01 — The Man

David Chidi
Emmanuel

Designer, builder and innovator. Born in Toronto, raised in Lagos, shaped by sport, by many cultures and by the study of imagination. Now building ventures that elevate the human experience, for everyone.

Born TorontoRaised LagosStudied OCAD UniversityFounder DIADI · Abacus

Chapter 01Toronto
to LagosRoots

Two cities, one start.

David was born in the heart of downtown Toronto and grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, one of the world's great, bustling coastal cities.

From the beginning, his world was bigger than one place. That early sense of the wider world would shape everything that followed: how he sees people, how he listens, and who he builds for.

≈ 8,900 km

Lake Ontario

TorontoOn the north shore of Lake Ontario43.65° N · 79.38° W

Atlantic Ocean

LagosOn the Atlantic coast and Lagos Lagoon6.52° N · 3.38° E

Two cities on the water, about 8,900 km apart. Move across the map to light it up. Map data: Natural Earth.

Chapter 02The
athleteDiscipline

St. Saviour's School,
Ikoyi

Trained to set goals and reach them.

From a very young age, David competed for St. Saviour's School, Ikoyi, in athletics, swimming and soccer, travelling far beyond Lagos to represent his school internationally.

At the COBIS Games 2015, the international games of the Council of British International Schools, held in an Olympic stadium in Athens, Greece, his soccer team brought home the trophy, and David won gold in the long jump.

Young David smiling in an Olympic stadium, holding a trophy and wearing a gold medal — Athletics · long jump gold

The St. Saviour's soccer team celebrating with their trophy, David in the green jersey — Soccer · champions

The St. Saviour's swimming team with their medals in the aquatic centre — Swimming · the team

COBIS Games, Athens 2015.

Sport taught him early what it takes to win: the rigour of a training schedule, personal development, and the habit of setting a target and reaching it.

RigourTeamworkGoal-settingResilience

Chapter 03Day Waterman
CollegeNigeria

Blazing a trail.

David continued his education at Day Waterman College in Nigeria, carrying the same drive from the track into the classroom.

Years later, the school invited him back as an alumnus to address the graduating Class of 2024 at their Valedictory Service, on the theme "Taking Responsibility."

David addressing the Class of 2024 at the Day Waterman College Valedictory Service — Returning to address the Class of 2024.

See all talks

Chapter 04Back to
CanadaHamilton, Ontario

A world in one school.

For high school, David returned to Canada, the country of his birth, to attend Columbia International College in Hamilton.

There he studied alongside people from every background and culture. It added to an international-mindedness that began in Lagos: a deeper awareness of the world, of its people, and of how differently each of them experiences it.

Many backgrounds.
Many cultures.
One classroom.

Chapter 05OCAD
UniversityToronto

OCAD University's Sharp Centre for Design beside the CN Tower at dusk

The study of imagination.

Drawn by a passion for imagining new realities and then building them, David studied Industrial Design at OCAD University, the University of the Imagination.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Design in Industrial Design, with distinction. His thesis became Abacus, a system that helps every student be heard in class.

The Sharp Centre for Design seen across the park on a sunny first day — First dayTaking in the campus

David crossing the stage at his graduation in Roy Thomson Hall — Last dayCrossing the stage, Roy Thomson Hall

Chapter 06The
founderNow

Building what comes next.

Today David leads DIADI Innovations, the company he founded: a creative and innovation hub dedicated to understanding what moves people and building new realities that elevate the human experience, for all.

Its first venture, Abacus, is in testing and preparing for its first school pilots.

Explore Abacus →The Horizon

What drives him

"Our likeness to God is expressed at its height in our creativity."

The foundation

David's outlook is biblical. He sees life as fundamentally spiritual, with the material world flowing from a spiritual reality, and every person as deeply valuable, made in the image of God. That likeness shows most fully in how we create and in how we treat one another.

It's the driving force of his creative practice. Many of his works, like Five Smooth Stones, take a biblical story and show how its truth plays out in the everyday world.

The method

He listens for the unseen: the desires, principles and intentions beneath what people do. By paying attention to intention, not just the outcome, he works from the fundamentals and builds with more purpose and reach.

Some call it first-principles thinking. In practice, it looks like this:

Interpret signals

Listen closely to people, places and culture to notice what's shifting.

Understand motivation

Find the human needs and drives beneath what he sees.

Imagine new realities

Picture solutions that serve different and diverse motivations.

Build boldly

Use disruptive tools, from code to the workshop, to make them real.

Beyond the work

Speaker. Writer. Maker.

Voice

Speaking

Keynotes, pitches and conversations.

The Vault

Writing

Essays on purpose, faith and growth.

Craft

Making

Furniture, identity and editorial design.

Outside the work

The explorer.

David loves the great outdoors: hiking and camping with friends and family. Out there, time bends. A fast climb rushes it, a still campsite slows it right down.

He becomes an adventurer, wearing many hats, enjoying the beauty of God's creation and the simple things we take for granted. For him, it's a form of thanksgiving.