In this Founders Connect episode, our host, Peace Itimi, sits down with the incredible Femi Iromini, the brain behind the YC-backed Moni Africa. Get ready for a candid conversation that goes beyond the boardroom! What's on the agenda? - Femi's backstory - Overcoming lending challenges in Africa - From Geology to Crowdfunding: Femi's fundraising journey - Top Entrepreneurial lessons learned And much more. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Obi Emetarom is a serial tech entrepreneur who has focused his entire career on the Fintech space in Africa. For his first venture in 2004 he co-founded Parkway Projects to provide fintech solutions for commercial Banks in Nigeria. After exiting, he cofounded Appzone in 2008 and since then has created several innovative startups within Appzone. In November 2022, Appzone rebranded to Zone, a regulated blockchain payment infrastructure company. Obi and the team are now super-focused on connecting every monetary store of value using blockchain to make very simple user interactions that ordinary people can relate to. This episode of Founders Connect is supported by IRL, an original podcast from Mozilla, made for people who are into or build AI, and develop tech policies. Mozilla IRL is available wherever you listen to your podcasts. For more information, visit https://irlpodcast.org/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Tosin Eniolorunda is the co-founder and CEO of Moniepoint (previously TeamApt), a global, all-in-one, digital financial services provider with operations in Nigeria and an ongoing expansion into other emerging markets. Since 2019, Moniepoint Group’s technology has powered over a million businesses, offering all the payment, banking, credit, and business management tools they need to succeed. In this episode of Founders Connect that was filmed live at Founders Connect: Live in London, Tosin shares his story with the world. This episode is supported by IRL, an original podcast from Mozilla, made for people who are into AI or develop tech policies. Listen to Mozilla IRL wherever you listen to your podcasts. For more information, visit https://irlpodcast.org/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Eloho Omame is the co-founder of First Check, a Venture Capital firm giving women-led companies their first seed investments. Before First Check, she was the MD and CEO of Endeavor, a company dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs to scale. In this Founders Connect interview, Eloho shares her unique journey and all the varied facets that have contributed to her current phase. She talks to us about growing up in a wealthy family, studying in the UK, starting her career as an investment banker, moving back to Nigeria and the reasons behind it, building her companies, and finally, the mistakes and lessons learned along the way. This episode is supported by IRL, an original podcast from Mozilla, made for people who are into AI or develop tech policies. Listen to Mozilla IRL wherever you listen to your podcasts. For more information, visit https://irlpodcast.org/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Born in Togo, and raised in Ireland, Joe Kinvi, the founding partner of HoaQ club, has lived a bold and audacious life. In this episode of Founders Connect, he walks us through the many changes and decisions he made that have pushed him to success. From learning english to working at E&Y, starting Touchtech (acquired by Stripe) and founding HoaQ. This episode is supported by IRL, an original podcast from Mozilla, made for people who are into AI or develop tech policies. Listen to Mozilla IRL wherever you listen to your podcasts. For more information, visit https://irlpodcast.org/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

For over a decade, Fola Olatunji David has been immersed in the Tech and Business world. He has worked in so many different industries, from IT and consulting to e-commerce and education. He has also contributed immensely to the business scene in Africa through his work in VC. In this episode, Fola shares his experience working at Amazon Web Services, Google, etc. and we get to learn a little bit more about his journey and work as a founder, investor and key operator in the African Tech Ecosystem. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Damilare is a top technology and digital marketing professional who lives in the UK. He is the founder of Foodlama, a browser Extension that helps you easily find food that matches your preferences when shopping for groceries online. Before Foodlama, he co-founded Hazina, a company that delivered product samples from fast-moving consumer goods (FCMG) brands to consumers for feedback. In this episode of Founders Connect, we get to learn Damilare's life and journey. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Softcom is a thinking company that gives companies the tools to help them grow by giving them access to better banking, helping them sell and receive payments seamlessly, learn and grow. In this Tell-All interview, Yomi Adedeji, Softcom’s CEO and Co-founder, shares his story. Growing up in a Nigerian family with parents who gave him a level of independence, he learned how to think, attended Covenant University and met his co-founders. His story is full of people, excitement, and passion, qualities that are present in the services provided by his companies today. He also talks about the journey so far. Building Eyowo, a rapidly rising fintech product, mistakes made along the way, and lessons for the future. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Meet Kemi Olawoye, the Founder and CEO of BabyMigo, a Nigerian femtech startup founded in 2017, which is increasing the amount of access families have to to quality information surrounding pregnancy and parenthood. They have amassed over 250,000 users on their platform, and are steadily growing. In this interview, Kemi shares her story. Growing up in a family of loving parents, studying physiotherapy, starting BabyMigo and the road to adoption. There is so much to learn from her, so sit tight and enjoy! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Erika Brodnock is an award-winning entrepreneur, philanthropist, angel investor, and keynote speaker. She is the founder of Kami, an app that provides support and counseling for working parents. Before Kami, she founded Karisma Kidz, a company focused on producing games and toys for kids. She is also the Co-founder and Head of Research for Extend Ventures, a company committed to reducing bias in the early stage of businesses and diversifying financial access and support for this scalable businesses.   Outside of her companies, she is very passionate about inclusion, diversity and political sciences and works on several different projects along these lines.  In this episode of Founders Connect, we will learn more about Erika, her interesting life journey, her companies, motivations and more! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Bradley Want is the VP of Growth at Kuda, a fintech company operating in Nigeria and expanding to other countries which has over 3 million customers worldwide and is valued at $500 million as at August 2021. In this episode of Founders  Connect, we discuss diverse areas of mobile company growth, Bradley’s experience working at Kuda, growth stacks and channels, team structure and more!    To learn more about Kuda, check out their website and download the Kuda app: https://www.kuda.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Meet Kemi Olawoye, the Founder and CEO of BabyMigo, a Nigerian femtech startup founded in 2017, which is increasing the amount of access families have to to quality information surrounding pregnancy and parenthood. They have amassed over 250,000 users on their platform, and are steadily growing. In this interview, Kemi shares her story. Growing up in a family of loving parents, studying physiotherapy, starting BabyMigo and the road to adoption. There is so much to learn from her, so sit tight and enjoy!   To learn more about BabyMigo, check here: https://babymigo.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Peter Bunor Jr. is the Co-founder and Growth Lead at Field Intelligence, a pharmaceutical supply chain that helps governments and businesses grant access to healthcare in the fastest-growing parts of the world.   He shares his life journey with us in this episode of Founders Connect. From being born into the family of a Nollywood veteran actor to becoming a child actor himself, and gradually finding his way in life, to discovering a passion for business and helping others. Throughout the interview, his willingness to try new things and his growth mindset stand out as key takeaways.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Mariam Jimoh is the founder and CEO of Oja, a one-stop shop for cultural foods. Oja’s mission is to radically reshape groceries and make foods from all cultures accessible from anywhere in the world. Mariam was recognised in the 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 Technology list, and her company also recently raised 3.4 million dollars in funding. In this interview, Mariam shares her life and journey with us. From being born to Nigerian parents to learning all the useful skills that helped her in her entrepreneurship journey along to way, to founding a food startup that connects Afrocarribean people in the diaspora with ingredients to help them cook beloved meals from their home countries.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Ijeoma Akwiwu is the Chief Operations Officer and CO-Founder of Pivo, a digital bank for trade in Africa. Before Pivo, she studied law at Lagos State University, then worked for several years as a firm lawyer, before getting into corporate practice as an In-house lawyer at Gilmor Engineering. After a few years of practice,  she attended the University of Glasgow to get a Master's degree in software development.   In this episode of Founders Connect, we will get to know more about Ijeoma, her journey, and what she's building at Pivo. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Preston Timeyin Ideh is Co-founder and CEO of Stears, an Intelligence startup providing data and insights on local (and global) affairs for enterprises and individuals. Stears' mission is to become the world's most trusted source of African data, insight and data collection tools for businesses, financial and policy professionals.   Before founding Stears, Preston worked as a corporate lawyer for several years, and co-founded LSE Africa Summit, an annual conference that highlights business developments in Africa.    In this interview, Preston shares his journey, from Secondary school in Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja, to building a Startup that has raised a seed investment of $600,000 and has been selected for Google’s Black Founders Fund cohort II.  You will love it! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Moe "Moechievous" Odele, is the Founding Partner at Vazi Legal and the founder of Scale My Hustle. Vazi Legal is a foremost tech-focused law firm with practices in Nigeria and the United States. They provide legal services to tech startups, venture capital funds, and other organisations. Scale My Hustle is a social enterprise focused on helping entrepreneurs build better-structured businesses by providing educational content and an online community for current and aspiring entrepreneurs.    In this interview, Moe shares her life and her career journey. From her experience growing up in a polygamous family to studying Law, delving into tech law, and being a human rights advocate. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Tomilola Majekodunmi is the Founder and CEO of Bankly, a Nigerian fintech startup digitizing cash for the unbanked. She has over ten years of experience in the finance industry, having worked as an investment banker and analyst for the majority of her career. In this Interview, Tomilola shares her journey with us, from studying physiology at the University to closing $2 million dollar seed rounds for a product set to improve the lives of Nigerians nationwide. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Moses Enenwali is the Co-founder and CEO of Topship, a logistics service provider helping people send items to over 200 cities all over the world. Before Topship, he worked in Africa Courier Express (ACE) and Sendbox, experiences that influenced his decision to build.   In this interview, Moses tells us more about his person, his career trajectory, his experience going through YCombinator and his passion for building with like-minded people, or "animal spirits" like he calls them. It's a great interview, so sit back and enjoy! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Adia Sowho is the Chief Marketing Officer of MTN Nigeria, a multinational mobile telecommunications company that operates in many African and Asian countries. She is a powerhouse business expert, that is full of "masterclasses" as she says in this episode. Before MTN, Adia acquired a lot of experience working in different capacities at different companies. She started her career as a Radio Frequency engineer in US Cellular, did Consulting in Deloitte, and worked at Etisalat Nigeria for nearly eight years as head of strategy, digital media and digital business. She then moved to Migo, where she was the managing director and VP of growth, then worked in Thrive Agric as the CEO, amongst other vital roles.    In this episode of Founders Connect, Adia Sowho shares her inspiring and audacious story with the world. She talks about the importance of confidence and its role in her life, navigating different roles, self-care, and so much more. Her unique perspective and years of experience make her a delight to listen to and learn from. So pick up a pen, sit down, and listen. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Adetola Onayemi, is the Co-Founder & CEO of Norebase, a digital infrastructure startup that helps individuals expand their businesses with ease. Before Norebase, Tola worked studied Law in the University of Lagos where he graduated with a First Class, and did his Masters in Cambridge. He then worked in an Advisory role for the Nigerian government, was one of the key players in the creation of the AFCTA (African Continental Free Trade Area) and was one of the co-founders of Future Africa. In 2020, he was instrumental to the success of the EndSars Protests that took place in Nigeria.  In this interview, Tola goes into detail concerning life and the experiences he's had so far. His story carries so much grace, but also hard work, a deep appreciation for people and the experiences he's had so far. Tola gives important legal advice to founders, and insightful knowledge to everyone looking to excel in their respective career paths. This is a really amazing interview. Enjoy! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Olawale Adetula is a senior marketing professional with more than 12 years of experience in media and production, marketing strategy, and e-commerce. His portfolio is varied and interesting, ranging across different fields including Banking, Logistics, Ecommerce and more! He is the founder of TNC Africa, a media production company dedicated to taking African stories to the world. The company is making waves, having been nominated for three AMVCA awards in its first year alone. In this Founders Connect Episode, Wale shares his success story with me. From a background in engineering to a career in tech, then marketing, then content, it's amazing how much of life he's experienced and how delightful his stories are. He shares his background, his career trajectory, his decision to run his company while simultaneously working as an employee, Marketing lessons and many more interesting bits! Enjoy. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Chimezie Emewulu, is a tech founder with over a decade of experience building tech products. He is the founder of Seamfix, a people & software development company that seamlessly automates processes for productivity and revenue for over 100 million Nigerians.   In this podcast episode, Chimezie sits down with me to share his experience building Seamfix, and all the experience he has garnered from being a tech business man for years. He goes into details about the experience he has garnered through the years, and gives a lot of valuable advice to founders and potential founders seeking to build their own companies. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Kennedy Ekezie-Joseph's Linkedin states that his "north star is to unlock socio-economic prosperity for Africa." He is taking steps to do this through Kippa, a package deal of financial management solutions for small businesses in Africa. Kippa gives merchants easy digital tools to help them run their businesses successfully and provides various services including accounting and banking.  Before Kippa, Kennedy lived a robust academic life, he was Nigeria's #1 ranked competitive debater for 2 years, and was awarded and recognized by key political leaders like Sir John Mayor, David Beckham, Theresa May and the Queen of England herself. He also won President Obama's Young African Leaders Fellowship and presented a keynote address at the United Nations Youth Assembly.  In this podcast episode, Kennedy shares slices of his incredible journey with me. We discuss his very colourful background, his experience founding Kippa and a lot more! Sit back, and enjoy! Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_eSVCUTPog&t=7s --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Florence Githinji is the Regional Marketing Manager of YellowCard, a crypto company in Africa that enables its users buy and sell crypto with various payment options. She has an extensive background working in Marketing and a deep understanding of the systems in the East African region. Coming from a background in Journalism, she has established herself in Marketing and has notably worked for Microsoft as a Social Media Manager.   In this episode of Founders Connect, Florence shares her background with me, her career history and trajectory, insights on marketing and specifically crypto marketing in Africa, and advice for women seeking to work in the tech industry. There is so much to learn from her. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Ben Lyon is the CoFounder and CEO of Hover Developer Services, the parent company of Stax, a simple & secure way to transfer money, buy airtime, & pay bills in Africa without dialling USSD codes or relying on an internet connection.    In this episode of Founders Connect, I ask Ben questions about his background, growing up in Southern America, moving to Africa and acquiring a global perspective and starting a startup that aims at Financial Inclusivity. It is a great discussion, you'll love it. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Jude Dike has gained so much experience as an engineer, programming professionally for 6 years. He has an Engineering degree in Computer Science from the University of Lagos and has worked on projects with companies locally and internationally revolving around Tech and Finance.  He is the founder of GetEquity, a company democratizing access to Startup funding and investment, and encouraging startup founders and customers to connect, thereby building trust.    In this Founders Connect interview, Jude shares his background with me, his career, GetEquity, and more! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

In the last year, riveting news has been circulating on a 19-year old Nigerian founder who has taken the Tech-crypto world by the horns. His name is Njoku Emmanuel, CEO and CoFounder of Lazerpay, a crypto payment gateway startup with the main aim of facilitating crypto payments around the world for businesses and individuals. Lazerpay was launched in Ocotber 2021 alongside CoFounders Abdulfatai Sulaiman and Prosper Ubi.   In this episode of Founders Connect, Njoku shares his background with me. His undeniable passion for coding which has stayed true despite adversity, the many places he has worked at and honed his skill, and his enthusiasm for the future of Lazerpay. I really enjoyed hearing him speak, and I hope you do too. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Ayo Akindele is the Founder and CEO of Kyshi a payment startup that aims to facilitate transnational money transactions inorder to alleviate the inconveniences attached to sending money across borders. Before becoming a startup founder, he worked for 14 years in the Corporate world as a Sales personnel at Preqin, and was able to grow and learn so much about business in that space.   In this Founders Connect interview, Ayo shares background information about himself, including some curious and fun facts regarding his personal life. He reveals the vision being Kyshi and the philosophy guiding his business, and offers advice to upcoming entrepreneurs and individuals seeking to transition from the corporate world into entrepreneurship, or simply seeking to make something of their lives. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Koromone “KK” Koroye is the acting editor-in-chief and managing editor at TechCabal, a PanAfrican Publication that seats at the centre of stories and news on the tech ecosystem. She manages TechCabal’s newsroom and the team of reporters & journalists. And in her capacity as acting Editor-in-Chief,  oversees the day to day activities and attends events on behalf of TechCabal.  In this episode of Founders Connect, Koromone tells her story: her literary background, her love for her Father, ambling between metropolitan cities (Newyork and Lagos), her experience as a teacher,  her tech career from Flutterwave to TechCabal, being a woman in the Nigerian tech space, her passion for leadership, her spiritual life and many more gems. We have an amazing conversation. Enjoy! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Duncan Muchangi is a Venture capital investor with extensive experience working and starting African technology companies. He is the founder of Unicorn Growth Capital, an early-stage VC firm investing in the future of FinTech & Web3.0 in Africa by funding startups with innovative solutions at the core of their mission. Before Unicorn Growth Capital, Duncan worked at Jumia for five years, and worked, partnered and invested in several other ventures. In this podcast episode of Founders Connect, Duncan shares his story with us. We gain some insight on the state of the fintech/investment scene in Kenya, plans for the future of VC, and valuable advice that can only have been nurtured by years of experience. Enjoy! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Marvin Coleby has an interesting background. Born in Paris, raised in the Bahamas, studied in Canada, and now lives in Kenya. His global perspective has influenced his desire for Panafrican Unity and has influenced his vision for Raise, a digital equity management platform, with the aim of bringing "security, transparency and simplicity to the African venture capital space.”   In this podcast episode, Marvin shares his unique perspective regarding running a startup in Africa; his motivations, his passion for equity and diaspora ownership, key milestones, challenges, and problems Raise is trying to solve, and plans for the future. Don't miss it! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Bunmi Akinyemiju is a serial entrepreneur, investor and CEO of Venture Garden Group (VGG), a high growth technology investment holding company that has incubated and invested in fintech companies that provide innovative solutions in multiple sectors of the African economy.  He is also a Founding Partner at GreenHouse Capital (GHC) - the venture arm of the Venture Garden Group which has invested in over 20 innovative fintech companies across Africa like Helium Health, Flutterwave, Migo, Appzone and more.   Bunmi is passionate about transforming Africa through technology and has successfully led several impactful change projects through strategic public and private sector partnerships. He studied Computer Science at Michigan State University, USA. In this Founders Connect video, Bunmi shares his background with me, and his experience across decades, innovating, investing and growing businesses in Africa. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Kay Akinwumi is an entrepreneur based in London and Nigeria. He has worked as a consultant for various initiatives such as SKy, Patch, and the Labour Party, helping them build tech solutions for their users.  He is the founder of Zazuu, a platform that allows migrants and businesses to send money with the best rates and remittances, and choose what options work best for them.  With Zazuu, transferring money is seamless and can be done in a few minutes. It removes the risk and inconvenience of signing up with multiple providers, visiting a money changer or carrying around large amounts of cash.   In this podcast, Kay shares his background, his education in London, his work history before Zazuu, and his plans for Zazuu. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Ameyaw Debrah is a Ghanaian celebrity blogger, freelance journalist, and reporter. He is the founder of AmeyawDebrah.com, a thriving entertainment website and blog that publishes Ghanaian celebrity news. He earned a bachelor's degree in publishing from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. In this podcast, Ameyaw shares his life, journey and career as a media entrepreneur. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Odun Eweniyi is the Founder and Chief Operations Officer of Piggyvest, a secure online savings platform that is valuable for its flexible savings options. She is also a CoFounder of FirstCheck, an Investor Operative dedicated to aiding women in building companies, and the Feminist Coalition, a group of women that work together for Women's rights and were instrumental to the #EndSars Protests of 2022.  Odun is intelligent, skilled and versatile in her field of operations, with talents ranging from marketing to sales, product management and business development.  In this podcast episode, Odun shares her life and journey with me. It's an amazing and inspiring one.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message

Kingsley Abrokwah is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for innovation, carved out of a need to excel and make an impact. Over the span of 10 years, he has started and exited 2 Tech startups in Ghana, each focused on developing software solutions solving problems peculiar to the African terrain, while at the same time offering a global appeal. Kingsley is also an Alumni of the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) and he won Startup Weekend Accra 2013.  His current venture, Kudigo, is an integrated mobile-based retail point of sale application for micro-SME's in sub-Saharan Africa.  In this episode, Kingsley speaks to me about his journey to entrepreneurship, how Kudigo started, what prompted their expansion to Nigeria and lots more.   -----------   This series of Founders Connect has been bought to you in partnership with #AfricaVerified, a new news channel that was set up to seek out and amplify factual stories from reputable and trustworthy news sources.   Their flagship #BeyondTheHeadlines video series is a deep dive into the topics and issues that really matter to Africa today – check it out for yourself at https://www.youtube.com/c/africaverified --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/founders-connect/message