By Oscar Awowari – Founder & CEO, LeeX
Every successful startup begins with a problem.
Not with funding.
Not with a logo.
Not with an office.
And certainly not with writing code.
Technology is full of examples of companies that became successful because they solved problems people experienced every day. Before Google, finding reliable information on the internet was frustrating. Before Uber, getting transportation could be inconvenient in many cities. Before Airbnb, finding unique places to stay wasn't as simple as opening an app.
Great products usually begin by asking a simple question:
What problem deserves to be solved?
For me, that question eventually led to LeeX.
My name is Oscar Awowari, and I'm the Founder and CEO of LeeX. While studying, traveling around my city, and observing how people interacted with places, I noticed something that became impossible to ignore.
Cities are full of opportunities that many people never discover.
Every day, new businesses open their doors.
Events bring communities together.
Hotels welcome visitors.
Restaurants create memorable experiences.
Public infrastructure supports millions of people.
Tourist attractions tell the story of a city.
Yet discovering these places often requires jumping between search engines, maps, social media platforms, websites, blogs, and personal recommendations.
The information exists.
The experience doesn't feel connected.
That observation became the problem I wanted to solve.
Initially, I thought about creating a business directory.
Then I considered a location-based application.
The more I researched, however, the more I realized the problem was much bigger.
Cities are living ecosystems.
Businesses create economic activity.
Events create experiences.
Infrastructure connects people.
Communities shape culture.
Together, these elements define how people experience a city.
That realization completely changed my thinking.
Instead of building another application focused on one category, I started designing LeeX as a city discovery ecosystem.
The purpose of LeeX is straightforward.
Help people discover businesses.
Help people discover events.
Help people discover infrastructure.
Help people discover opportunities that already exist around them.
Unlike traditional navigation platforms that focus on getting users from one place to another, LeeX focuses on helping users understand what exists before they even decide where to go.
I often describe the difference this way.
Navigation answers "How do I get there?"
Discovery answers "What should I know about this place?"
Both are important.
But I believe discovery deserves much more attention than it receives today.
Of course, every ambitious idea starts small.
That's why the current stage of development is LeeX Beta.
LeeX Beta is where ideas become practical systems.
It is where city databases are built.
It is where business categories are organized.
It is where event structures are tested.
It is where infrastructure data begins to form a connected network.
Most importantly, it is where we learn from real-world challenges before expanding further.
Building LeeX Beta has taught me something that isn't obvious from the outside.
Creating a discovery platform is not simply about displaying locations on a map.
Every location needs identity.
Every business needs categories.
Every event needs context.
Every piece of infrastructure needs accurate information.
Every city needs structure.
The quality of discovery depends on the quality of data.
Looking further ahead, one of the most exciting parts of the roadmap is LeeX AI.
Artificial Intelligence is changing how people interact with information, and I think the same transformation will happen with cities.
Instead of opening several applications and performing multiple searches, imagine simply asking:
"What businesses should I visit today?"
"What interesting places are close to me?"
"Which events are happening this weekend?"
"What makes this city unique?"
The goal of LeeX AI is to make discovery conversational, intelligent, and personalized.
Not just providing information.
Providing understanding.
Like every founder, I know this journey will require patience, experimentation, and continuous improvement.
There will be challenges.
There will be mistakes.
There will be moments where ideas change completely.
That's part of building technology.
What matters is staying focused on solving a meaningful problem.
For me, that problem remains the same as it was on day one.
Helping people discover the world around them.
Technology has already transformed how we communicate, learn, shop, and work.
I think the next opportunity is transforming how we discover cities.
That is the problem that inspired LeeX.
That is the work happening through LeeX Beta.
And that is the future I hope to help shape with LeeX AI.
The startup journey is still in its early chapters, but every great platform begins with identifying a problem worth solving.
For me, that problem was city discovery.
Elvis Awowari - CTO LeeX AI
Oscar Awowari
Founder & CEO, LeeX
Building LeeX Beta | Exploring the future of LeeX AI
Top comments (0)