Young (successful) entrepreneur in Nigeria
Young and getting it is not a rare thing in business world especially in the West, there are numerous entrepreneur who build great business while they are still young, the likes of Apple funder and Facebook founder has shown it to the world that it is possible to build billion dollar business at a young age.
Prior to this people believe that you need a ton of experience in business management before you could build a business, they did not see how a young lad will be CEO of a large company, though this young entrepreneur later hire a professional CEO to help them out, but the fact still remain they start it form scratch.
Well, all the above is for the west, young entrepreneur in Nigeria are just coming up thanks to tech startup that has found its way here before you will clock 30 and above before you will even think of business.
Not that building business now in Nigeria is easier than before no! it is still hard but the young entrepreneur that will be listed in this article find their way to success, sincerely it is a big feat, they have not only show that what we read about America entrepreneur is also possible in Nigeria, they have also motivate aspiring entrepreneur who think they are not fit.
If you jump at this article, it purpose is to show you the young successful entrepreneur in Nigeria, of course our list cannot contain all of them that is why we list the most popular one.
Our selection criteria is base one the success of company they have founded as well as their popularity
Note: The list is not in a particular order
Young successful entrepreneur in Nigeria
Uche Pedro
Uche Pedro is a blogger, she is the founder of one of the most popular media company in Nigeria called Bella Naija, I’m sure you would have visited the blog one time or the order.
She obtained her degree in business administration from Ivey School of Business University of Western Ontario Canada.
She started her blogging business like many bloggers do, with patient and endurance. When she start it, it was hard for her to get visitor since many people don’t frequent blog unlike now when the number of internet user in Nigeria as skyrocket.
Once her business succeed she did not forget her other dream which is to help the less privileged, this make her set up charity organization that support nonprofit organization like leap Africa, slum2chool and Django girls.
Temitope Ogunsemo
The second on our list is once on the list of Forbes 30 under 30. His entrepreneur career began when he went to collect his transcript and you know how frustrating the process could be, instead of getting frustrated and lamenting about how bad government is.
He decided to see it has his own problem and yes he find a solution to it and this give rise to company called Krystal Digital an edtech company that develop and install software application for university in Nigeria.
Temitope hold degree from university of Ibadan, he later went to university of Samford UK to obtain his master degree.
DR Ola Orekunrin
Olamide Orekurn started her entrepreneur journey in 2007 after completing her medical degree in England, she observed that there is nothing been done about the emergency health problem in Nigeria.
Victim of road accident and people living in outskirt of the city could not get easy passage to hospitals when they have emergency heath problem and government have a lot on their hand, they are not even paying attention to that sector.
She set out to solve it but there was a problem, it will be impossible to lift this people with vehicle so she results to use helicopter to transfer them to their prefers hospital.
In 2013 she was listed as one of the young global leader by world economic forum, she is also a ted fellow.
Oluwatobi Ajayi
This is another Forbes 30 under 30. Oluwatope did not begin his career as an entrepreneur, he first worked at Mercedes Benz in Nigeria and this was a good step as this gives him the needed experience in his venture.
Shortly after he was promoted to head of division, he find out that he want more from life so he look for business idea around automobile and voila like it was waiting for him all along, he see underserve market in transportation industry, he knows he can’t do it alone so he pitch to many investor and establish an automobile company called Jetvan limited.
Ruth Obih
Ruth Obih is a lawyer turn entrepreneur, she founded 3invest in 2007 a real estate company with a focus to serve property owners, developers. So far the company has been doing well; she was given kudos for introducing tech into real estate in Africa.
To acknowledge her role in real estate industry, she was named aspiring business person in 2102 by National Youth Economic Council.
Bilikiss Adebiyi Abiola
Bilikss Adebiyi woven social and profit making goal together when she founded Wecyclers, a company that recycle waste product.
The idea for recycling product came while she was still a student at MIT Sloan School of Management. The noticeable part of her business is that her business model is different she did not ask for waste for free, she make sure she paid individual that bring the waste.
Etop Ikpe
Another young successful entrepreneur in Nigeria is Etop ikpe, founder of Car45. Like Oluwatobi he did not lunch Car45 directly instead he first worked at Konga as director and later at Dealdey as CEO.
Car45 is a market place that connect seller and buyer of used car together, they also have detention center where they check quality of every car sold on the platform.
Etop ikpe is a graduate of University of Lagos.
Adaora Mbelu
Adaora Mbelu is a business developer who founded innovative factory in 2011 to help entrepreneur build their business through well research strategies. Most of her success is based on the intensive feasibility study she conducts for her client.
Her impact in business world has not go unnoticed she was awarded entrepreneur of the year 2012 by Media,
Promising young African entrepreneur in 2011 by MTV fab
Part of 30 under 30 in 2012 by Magazine Nigeria
Obina Okwodu
Obina Okwodu seek to help middle income tenant in Nigeria especially in Lagos with Fiber, a company that help to spread the payment of rent such that it did not affect other life activities of the tenant.
He went to MIT to obtain his first degree, then Sloan to obtain his second degree. Obina is also once listed on Forbes 30 under 30.
Abubakar Falalu
Falalu is one of the young entrepreneur in Nigeria that deal directly with farming. He founded a company called Falgates to farm and mill rice. In 2017 the company was said to mill more than 14 tons of rice per day and make about $400,000 as revenue.
He was listed in Forbes 30 under 30 and one of Africa most promising young businessmen.
Damilola solesi
Damiloa solelsi is in the business of not so popular tech category in Nigeria; animation. Her love for animation started when she was in secondary school and she nurture the dream of become an anime creator through secondary to university
When she graduated she founded Smids, an animation company that deal with 3d animation creation, 3d content creation and motion graphics.
Hannah kabir
Hannah kabir is a young successful entrepreneur in Nigeria that tackle one of our biggest problem which is power, she solved this issue through Creeds, a company she founded in 2012 to provide a renewable energy which is more cleaner than electricity.
Hannah kabir obtained her degree in business economics from Queen Mary University of London and she has worked in many role that involve marketing, corporate strategy and management.
Ronke Bamisedun
Ronke is the founder of BWL (Brandwelove) a company that help business build their brand. BWL have their focus on fashion, consumer goods and music.
Their campaign for Jameson connects Nigeria brought Ronke into lime light and she has been listed as Forbes 30 most promising young entrepreneurs in Africa.
She went to Birmingham City University UK and has worked with company like Topshop and Grayling.
Tiwalola Lolanubi jnr
Tiwaloal is another successful entrepreneur in Nigeria who founded of DMH Dottsmediahouse a marketing company that focus on helping business to improve their brand image and reach many people thorough their effective digital marketing technique.
While many student where only concern about education and having fun Tiwaloa couple business and education together, he founded DMH while in University of Lagos and has become a leading digital marketing company in Nigeria with many popular brand in their portfolio. Popular brands like 9mobile, Pepsi and Intel.
Oyindamola Honey Ogundeyi
Oyindamola is the founder of Fashpa a fashion ecommerce website that sell international and local fashion. She went to Birmingham University to obtain her degree in public policy, government and management.
Harold Okwa
Harold Okwa has two businesses to his name. He is the founder of Vestate a property management and Real Estate Company. He founded the company after leaving retail job at Oando plc.
He find out that it is hard for people to find houses and building in Abuja, also thee are lot of scam involve in it which make people to scare when buying land or property that is why he set out to found Vestate.
The second business he founded is Jetseta a marketplace that connect companies that conduct private air travel to travelers. Harold Okwa obtain economic degree from university of Bristol and MBA degree form CASS business school.
Linda Ikeji
Linda Ikeii is the founder of the popular blog called linda Ikeji blog, she started the blog with blogger a free blogging platform before she moved to more advance platform.
Over the year she has build her blog to become one of the most visited website in Nigeria and this has earn her the most richest when blogging is concern in Nigeria. In 20112 she was named as part of 20 most prominent women by Forbes.
Nassir yammama
Nassir yammama is a northern who love technology. He founded Verdant an Agritech Startup to help farmer improve their production with the use of technology and this he has done well as the company has help more than 20,000 farmer to turn their farm yield around.
Nassir went to Institute of technology Middlesex University London.
Seun Osewa
Seun Osewa is a discreet guy who has succeeded in hiding himself from public over the year. Why people use money to buy fame he run from it.
He is the founder of the most visited forum in Nigeria called Nairaland.
According to him Nairaland was not his primary goal her first intent is to create site hosting website but he couldn’t get customer, with the remaining data he launch a forum where people can discuss about network issue but he find out that people are not discussing network issue instead Nigeria abroad want to know what is going on in Nigeria.
So he set out to make a full fledged forum where both local and Nigeria in foreign land can discuss.
Temie Giwa Tubosun
Temie is the founder and CEO of Life Bank, a Company that help to transport blood and other delicate health equipment in Nigeria. In 2018 life bank won MIT solve global challenge in health category.
Onyeka akumah
Onykah Akumah is the founder of Farmcrowdy an Agritech startup that connect farmer to investor in Nigeria.
Their aim is to boost agriculture production in Nigeria and this they are doing well as they have more than 10,000 farmers in their portfolio.
Conclusion
Above is the list of young successful entrepreneur in Nigeria. Most of them start from noting but started early.
Whatever dream you have, whatever change you cooking, it is better for you to start now, forget that you don’t have experience you will learn on the way.
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