Building Africa's Next Unicorn: A Conversation with a Lagos Founder

Inside the startup scene

Chidi Okafor 25 min 4.7Feb 2, 2026

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What does it actually take to build a billion-dollar company from Lagos? This wide-ranging interview covers early failures, the reality of fundraising as an African founder, and why staying headquartered at home mattered.

StartupsFintechNigeria

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Chidi: Take me back to the beginning. What problem were you actually trying to solve?

Founder: Nobody could move money between banks without losing three days and a chunk of fees.

Chidi: And funding — was it as hard as people say?

Founder: Harder. I heard 'no' for eighteen months before a single 'yes'.

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Chidi Okafor

Nigeria

Tech founder and host of a weekly innovation interview series.

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