{"id":29096,"date":"2026-08-26T11:30:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T10:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tonyelumelufoundation.org\/?p=29096"},"modified":"2026-08-26T11:30:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T10:30:57","slug":"david-mustapha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tonyelumelufoundation.org\/ar\/alumni\/west-african-alumni\/david-mustapha","title":{"rendered":"David Mustapha: 5 Ways AI Is Transforming E-Commerce In Nigeria"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

David Mustapha believes technology can reduce the uncertainty that comes with online shopping.<\/strong> Despite photos, descriptions, and reviews, customers often struggle to accurately visualise products, leading to disappointment, returns, and lost trust for businesses.<\/p>\n

\u0628\u0635\u0641\u062a\u064a \u0645\u0624\u0633\u0633 XRNET<\/strong>, a Nigerian software company, he is using artificial intelligence, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and 3D technology to give online shoppers a more realistic way to experience products before making purchasing decisions. The company’s proposition is built around a simple idea: the more customers understand what they are buying, the more confidently they can buy it.<\/p>\n

Who is David Mustapha?<\/h2>\n

David Mustapha<\/a> is a Nigerian technology entrepreneur and the Founder of XRNET<\/strong>, an AI-powered software company focused on immersive e-commerce experiences.<\/p>\n

Based in Lagos, Mustapha has a background in systems engineering and a history of building technology businesses. Before XRNET, he co-founded OrderEat, an online food-ordering platform developed while he was a student at the University of Lagos.<\/p>\n

That earlier experience exposed him to the practical challenges of building digital products around everyday consumer behaviour.<\/p>\n

With XRNET, he turned his attention to another problem in online commerce: how to make digital shopping feel more trustworthy and more like the physical experience of examining a product before buying it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What is XRNET?<\/h2>\n

XRNET is an AI-powered e-commerce technology platform that uses augmented reality, virtual reality and 3D product visualisation to help customers interact with products digitally before purchasing them.<\/a><\/p>\n

The platform allows businesses to create digital storefronts where customers can explore products in greater detail.<\/p>\n

For physical products, immersive 3D and AR features can provide a clearer sense of appearance, scale and context. XRNET has also developed storefront tools that allow businesses to establish an online presence without having to build a traditional website from scratch.<\/p>\n

This positions XRNET at the intersection of artificial intelligence, immersive technology and e-commerce<\/strong>\u2014three rapidly evolving areas of the digital economy.<\/p>\n

David Mustapha is tackling a fundamental problem with online shopping<\/h2>\n

The challenge XRNET addresses is not simply that online shopping lacks technology.<\/p>\n

It is that online shopping can lack confidence.<\/p>\n

When customers cannot physically examine an item, businesses have to work harder to communicate what they are selling. Product photographs, descriptions and reviews help, but they do not always answer the questions customers have before clicking “buy”.<\/p>\n

David Mustapha’s approach is to make the digital experience more interactive.<\/p>\n

Instead of simply looking at a photograph, customers can engage with a digital representation of the product. In an AR-enabled experience, for example, a shopper can potentially visualise an item within their own environment before completing a purchase.<\/p>\n

The objective is not technology for technology’s sake. It is to give customers more information at the moment when they are deciding whether to spend their money.<\/p>\n

From immersive shopping to digital storefronts for SMEs<\/h2>\n

XRNET’s opportunity extends beyond large retailers.<\/p>\n

Small and medium-sized enterprises often face a different challenge: establishing a credible digital presence without the resources required to build and maintain complex e-commerce infrastructure.<\/p>\n

XRNET’s storefront model is designed to lower that barrier.<\/p>\n

The platform enables businesses to establish online stores while incorporating features such as immersive product displays. More recent XRNET offerings also include digital storefronts for service businesses, with tools for bookings, customer engagement and payments.<\/p>\n

That makes the platform relevant to a broader category of African businesses moving from informal or predominantly offline commerce towards digital channels.<\/p>\n

For these businesses, the question is no longer simply “How do I get online?”<\/em><\/p>\n

It is becoming:<\/p>\n

“How do I create an online experience that makes customers want to buy?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Tony Elumelu Foundation gave David Mustapha room to build<\/h2>\n

Building frontier technology requires more than an idea.<\/p>\n

It requires capital, business discipline, mentorship and access to people who can challenge an entrepreneur’s assumptions.<\/p>\n

\u0641\u064a 2024, <\/strong>David Mustapha was selected for the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme<\/a>, joining a cohort of African entrepreneurs supported through training, mentorship, seed capital and access to the Foundation’s pan-African entrepreneurial network. The Tony Elumelu Foundation’s 2025 Annual Report identifies XRNET as a Nigeria-based, TEF-funded software-development business.<\/p>\n

For Mustapha, the support came at an important stage in XRNET’s development, providing resources that could be directed towards strengthening the company’s technology and commercial model.<\/p>\n

The Tony Elumelu Foundation’s role is important precisely because it does not replace the entrepreneur’s vision. It gives founders like Mustapha additional resources to test, refine and pursue that vision.<\/p>\n

David Mustapha’s early traction shows demand for immersive commerce<\/h2>\n

XRNET has already begun attracting businesses interested in experimenting with immersive digital commerce.<\/p>\n

Third-party reporting has documented more than 55 SMEs<\/strong> using XRNET’s immersive AR and 3D online stores, while the company has also reported more than 50 sign-ups during its first month of launch.<\/p>\n

The company has continued developing its product infrastructure, including its XRNET Storefront<\/strong> and software tools designed to make its technology more broadly usable by businesses.<\/p>\n

These developments point towards a larger opportunity: making immersive commerce accessible beyond major retailers and technology-heavy brands.<\/p>\n

For SMEs, the ability to combine a digital storefront with richer product experiences could become an important differentiator as more businesses compete for customers online.<\/p>\n

Why David Mustapha’s work matters<\/h2>\n

The next phase of e-commerce will not be defined solely by how many people shop online.<\/p>\n

It will be defined by how much they trust the experience<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

That distinction matters in markets where consumers are increasingly discovering products through social media, mobile platforms and digital storefronts while businesses compete for attention in crowded online environments.<\/p>\n

David Mustapha is betting that immersive technology can make that experience clearer.<\/p>\n

His work also reflects a broader shift in African technology entrepreneurship:<\/a> building products specifically around the realities of African consumers and SMEs rather than simply importing models developed elsewhere.<\/p>\n

If successful, XRNET’s approach could help businesses communicate their products more effectively while giving consumers greater confidence before making purchases.<\/p>\n

What comes next for David Mustapha and XRNET?<\/h2>\n

The technology behind immersive commerce<\/a> is still evolving.<\/p>\n

Artificial intelligence is becoming more capable. Smartphone cameras are increasingly sophisticated. Three-dimensional product modelling is becoming more accessible. And consumers are becoming more comfortable interacting with brands through digital environments.<\/p>\n

For David Mustapha, that convergence creates an opportunity to make immersive shopping a normal part of e-commerce rather than an expensive novelty.<\/p>\n

The ambition extends beyond making online shopping more visually impressive.<\/p>\n

It is about making it more informative.<\/p>\n

Because the future of e-commerce may not belong to the businesses with the most products or the loudest advertising. It may belong to those that can answer the customer’s most basic question before the transaction happens:<\/p>\n

“Can I trust what I am seeing?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Through XRNET, David Mustapha is building technology around that question\u2014and betting that greater clarity can become one of the most valuable features in African e-commerce.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

David Mustapha believes technology can reduce the uncertainty that comes with online shopping. Despite photos, descriptions, and reviews, customers often struggle to accurately visualise products, leading to disappointment, returns, and lost trust for businesses. As the Founder of XRNET, a Nigerian software company, he is using artificial intelligence, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and …<\/p>","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":29097,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[366,20,339],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-west-african-alumni","category-articles","category-news-announcements"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tonyelumelufoundation.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tonyelumelufoundation.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tonyelumelufoundation.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonyelumelufoundation.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonyelumelufoundation.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29096"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonyelumelufoundation.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29096\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29098,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonyelumelufoundation.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29096\/revisions\/29098"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonyelumelufoundation.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tonyelumelufoundation.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonyelumelufoundation.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonyelumelufoundation.org\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29096"}],"curies":[{"name":"\u062f\u0628\u0644\u064a\u0648 \u0628\u064a","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}