Our Story
Why We Built Parrot
The trust and customer intelligence infrastructure for emerging markets.
Right now in Nigeria, and other emerging markets across Africa and LATAM, millions of customers are about to spend their money.
They have found a business on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. The videos or pictures look good. The captions are convincing.
But something in them wants to know: Are they legit and credible? Has anyone actually bought from them? What was the experience really like?
So they do what people in these markets have always done.
They ask around. They check the comment sections on Social Media. But nobody actually knows.
So they take the risk, and hope for the best.
On the other side is a business owner who has worked hard, built something real, and has no way to showcase it. Great product, excellent service, happy customers — all hidden.
Current customers are praising them in the DM, and via word-of-mouth, but none of it is visible where the next customer is making their decision.
The conversation already exists. It is just scattered, with nowhere permanent and trustworthy to live.
Parrot is where it lives. Permanently.
Wale Adeyemo
Parrot - Founder & CEO
Before I was a founder, I was a customer.
And like most customers in Nigeria, I have been scammed, experienced bad customer service, and had my share of what-I-ordered vs what-I-got.
I bought a fake iPhone, which looked real, and felt real. Until I found Google Play Store, and FM Radio on it.
I have been to an over-priced 'luxury' restaurant hyped by influencers only to be left wondering what the hype was all about.
I lodged in a hotel in Abeokuta, where I paid for a meal, the transaction went twice, and they confirmed they got both. 3 yrs later, I'm yet to get my refund. Stories upon excuses.
Every single time, I wish there was somewhere, with real customers and honest reviews, that I could check before I handed over my money.
Early in my career, I worked as a Data Analyst in the market research and intelligence industry.
I saw what customer reviews, and customer conversation data could do for a business; how those data are used to build trust, and turned into intelligence. And how the businesses that had access to it made more money, built better products, and kept their customers longer.
I also saw that SMBs, the businesses who needed it most, could not afford it.
Then I went abroad to pursue a MSc in Data Science on a fully funded scholarship. I focused my thesis on using Neural Network Models to Predict Customer Trust, and Purchase Intention using Reviews, and Customer Conversation Data.
The model worked on data from developed markets, confirming a strong positive relationship between trust and customer purchase. Sadly, there was no data for emerging markets like Nigeria, where there is low trust between customers and businesses.
That was the moment Parrot became inevitable for me. Not just as a researcher. As someone who had personally paid the price of not having it.
We built Parrot for the customer I was every time I got burned — and for every legitimate business that is providing great products and services, and excellent customer experience but has no way to showcase it to build trust and make more money.
Our Philosophy
We believe that commerce is fundamentally a social act, so trust in commerce can only be built socially, person to person, and within communities.
We believe that every customer deserves to know the truth about what they are paying for before they pay.
We believe that every legitimate business deserves a platform where their reputation actually follows them.