Encomium
Future Africa founder Iyin Aboyeji is on the cover for Forbes Africa’s ‘The New Tycoons’ edition, as part of the magazine’s latest cover story featuring a trio of change-makers creating value in Nigeria’s new digital economy. Aboyeji, alongside Fara Ashiru Jituboh and Obi Ozor, are three young innovators who are turning challenges into opportunities and growing Africa’s tech scene at a phenomenal pace.
In the interview, he speaks with Peace Hyde about his entrepreneurial journey—with Bookneto, Fora, Andela and more recently, Flutterwave, the last two being remarkable success stories of African-led innovation. Iyin also discussed his latest venture, Future Africa, a platform which allows investors to co-invest with Future Africa on a deal-by-deal basis through investment syndicates.
“Nigeria could be the greatest black nation on earth if it could be focused on leveraging technology and innovation to ensure everyone access to opportunity regardless of who they are or where they are from,” he noted.
Iyin Aboyeji has recently appointed as a non-executive director of Learn Africa a 50-year-old leading educational publishing business to help contribute to the company’s digital transformation efforts across Africa, to ensure everyone has access to opportunity regardless of who they are and where they are from.
At 29, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji is the co-founder of Andela and Flutterwave, two of Africa’s most innovative and disruptive companies collectively valued at over a billion dollars. A graduate of the University of Waterloo, Iyin first got into technology with the launch of his first venture, Bookneto.
Iyin has now set his sights on building the Fund for Africa’s Future (Future Africa), a people-powered innovation fund that provides capital, coaching, and community to mission-driven innovators turning Africa’s biggest challenges into business opportunities.
Over the last five years, Future Africa has backed over 32 companies who have gone on to raise $300m, with annual revenues of $120m, and have created 12,000 high-quality jobs across the continent.
