The QTS Experience
The QTS Experience
Dave McCall
Ep. 246: Building the Infrastructure of Humanity: Ojonimi Bako on AI, Construction, and Purpose
1 hour 20 minutes Posted Apr 22, 2026 at 2:22 pm.
Introduction -Ojonimi Bako, CEO of Kaya
From Accenture and Walmart Labs to Construction: The Origin Story
The Gilead Story -Why Mission-Critical Infrastructure Is Literally Life and Death
Electricity, Night, and What the AI Transformation Actually Means
Practical AI: From Grocery Lists to Accelerating Human Expertise
Why People Resist AI -and Why That Is Already Changing
Building the Pyramids Again: The Scale of the Data Center Revolution
Staying Relevant in a Rapidly Changing World -The Full-Stack Operator
Foundation: Physics, Upward Bound, and Silicon Valley
Africa, London, Oslo -How Global Experience Shapes Lateral Thinking
The Moment Ojonimi Saw the Problem: The Suffolk Accelerator
What Is Kaya and How Does It Work? 00:47:59 Choke Points -The Real Challenges of Building Across Stakeholders
Japan, Trust, and the Single Plan
Buy, Track, Deliver -The Kaya Platform Explained
Building Trust with Skeptical Customers -Execution at Speed
Connecting Construction Work to Human Flourishing
The Base of the Economic Pyramid -Supply Chain Responsibility in DRC and Africa
What Gives Ojonimi Hope -Community, Gratitude, and What Comes Next
One Belief People Get Wrong About AI
The Leadership Habit He Is Still Developing -His Father's Legacy
What We Didn't Get to Cover -Real-World Results and 2026 Focus
How to Connect with Ojonimi Bako and Kaya
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1:20:21
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Show notes
Ojonimi Bako's dad survived hepatitis C on a clinical trial at Gilead. Now Ojonimi builds the facilities where the next cure gets discovered. The CEO of Kaya connects construction chaos, AI-driven supply chains, and what it means to build something that outlasts you -- in under 90 minutes.
Chapters:
References:
Ojonimi Bako on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ojonimibako/
Kaya (company website): https://www.kayapays.com/
Accenture -- https://www.accenture.com
Walmart Global Tech (formerly Walmart Labs) -- https://tech.walmart.com
Gilead Sciences -- https://www.gilead.com
Suffolk Construction -- https://www.suffolk.com
Bootstrap Labs (Applied Artificial Intelligence fund, San Francisco) -- https://bootstraplabs.com
Nvidia -- https://www.nvidia.com
Amazon Web Services (AWS) -- https://aws.amazon.com
Kent State University -- https://www.kent.edu
Upward Bound Program / Ohio Wesleyan University -- https://www.owu.edu
Stanford Graduate School of Business (Executive MBA) -- https://www.gsb.stanford.edu
Procore Technologies (referenced as industry platform) -- https://www.procore.com
Autodesk Construction Cloud (referenced as industry platform) -- https://construction.autodesk.com
Architecture 2030 (carbon emissions from the built environment): https://architecture2030.org
Responsible Minerals Initiative (cobalt sourcing and the Democratic Republic of Congo): https://www.responsiblemineralsinitiative.org
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