Nigerian technology founder Dare Timileyin is building Nexalware AI around an ambitious idea: creating infrastructure that connects physical devices with intelligent software and makes it easier for developers and businesses to build smart, autonomous systems.
In an exclusive interview with AIBase reporter Ahmad Ibrahim, Timileyin explained that Nexalware’s broader ambition is to build an infrastructure layer between the physical and digital worlds, while developing technology that takes into account the realities of connectivity, power and infrastructure across Africa.
“Nexalware is building an AIoT infrastructure that connects physical devices to software and makes it easier to build intelligent systems,” Timileyin said.
“The bigger vision is to build the infrastructure layer that sits between the physical world and the digital world, so developers and businesses can build smart and autonomous systems without having to build all the difficult infrastructure from scratch.”
For now, however, Timileyin is starting with a more focused product: the Nexalware AIoT Gateway.
Starting with the AIoT Gateway
According to Timileyin, the Gateway is Nexalware’s current minimum viable product and is designed to connect IoT devices and physical hardware with software applications.
“The Gateway is the part that connects IoT devices and hardware to applications, allowing data from those devices to be collected, managed, processed and used by software,” he said.
The founder believes one of the central difficulties facing developers building intelligent physical systems is the need to manage multiple devices, communication methods, data systems, security requirements and AI capabilities simultaneously.
“Building intelligent hardware systems today can require developers to deal with many different devices, communication methods, data, security and AI systems separately,” Timileyin said. “We want to make that process much easier.”
While Nexalware’s ambitions extend beyond the Gateway, Timileyin was careful not to present future products as existing technology.
“Our long-term vision is bigger than the Gateway,” he said.
“We want to eventually build the operating system and hardware layer that will work together with the Gateway to create a complete AIoT infrastructure. But those are part of our roadmap, not products we are claiming to have fully built today.”
Those future layers include NexaOS and NexaBoard, both of which remain part of Nexalware’s longer-term development plans.
What AIoT means in practical terms
For Timileyin, AIoT – the combination of artificial intelligence and connected physical devices -represents a step beyond traditional Internet of Things technology.
“In simple terms, AIoT is when you combine connected physical devices with intelligence,” he explained.
“A normal IoT device can collect information and send it somewhere. AIoT goes a step further by allowing the system to understand that information, identify patterns and eventually make decisions or take actions.”
He gave the example of a machine being monitored by sensors. Rather than simply reporting that a machine is becoming hotter, an intelligent system could identify an unusual temperature pattern, recognise it as a possible problem and trigger an appropriate response or alert.
“For businesses, the value is really about making physical systems more intelligent, easier to monitor and able to respond faster,” Timileyin said.
“That is what we want Nexalware to make easier for developers and businesses.”
Building for Africa’s infrastructure realities
One of the considerations shaping Nexalware’s long-term approach is the reality that internet connectivity and power can be unreliable in many African markets.
“We are building with the reality of African infrastructure in mind, where internet connectivity and power can sometimes be unreliable,” Timileyin said.
His long-term vision is for systems built using Nexalware’s infrastructure to avoid depending entirely on constant internet connectivity.
“Some intelligence and decision-making should happen close to the device itself,” he said.
That approach is closely connected to the concept of edge AI, where some processing takes place closer to where data is generated rather than relying entirely on remote cloud infrastructure.
Timileyin said Nexalware’s planned NexaOS layer could eventually support this capability, enabling devices to continue performing important operations even when connectivity is unavailable before synchronising with the wider platform once the internet returns.
However, he emphasised that the technology remains part of Nexalware’s roadmap.
“I want to be clear that this is part of our roadmap,” Timileyin said. “Our current MVP is the AIoT Gateway, so I don’t want to present the complete offline intelligence system as something we have already finished building.”
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Why edge AI could matter for Africa
Timileyin believes edge AI could make artificial intelligence significantly more practical for businesses operating in environments where internet connectivity is not always dependable.
“A lot of AI systems depend heavily on sending data to the cloud before something can happen,” he said. “But when you have a physical system that needs to respond immediately, waiting for the internet can become a problem.”
With edge AI, he said, some processing can happen closer to where information is generated.
“This can make systems respond faster, reduce the amount of data that needs to be sent continuously, and allow important operations to continue even when connectivity is not perfect.”
For Africa, Timileyin believes this could be particularly important.
“We have very different infrastructure conditions from many other parts of the world,” he said.
“So I believe we should not only think about how to bring existing AI technology into Africa. We should also think about how to build AI systems that actually work well with the realities we have here.”
Opportunities across multiple industries
Rather than building exclusively for one sector, Timileyin sees potential applications for Nexalware’s AIoT infrastructure across a wide range of industries.
“I don’t think there is only one industry that needs it,” he said. “There are many areas where physical systems can benefit from intelligence and automation.”
Agriculture is one such area, where sensors and intelligent systems could help monitor conditions and support better decision-making.
“We can use sensors and intelligent systems to monitor things like soil conditions and improve irrigation decisions,” Timileyin said.
He also identified energy as an important potential application, particularly given the challenges surrounding electricity infrastructure.
“Intelligent monitoring can help businesses and energy operators understand what is happening with their systems and make better decisions,” he said.
Healthcare could also benefit from intelligent monitoring systems, particularly in situations where access to real-time information is critical.
Manufacturing, water management, transportation and smart buildings are among the other sectors Timileyin believes could benefit from AIoT.
“For us, the bigger opportunity is not to build only for one industry,” he said. “We want to build infrastructure that developers and businesses can use to create solutions across different industries.”
Building the technology before claiming success
Nexalware is currently at the MVP stage, and Timileyin was notably direct about the company’s present position.
“At the moment, we are still at the MVP stage, so I don’t want to give a false impression that we already have a large number of customers using Nexalware in production,” he said.
“Our current product is the AIoT Gateway, and we are building and validating the infrastructure around it.”
Rather than presenting a hypothetical use case as an established customer success story, Timileyin described the type of challenge Nexalware is being designed to address.
A business may operate multiple physical devices that generate information from different parts of its operations. Building separate systems to connect those devices, manage the data, create rules, introduce intelligence and integrate everything with existing applications can be technically complex.
“Nexalware is being designed to provide that infrastructure layer,” Timileyin said. “That is the problem we are currently working towards solving.”
The founder said the company’s immediate focus is on validating its technology and preparing the AIoT Gateway for use by developers and businesses.
“I think it is important to be honest about the stage we are at,” he said. “We have a much bigger vision for Nexalware, but we are building it one layer at a time. The Gateway is where we are starting.”
No manufactured numbers
Timileyin was equally cautious when asked about measurable customer outcomes, saying Nexalware would not claim results it had not yet achieved.
“Since we are still at the MVP stage and don’t currently have a large customer deployment base, I don’t want to manufacture numbers or give people the impression that we have achieved customer results that we haven’t,” he said.
Instead, the company is focused on proving the Gateway’s capabilities and preparing the infrastructure for real-world adoption.
As Nexalware begins securing deployments, Timileyin said the company intends to measure how quickly developers can connect devices, the reliability of device-data management, the amount of development time saved and the operational improvements achieved by businesses.
“I believe those are the numbers that will matter when we start measuring customer impact,” he said.
Foundation first, announcements later
Timileyin also declined to make premature announcements about partnerships, funding or expansion simply to generate attention.
“At this point, I don’t want to announce something simply because it sounds good for an interview,” he said.
Instead, Nexalware is concentrating on developing the AIoT Gateway and establishing the technological foundation for its broader ambitions.
“There are bigger things planned for Nexalware, including the future development of NexaOS and NexaBoard, but those are part of our long-term roadmap and I would rather announce them properly when they are ready.”
“For now, the important thing is that we are building the first layer of the infrastructure and moving from the vision into something real.”
‘AI is much bigger than chatbots’
According to Timileyin, one of the major misconceptions among African businesses is the tendency to view artificial intelligence primarily through the lens of chatbots and content generation.
“I think one of the biggest misunderstandings is that AI is only about chatbots or generating content,” he said. “AI is much bigger than that.”
He believes AI can increasingly be applied to physical systems across sectors including agriculture, energy, manufacturing, healthcare and transportation.
“These areas can use AI to understand data, identify problems, make predictions and automate decisions,” Timileyin said.
He also believes African businesses and technology companies should move beyond simply adopting solutions developed elsewhere.
“I believe we should also be building our own infrastructure and solutions around the problems we actually have here,” he said.
Africa faces distinct challenges involving connectivity, power, cost and wider infrastructure, Timileyin argued, creating a need for technologies designed around those conditions.
“Africa has different challenges, especially around connectivity, power, cost and infrastructure,” he said. “So we need technology that is designed with those realities in mind.”
That philosophy, he said, lies at the heart of Nexalware.
“The vision is not just to build another AI product. We want to build infrastructure that can help developers and businesses build intelligent physical systems, starting from Africa but with the ability to scale globally.”
For Dare Timileyin and Nexalware, that ambition begins with the AIoT Gateway – before the company expands into the additional layers envisioned in its long-term roadmap.
“And we are starting small with the AIoT Gateway, then building the other layers as we grow,” he said. “One layer at a time.”
