Chef · Founder · Product Builder · Abuja, Nigeria

Deborah Ogwuche (Bless)

I find problems people in Nigeria face every day — fake products, wasted goods, not knowing which chef to trust — and turn them into working platforms.

About me

Portrait of Deborah Ogwuche (Bless)

I'm Deborah Ogwuche, also known as Bless: a chef, business leader and software engineer who builds practical solutions to real problems. I'm the CEO and Manager of Abuja Culinary School, and co-founder and business development lead of the Africa Fund, where we build solutions to some of Africa's greatest challenges.

My path runs from a BSc in Botany at Ahmadu Bello University, to software engineering at ALX/Holberton School (USA), to the Stanford Seed Aspire programme for African entrepreneurs. I'm a hospitality and nutrition education expert, a Guinness World Record holder, a published author, speaker and mentor, and I've worked with international organisations around the world to advance food technology and nutrition.

What I've built

VerifyNG

Trust & authentication

A product verification platform that helps Nigerians check whether food, drinks, cosmetics and medicines are genuine.

Live build: David Adebanwo
Visit VerifyNG

GiveTake

Community platform

A location-based marketplace where people give away and pick up free items nearby, cutting waste and helping neighbours.

Live build: Alexander Ubaka, co-founder
Visit GiveTake

Chefmark

Verified directory

A directory of verified Nigerian chefs, so customers can find and trust professionals who are properly trained.

Live build: Alexander Ubaka, co-founder
Visit Chefmark

Taste Nigeria

Digital media

A food magazine and digital platform celebrating Nigerian cuisine, culture and the people behind it.

Status: Working prototype, not live yet
Coming soon

Who does what: for every product, I come up with the idea, design the product and the engineering, and build the working prototype with AI-assisted development. My co-founder Alexander Ubaka and other developers then build and launch the production versions.

How I work

  1. Find the problem. I start with something people genuinely struggle with.
  2. Shape the product. I define the features, flows and business model.
  3. Build the prototype. I design the engineering and produce working prototype code with AI assistance.
  4. Go live. Developers build the production version and we launch it.
  5. Learn and improve. We refine each product from real use.