A little music at home.
Playing guitar, or sitting at the piano and playing for my kids.
Welcome / A little about me
Hey, I’m
David Iya.
I’m a product engineer, founder, and creative thinker. My work brings together design, technology, and the practical work of turning an idea into something people use.
I’ve built marketplaces, AI tools, and communities. What connects them is a curiosity about people: what they need, what gets in their way, and how a thoughtful product can make their day a little better.
01
How I think
Good products start
with understanding people.
I like to understand the whole problem. That means listening before deciding what to build, paying attention to the experience, and staying involved long enough to see whether the solution actually helps.
Creativity gives me room to explore possibilities. Engineering helps me make them real. Product brings both into a conversation with customers, the team, and the business. I enjoy moving between those perspectives and making the decisions that connect them.
Today, much of my work is in AI: building creative tools and automations, designing local workflows, and helping people learn to build with Claude Code. I care about making powerful technology understandable and useful, from someone’s first working prototype to a system a team relies on every day.
02
Finding my lane
Creativity led me to engineering.
Product brought it together.
I was always drawn to the creative side of things, and that curiosity led me to engineering. I really found my lane in product while scaling my first startup. Building Eze meant learning to think about the interface, the technology, the customer, and the business together.
I’m a two-time Y Combinator alumnus: Summer 2017 with Releaf, where I built the first MVP as a frontend developer, and Winter 2020 as Eze’s co-founder and CTO. I’m also a 2021 On Deck Founder Fellowship alumnus.
Learning alongside other founders has been an important part of that journey. It’s also part of why I enjoy teaching and building communities: sharing what I’ve learned, learning from what other people are making, and helping someone take their next step.
My fellowships and accelerator experienceThe professional side of the story
03
Life & family
Husband. Dad.
My favorite part of life.
I’m the third of four siblings, raised by Nigerian parents in a family where education matters. With two Harvard graduates in the family, including a doctor, I grew up with plenty of examples of people following their curiosity and taking their work seriously. My own path took a more creative turn.
My beautiful wife and I have two kids. Being a husband and dad is central to who I am, and I value the everyday moments we share as much as the bigger adventures.
Outside work, you’ll find me playing guitar, traveling, heading out for a hike, or taking photographs. At home, I love sitting at the piano and playing for my kids. Those parts of my life keep me curious and give me a lot to bring back to the work.
Life outside work
Where you’ll find me.
Somewhere new.
Traveling, exploring, and seeing life from another perspective.
Time on a trail.
Getting outside for a hike and making room to slow down.
Behind the camera.
Photography, and the small details that make a moment worth keeping.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope this gives you a feel for the work I care about—and the person behind it.