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 talks with Peace Hyde about his entrepreneurial journey first with Bookneto, then 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 also been appointed as the non-executive director of Learn Africa, with a focus on driving digital transformation efforts in the education space.
Learn Africa Plc is a leading learning resource business with a history spanning over 50 years. It published and markets textbooks for the entire gamut of the educational system – nursery, primary, secondary and tertiary, and has the widest range of educational resources and a very expansive distribution network in Nigeria.
At 29, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji is already a successful tech entrepreneur, who has co-founded Andela and Flutterwave, two of Africa’s most innovative and disruptive companies, collectively valued at nearly a billion dollars. A graduate of the University of Waterloo, Iyin first got into tech with Bookneto, an online learning platform.
A firm believer in Africa’s future, Iyin has now set his sights on building the Fund for Africa’s Future (Future Africa). The new organization is a people-powered innovation fund that provides capital, coaching and a 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.
