Modern businesses depend on web data for lead generation, competitor tracking, and market research. Yet many teams still struggle to collect that data efficiently. The tools are either too technical, too expensive, or both.
Spidra is addressing that gap.
Co-founded by Olumide Shittu, Spidra is a no-code, AI-powered web scraping platform that helps users extract data from websites without writing scripts or managing complex infrastructure. The startup focuses on startups and small businesses that need reliable data but lack the resources to build in-house scraping systems.
Wearing Many Hats as a Co-founder
At Spidra, Shittu takes on multiple responsibilities. On any given day, he might work as a developer, marketer, copywriter, video editor, or QA tester. He says the flexibility comes naturally because he is building the company alongside longtime collaborators who understand each other’s strengths and workflows.
That shared history, according to Shittu, makes the demands of early-stage building more manageable and keeps the team aligned.
The Problem That Sparked Spidra
The idea for Spidra grew out of direct experience. Before starting the company, Shittu spent weeks writing separate web scraping scripts for different clients. Each project came with its own challenges — different website structures, bot protections, and maintenance issues.
The alternatives did not look much better. Many established scraping platforms charged prices that were unrealistic for local businesses, and most were owned by foreign companies with little focus on emerging markets.
At that point, the problem became clear. Businesses needed data, the data already existed online, but accessing it remained unnecessarily difficult. Spidra started as a response to that frustration.
Why Spidra Took a No-Code, AI-Driven Path
From the outset, the team made a deliberate choice to go no-code. Shittu and his co-founders asked a simple question: why should only engineers be able to scrape websites?
They wanted marketers, founders, sales teams, and analysts to access web data without technical barriers. AI made that possible. Spidra uses artificial intelligence to interpret user instructions written in plain language and translate them into scraping actions.
The platform also handles complex backend tasks such as proxy rotation, CAPTCHA solving, and turnstile challenges. Traditional tools often leave these steps to users. Spidra abstracts them away to reduce friction.
From a Rough Prototype to a Polished Platform
The first version of Spidra focused on functionality, not polish. Shittu describes it as a system “joined together with threads,” built quickly to test whether the core idea would work.
As usage increased, the team shifted focus. They brought in product designers and reworked the user interface, onboarding flow, and feature set. Each iteration aimed to make the platform easier to understand and faster to use.
Today, Spidra reflects those improvements. Users can move from sign-up to data extraction with far fewer steps than before.
Navigating Ethics and Website Restrictions
Web scraping often raises concerns around ethics and compliance. Many websites actively block automated activity, and misuse of data remains a risk.
Spidra addresses the technical side by handling bot detection challenges, but Shittu emphasizes responsible use. The company encourages users to follow website policies and comply with legal requirements. Clear terms and conditions outline acceptable usage, and the team positions Spidra as a tool — not a loophole.
Who Is Using Spidra Today?
Spidra’s current user base consists largely of startups and small businesses. Teams use the platform for lead generation, competitor monitoring, and large-scale website crawling.
Adoption has cut across industries. Rather than serving a single niche, Spidra has attracted users from different sectors, reinforcing the idea that demand for web data exists almost everywhere.
Balancing Power With Simplicity
One of Spidra’s biggest ongoing challenges is simplification. Every new feature forces the team to ask how they can present a technically complex capability in a way non-technical users can understand.
Shittu says that balance defines the product. Spidra aims to give users powerful tools without overwhelming them, even when the underlying systems remain complex.
Looking Ahead: Growth, Visibility, and Scale
AI continues to reshape how companies collect and use data. From autonomous agents to real-time automation, expectations are evolving quickly. Spidra is building with that future in mind, updating its platform as new AI capabilities emerge.
In the short term, the company is focused on expanding its reach. Marketing and visibility now sit alongside product improvements as top priorities.
For African founders building deep-tech or infrastructure products, Shittu offers direct advice: speak up. Too many local solutions remain invisible while users default to foreign platforms that cost more and understand less.
Over the next year, Spidra aims to reach its first 1,000 users and raise its first funding round. But the long-term goal runs deeper. The team wants Spidra to become the default platform people associate with web scraping.
If Spidra succeeds, it could help more businesses participate in the data economy — without needing engineering teams or enterprise budgets.
