A data analyst who experienced depression and social isolation after relocating to the UK has launched a social app designed to help others integrate faster – and gained 1,000 downloads within three weeks of launch.
Ajibola Agbaje founded Japaflex Ltd after his own struggle to connect with people who shared his culture and find resources to combat loneliness in a new country.
The 41-year-old, who has been running the business for over a year, built the app entirely from scratch without external funding – working double time and learning new skills to keep costs down.
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Now based in Middlesbrough, Ajibola’s platform is designed to help students, tourists, travellers and local residents find connections and resources whenever they move to a new city.
“It was built following my personal experience of relocating to UK, and my inability to quickly connect with others that share my culture, or get quick resources to the challenges of loneliness, social isolation, disconnect. For me, it led to depression and mental health issues,” Ajibola told Founder Insights.
“It’s a problem faced by individuals that relocate either for work, studies or even vacation.”
Before launching Japaflex, Ajibola worked as a data science and business analyst.
But after integrating into UK society, he realised many others faced the same struggles he had – and existing social apps weren’t solving the underlying problems.
“The UK is a multicultural society, and there is global migration ongoing,” he said.
“What better way to ease the pain of anyone in this situation? While there are social apps, they do not specifically solve these underlying problems hence, the idea was born.”
Japaflex uses advanced geolocation and geofencing technology to connect users locally, helping them settle and integrate in new cities.
The app launched on 10th May and within three weeks had attracted 1,000 downloads – a milestone Ajibola describes as “encouraging”.
“Also, users have started giving feedback on how it solves their pain,” he said.
Building the business wasn’t easy.
Ajibola faced challenges around funding, access to resources, user acquisition and immigration rules.
“I worked double time, and had to also become multi-skilled in the areas necessary as we didn’t have funding to employ staff or grow employee base,” he said.
“Japaflex is 100% bootstrapped.”
His first customers came through word of mouth and close community connections.
Currently pre-revenue, Japaflex has been selected for the Tees Valley Labs Stable programme – a six-month intensive programme designed to help the company scale, achieve product-market fit and generate revenue.
The app is already active in the USA, Canada, India and Nigeria, though Ajibola says he can’t push those markets yet due to funding and regulatory constraints.
For now, his focus is on the UK – and the recognition has already started.
“There has been recognition and awards based on the impact we are creating, and it gladdens the heart,” he said.
When asked what keeps him motivated, Ajibola said it’s simple.
“The will and desire to succeed.”
Japaflex is active across Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Facebook and TikTok under the handle Japaflex.
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