The African tech community is mourning the loss of Adetunji ‘TeeJay’ Opayele, the Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Bumpa, a Nigerian retail automation startup.
Opayele tragically passed away on March 5, 2025, following a car accident in Lagos, Nigeria.
Opayele co-founded Bumpa in 2020 alongside Kelvin Umechukwu, after the two met as students at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU).
Under their leadership, Bumpa has grown significantly, now employing 40 individuals and serving 60,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with over 160 billion naira processed in transactions.
Reacting to the heartbreaking news, Umechukwu expressed his deep sorrow:
“This is honestly one of the most distressing things I’ve ever been through, and I imagine it’s the same for all of us who were close to Teejay. He wasn’t just a co-founder to me; he was my friend, my brother, my fight partner, and a brilliant engineer. Teejay was family to me, and this is honestly one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to deal with in life.”
Before co-founding Bumpa, Opayele had an extensive career in software development, holding roles in both Nigeria and the United States.
He previously founded HostCabal, a web hosting company, and held positions at Nigerian financial services provider E-Settlement.
Under Opayele’s technical leadership, Bumpa achieved significant milestones, including raising $4 million in seed funding in 2022, led by Base10 Partners. The startup also integrated with Meta platforms to enhance merchants’ messaging capabilities and acquired beauty marketplace Fyne in 2023, as well as PaperCloud in 2025.
Opeyemi Awoyemi, Partner at Fast-Forward Fund, a Bumpa investor, described Opayele as a committed, resourceful, and energetic individual:
“Tunji loved life and lived it to the fullest. We had the privilege of working closely with him from day 0 at Bumpa, and his tenacity always stood out. He was deeply committed to his vision, yet he also had a curiosity for life beyond work—always exploring new ideas and passions. His energy and determination were truly inspiring, and he will be deeply missed.”
In honor of Opayele’s legacy, Bumpa has announced plans to develop an AI assistant named ‘Teejay’ that will provide business insights and problem-solving support within the app, continuing the impactful work of its late co-founder. Umechukwu assured customers that the Bumpa app will remain fully functional, stating:
“Though his presence will be missed, we commit to keeping Teejay’s legacy alive by ensuring that the Bumpa app is fully functional and we continue to meet your business needs with it.”
Opayele will be remembered for his dedication, innovation, and the lasting impact he made through his work at Bumpa.
