London & Africa · 2026
We teach you
to carry your
own water.
Senior engineering expertise from London's top companies, dedicated to Africa's boldest founders.
“Once you carry your own water, you will remember every drop.”
Ubuntu philosophy · The spirit behind Afreeca
Services
Where I make a difference
Technical Architecture & Advisory
Make the right architectural decisions before they become expensive mistakes. Drawn from end-to-end system design at Google and payment infrastructure at NatWest.
Fractional CTO & Engineering Leadership
Not ready for a full-time CTO? I step in as a fractional engineering lead — helping you hire your first engineers, set up delivery processes, and own the technical roadmap.
Full-Stack Product Delivery
React frontends, NestJS backends, CI/CD pipelines. Production-grade from day one — not prototypes that need to be rebuilt at scale six months later.
Fintech & Payment Systems
Deep experience integrating payment rails and financial infrastructure, including RBS/NatWest's core systems. Essential expertise for African fintech navigating complex financial rails.
Interview Process & Hiring Support
I join your hiring process as a technical partner — designing the right challenges, reviewing take-home tests, sitting on interview panels, and giving you a straight opinion on every candidate.
Tech Mentorship & Team Coaching
Beyond delivery, I invest in your team. Regular coaching sessions, code reviews, architecture workshops — building the internal capability so you gradually need less outside help.
About
The person
behind Afreeca
Adilson Mendes
Founder & Senior Engineer
BSc Computer Science · Goldsmiths, University of London
I'm Adilson — a senior software engineer with 7+ years building scalable platforms across big tech, financial services, and SaaS. I've rebuilt enterprise platforms at Google, led payment system architecture at NatWest handling billions in transactions, and delivered full-stack products used by millions.
The work I want to do next is closer to home. African startups are building remarkable things — often without access to senior technical mentorship, without a strong engineering culture, and without the luxury of learning slowly.
I speak Portuguese and Crioulo fluently, which means I work directly with founders across Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau — not just in language, but in context, culture, and understanding.
“To travel far, go together. But once you arrive, stand on your own.”
Philosophy
The founding philosophy
of Afreeca
“Once you carry your own water, you will remember every drop.”
Ubuntu
A person is a person because of other people. At Afreeca, we believe that when African founders succeed, we all rise together.
Independence
We don't build dependency. Every engagement is designed to end with your team stronger, more capable, and self-sufficient.
Community
To travel far, go together. We work as partners, not vendors — invested in your long-term growth, not just the immediate brief.
Roots
It takes a whole village to raise a child. We bring the knowledge of global tech companies back to the communities that need it most.
How I work
Simple, direct,
no dependency created
A real conversation first
30 minutes, no charge, no pitch deck. We talk honestly about where you are — your product, your team, your biggest technical headache — and whether there's a genuine fit. If there isn't, I'll tell you.
Honest diagnosis before prescription
I look at your codebase, your team structure, and your product roadmap before suggesting anything. No ready-made solutions, no frameworks applied blindly. Just a clear-eyed assessment of where you actually are.
Build your capability, not mine
I don't just solve problems — I explain every decision, document every system, and transfer every skill. The goal is always to leave your team stronger than I found it.
You carry the water
A successful engagement ends with you needing me less, not more. I measure my impact by your independence. When you can make the hard technical calls alone, my job is done.
Engagement types
- Discovery WorkshopOne-off · half or full day
- Project Sprint2–6 weeks · defined scope
- Monthly RetainerOngoing · flexible hours
- Embedded Lead3–6 months · fractional CTO
- Interview PartnerPer hire · flexible
Let's build something
that lasts.
Whether you're on the continent or in the diaspora, pre-product or scaling fast — if your vision is African, I want to hear from you.
Emailadilsonmendesramos@gmail.comLinkedInlinkedin.com/in/adilsonmendesWebsiteafreeca.co