Tosin Faniro-Dada is the Managing Director & CEO of Endeavor in Nigeria. Tosin is passionate about supporting entrepreneurs and helping them scale, not just for the immediate impact this has on their organisation, but more for the multiplier effect this confers on the larger society and economy. She has worked with entrepreneurs in various life-cycle stages, supporting them with interventions and resources to help them thrive.
A Certified Public Accountant licensed in Massachusetts USA, Tosin graduated Summa Cum Laude (highest honors) with a B.sc in Accounting from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and an M.sc in Accounting from Boston College. She is currently participating in an Advanced Management and Advanced Leadership program at INSEAD.
Tosin was the Director, Programmes & Coordination, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), where she led the fund’s intervention programs; providing access to finance to MSMEs, facilitating training and job placements for young people, and supporting entrepreneurs in Lagos State, under the Lagos Innovates program.
Endeavor was formed in 1997, with a unique approach to supporting high-impact entrepreneurship by selecting ‘big bubbles’ – proven, visionary founders with strong leadership potential, in local emerging market ecosystems and providing them with unparalleled access, networks and services on a global scale. In 2019, Endeavor entrepreneurs generated over $28 billion in revenues, and created over 4 million jobs worldwide.
Endeavor Nigeria launched in February 2018 (Endeavor’s sixth market in Africa), with the support of seven local business leaders, their founding Board of Directors, and in partnership with the Omidyar Network.
Their aim at Endeavor is to usher in a new era of growth and economic development, by supporting the uncommon success of high-impact founders, whose companies have potential for large-scale job creation, investment, and innovation.
Endeavor Nigeria selects and supports founders of high-impact companies, that recognises a responsibility to pay-it-forward by working with Endeavor to reinvest their experience, knowledge, time and capital in Nigeria’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Endeavor entrepreneurs receive unparalleled access to over 4,000 leading mentors, investors and businesspeople, guaranteed capital through Endeavor Catalyst, their co-investment fund, and customised services to help scale the businesses.
The Endeavor experience is designed to help their entrepreneurs do three things: think bigger, make better business decisions and multiply their impact on the ecosystem here in Nigeria.
They select scale-up and growth stage companies, that are at critical inflection points in their life cycles, and offer their founders curated experiences based on a menu of infinitely customisable products and services based on each entrepreneur’s needs.
