Gbenga Adigun, Founder of Scrella, is leveraging technology to democratise smartphone insurance across Nigeria. With extensive experience in banking and finance, he has built a platform that uses AI for remote device inspection and seamless onboarding. His vision is to promote financial inclusion by providing affordable, reliable coverage that protects users’ devices and digital lifestyles. In this interview, Gbenga Adigun explains how Scrella uses technology to provide fair, trustworthy, and empowering smartphone insurance for all.
What moral responsibility does an innovator carry when building for vulnerable users?
The moment you build for vulnerable users, your responsibility goes beyond functionality. You are building systems that people may depend on for stability. That requires empathy, restraint, and accountability. Innovation must reduce vulnerability, not exploit it. The goal is to empower people to move forward with confidence.
How do you ensure that technology serves people rather than measures them?
Technology should exist to support human progress, not reduce people to data points. At Scrella, technology helps us deliver protection efficiently, but every decision is grounded in human responsibility. Systems must remain transparent, explainable, and aligned with the people they serve. Technology is a tool, not the authority.
What values guide decision-making when profit and protection intersect?
Profit sustains the business, but protection defines its purpose. Long-term success depends on trust, which in turn stems from acting with integrity. When profit and protection intersect, decisions must preserve fairness, transparency, and responsibility. Sustainable growth is built on trust, not compromise.
How do you build trust among users who have been disappointed by institutions?
Trust is rebuilt through consistency. People need to see that systems work fairly and reliably. This requires transparency, clear communication, and accountability. Trust is not built through promises alone, but through repeated actions that demonstrate reliability over time.
In what ways can insurance promote dignity rather than dependence?
Insurance promotes dignity by preserving independence. It allows individuals to recover from unexpected setbacks without losing their ability to function economically. Protection supports people’s autonomy by ensuring that temporary disruptions do not become permanent setbacks.
How do you define fairness when outcomes depend on digital assessment?
Fairness begins with transparency and accountability. Digital systems must operate on clear principles and be continuously monitored to ensure they serve people equitably. Responsibility always remains with the organization deploying the system. Fairness is defined not only by efficiency, but by integrity.
What role does patience play in building meaningful adoption?
Adoption built on trust takes time. People must understand the value of protection through experience and consistency. Patience allows trust to develop naturally. Sustainable adoption is not driven by urgency, but by reliability and confidence.
How do you handle situations where technology cannot fully resolve human concerns?
Technology has limits, and leadership must recognize that. Human concerns require empathy, communication, and accountability. Technology can support solutions, but responsibility remains with people. Listening and responding thoughtfully remain essential.
What does responsible innovation look like in a society with unequal access?
Responsible innovation expands access rather than reinforcing inequality. It requires building solutions that are inclusive, accessible, and relevant to people’s realities. Innovation should create stability and opportunity, not deepen existing gaps.
How do you ensure Scrella remains grounded in service, not scale alone?
Scale is meaningful only when it strengthens service. We remain grounded by focusing on the people we serve and the trust they place in us. Our success is defined not just by how much we grow, but by how reliably we protect and support those who depend on us.
