On 23 November, we were delighted to welcome successful entrepreneurial alumni Jidé Maduako (BA Business Economics, 2017) and Mustafa Mohamed (MSci Computer Science, 2018) for an online insights-sharing event. In an interview with Dr Jekaterina Rindt, Lecturer in Marketing, Jidé and Mustafa shared details of their successful business, Yoke Network: the first performance-based platform that matches brands and apps with social media influencers, with a particular focus on TikTok content.

The company now works with more than 3000 influencers, and brands including Gameloft, NordVPN, Universal Music Group, Miniclip and PrettyLittleThing. Results are driven through an innovative business model that monetises the impact of social media influencers by incorporating three pillars: data, creativity and social equity.

Dr Rindt commented: “What fascinates me the most about the Yoke Network is the pioneering business model behind it. It is incredibly hard to compete in the space of business model innovation and even more so in the hyper-dynamic market of social media. Jidé and Mustafa mastered the challenge by coming up with the first business model in the UK, Europe and the USA that relies on performance metrics to measure and monetise the impact of TikTok and other social media influencers.

"Brands are notoriously worried about proving the value and impact of social media marketing. Yoke Network provides a solution, through the integration of performance-driven metrics.”

Jidé and Mustafa met during their time as students at Lancaster University and they shared top tips for current and prospective students. This included mention of the valuable network they gained from their time at Lancaster University, the benefits of being part of the Entrepreneurship Society, and their realisation of the importance of the curriculum content in the real world of business.

Their business journey with Yoke Network has also generated lots of insights, which Jidé and Mustafa were happy to share: from initial ideas and exploring problems and markets to the responsibilities of running a growing company and team.

Jidé and Mustafa answered a range of questions posed by the audience of Lancaster University alumni and current students, who were keen to learn more about leveraging the power of influencers, social media marketing and TikTok.

If you missed the live event, you can watch the recording below: