Portrait of Abayomi Ogundipe

Abayomi Ogundipe

Founder, Festa Design Studio

Professional summary

International development professional with 15+ years of experience in program design, management, and fundraising. Demonstrated success in leading global teams, securing over $900,000 in funding, and implementing high-impact educational initiatives. Expertise in developing innovative STEAM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Arts & Maths) programs reaching 3,200+ underserved youth and managing cross-cultural partnerships with UN agencies, OECD donors, private philanthropy and corporate sponsors.

Professional experience

Festa Design Studio

Founder — Festa Design Studio

2024 – Present

Strategic design consultancy supporting nonprofits, NGOs, and impact startups to design programs, communication systems, and campaigns that drive measurable social impact.

Key Focus Areas:

  • Strategic framework development (Theory of Change, Logical Frameworks, stakeholder mapping)
  • Trauma-informed interface design for vulnerable populations
  • Multi-stakeholder facilitation and partnership coordination
  • Capacity-building through educational platforms
TEKEDU

Founder, Head of Project design, Fundraising and Communication — TEKEDU

2013 – 2023

Nonprofit organization focused on technology-enabled education for marginalized communities. Led project design, fundraising, and communication across multiple flagship programs in partnership with UN agencies (UNICEF, UN Women), OECD ODA,  government, and international donors.

Key Programs:

GirlsGoIT

Technology education program for adolescent girls (ages 12-18), co-designed with UN Women and Government of Moldova.

  • Scope: Coding, robotics, digital literacy, and leadership skills
  • Technologies: Curriculum design, camp delivery model, M&E framework
  • Impact:
    • 5,200+ girls reached across 29 camps in 26 districts (out of 35 in Moldova)
    • Expanded from 3 districts (2016) to 26 districts (2023)
    • With and For Girls Award (2017) for impact in girls' education
    • Featured in UN Women Moldova publication Women in ICT and STEM (2020)
    • Transitioned from donor-dependent to government-supported program
  • Partnerships: UNICEF, UN Women, OECD ODA Ministry of Education, private sector tech companies
  • ResourcesThe Liechtenstein Development Service | UN Women Europe and Central Asia

UPSHIFT

Youth entrepreneurship program for NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) youth, co-designed with UNICEF Moldova and ODIMM (State Agency for Small and Medium Enterprises).

  • Scope: Social innovation, entrepreneurship training, mentorship
  • Technologies: Program design framework, Theory of Change, M&E system
  • Impact: Empowered marginalized youth to launch social enterprises
  • Partnerships: UNICEF Moldova, Government of Moldova, ODIMM, private sector mentors
  • ResourcesUNICEF | UPSHIFT

STEAMpeRoti "STEAM on Wheels" 

Mobile STEAM education initiative co-designed with UNICEF Moldova and funded by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Global Funds for Children, and Liechtenstein Development Services.

  • Scope: Mobile STEAM learning for rural and underserved communities
  • Technologies: Curriculum design, mobile delivery model, accessible learning materials
  • Impact: Expanded STEAM access to remote and underserved districts
  • Resources: STEAM on Wheels | UNICEF 

HireMe STEM Career Board Game

Interactive career education tool co-designed with MEGA Generation to encourage girls and boys to enter the IT sector. Funded by

  • Scope: Game design, gender-transformative messaging, STEM career awareness
  • Technologies: Board game mechanics, gamified learning
  • Impact: Culturally relevant tool challenging STEM career stereotypes
  • ResourcesIWPR | Prototyping

Volunteer experience

Global Shapers Chisinau

Founding curator — Global Shapers Chisinau

2015 – 2016

  • Established and led local hub of World Economic Forum's youth leadership initiative.
  • Facilitated community impact projects and cross-sector partnerships.
EU Code Week / EU Robotics Week

Ambassador — EU Code Week / EU Robotics Week

2014 – 2017

Coordinator of EU code week in Moldova.

Technovation Girls

Mentor — Technovation Girls

2014 – 2018

Mentored girls team in collaboration with Peace Corps Volunteers. Girls team mentored won first place global prize.

Education

Certifications

UX Design Institute, Ireland

Professional Diploma in UX Design — UX Design Institute, Ireland

General Assembly, Washington D.C.

Professional Diploma in Front-end Web Development — General Assembly, Washington D.C.

Skills

UX research & design

  • UX Research
  • Interaction Design
  • Design Systems
  • Figma

Frontend web development

  • Tailwind CSS
  • Laravel
  • PHP
  • jQuery
  • HTML5
  • CSS

As seen in

Published Articles

Insights and perspectives from Abayomi Ogundipe

Setup Your Project For Success
Design tips
1 min read Nov 25, 2025

Setup Your Project For Success

If you’re building a program and need a simple, proven structure, Setup Your Project for Success is our free, open-access toolkit designed for nonprofits and social enterprises.

Abayomi Ogundipe

Abayomi Ogundipe

Founder