a broader platform, Bondly pivoted in 2024 to Kuraway, named after the Japanese word for “storehouse.” Kuraway is now a B2B marketplace connecting suppliers and retailers across Africa in sectors like agro-commodities, cosmetics, and chemicals. The platform integrates optional escrow services, ensuring secure and traceable transactions, and has already supported over 1,300 businesses, facilitating more than $600,000 in trade.

Headquartered in Lagos, Kuraway is expanding beyond Nigeria to Ghana and Cameroon, aiming to become the “Alibaba for Africa.” For Chima, the goal is clear: provide the solutions African businesses need while building a scalable, continent-wide marketplace.

Outside work, he enjoys chess — a hobby reflecting the strategic thinking that has taken him from his mother’s market stalls to the forefront of African e-commerce.