Evans Nimako, VP of Software Engineering

A Love of Technology from an Early Age

In honor of Black History Month, we’re excited to highlight Evans Nimako, Vice President of Software at Akkadian Labs. Evans has been a vital member of our technology team ever since he joined our predecessor company in 2007 and helped to make Akkadian Labs what is it today—but his journey as a brilliant software technologist began in childhood. Raised in New York City, the son of Ghanaian immigrants, Evans demonstrated a keen interest in technology from a young age. “I remember for my 6th grade science fair project I built my own movie projector,” he muses. “Then when I was 14 I tried to apply for a patent for what’s basically Bluetooth technology—a way to get a centralized computer to communicate with entertainment devices on a wireless frequency. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the $14,000 retainer for a patent attorney!” His parents took note of this passion for technology, and encouraged it. “They got me my very own computer—an IBM 386 all to myself so I could take it apart and put it back together. I even built my own website on our dial-up internet—not with any purpose in mind, just exploring the capabilities.” Evans went on to double major in Computer Engineering and Business at the University at Buffalo. His first summer away, he knew he wanted to do an internship. “I went to a non-profit in my neighborhood called the Private Industry Council of New York—a center for helping people find employment. I went in seeing if they could help me find an internship, and left with a job building a tracking infrastructure for their computers.” Once summer was up and he returned to his college studies, they realized that they couldn’t manage their infrastructure without Evans! “I ended up working for them year-round from my dorm—my first remote working experience at age 18!” After graduating from Boston University with a Master’s in Computer Science, Evans had some serious offers from big players in the world of technology. But they were all in remote locations, away from his home in New York City. And that’s what led him to Akkadian’s predecessor company. “I started by building applications for internal infrastructures and custom software for clients, but before I knew it I was helping to build products for what is now Akkadian Labs.” These days, as the Vice President of Software, his focus is less hands-on. “I’m building teams that are ready for the cloud and beyond,” Evans says. “Now I’m managing people and architecting systems, making sure there aren’t any impediments in the way of my development team. I’m also focusing on developing the potential of products like Akkadian Contact Manager, which has enormous possibilities for enterprises.” The rest, they say, is history. Evans is quick to credit the people who helped him on his way. “At every stage of my development, there were a lot of people who were instrumental as mentors and guides—starting with my parents, leading all the way to people like Tom Bamert, Eric Nelson, and Kris Zimmerman here at Akkadian.” He adds, “The journey has been long, but never lonely.”