Young Nigerians are making laudable impacts in several spaces across different sectors of the economy. With many of the youths finding their niche in technology driven sectors and appealing to global investors ready to part with seed fundings to the tune of millions of USD, i-GEN NEWS? team lead, GBENGA BADA highlights 10 of the young CEOs under 40 years old with thriving firms.

Adeniyi Omotayo

Age: 34 years

Company: Betensured

Industry: Gaming

Adeniyi Omotayo is the sole founder, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Betensured Group, a sports prediction service. Omotayo, as a 29-year-old, established Betensured in 2015 as a free betting tips blog but later grew into a sports prediction and gaming service. Under Omotayo, Betensured has expanded operations to East Africa with physical offices in Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda. It has over one million registered users and at least 35,000 yearly subscribers.

Damilola Olokesusi

Age: 35 years

Company: Shuttlers

Industry: E-Transport

Damilola Olokesusi is the dynamic Chief Executive Officer of Shuttlers, Nigeria?s 1st & leading tech bus-sharing service. Olokesusi, who is also a co-founder of the company, created Shuttlers in 2015 as a tech and transport company aimed at enabling professionals and organisations to share rides to and from work in corporate buses. In her role as the CEO, Shuttlers has continued to witness tremendous growth. The company raised a $1.6m seed funding in 2021 and announced plans to expand into more African metropolitan cities. Passionate about the empowerment of females, Olokesusi launched an initiative called She Moves Shuttles, an all-female shuttle service. The project, supported by the Ford Motors Company in partnership with Global Water Challenge (GWC), has already impacted more than 600 female professionals by making their commuting easier.

Somto Ifezue

Age: 35 years

Company: PiggyVest

Industry: FinTech

Somto Ifezue is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of PiggyVest. Ifezue?s mission is to revolutionise how funds and finances are managed using innovative digital tools and PiggyVest was born. Ifezue and partners? aim was to provide accessible and user-friendly financial solutions, particularly for the unbanked and underbanked. Under his leadership, the platform introduced features like automated savings and investment options, fostering financial literacy and inclusion. Ifezue who is known to be hands-on, has a vision for PiggyVest, which extends beyond traditional fintech services, while aiming to create a comprehensive financial ecosystem that supports users at every stage of their financial journey.

Shola Akinlade

Age: 39 years

Company: Paystack

Industry: FinTech

Shola-Akinlade is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Paystack. Akinlade sits atop one of Nigeria?s leading fintech companies that has revolutionised payment processing for businesses across Africa. Under Akinlade?s leadership, Paystack grew popular amongst the youths and broke even when it was acquired by Stripe for $200 million, marking a significant milestone for African startups.

Chijioke Dozie

Age: 38 years

Company: Carbon

Industry: FinTech

Chijioke Dozie is the Chief Executive Officer of Carbon. Chijioke, who also sits as the company?s co-founder, has led the transformation of the company from a simple lending platform known as PayLater into a full-fledged financial services ecosystem, now known as Carbon. Under Chijioke?s leadership, Carbon has expanded its services to include digital payments, investments and personal finance management, driven by his mission to bridge gaps in Africa?s financial services sector.

Noah Ibrahim

Age: 33 years

Company: Novarick Homes

Industry: Real Estate

Noah Ibrahim is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Novarick Homes. The innovative entrepreneur has pitched his tent as an established realtor with a pie of the Nigerian Real Estate sector. He started off with footwear design and production as an entrepreneur before going on to found Sellerrand Realty Limited and later Novarick Homes, where he?s championing the emergence for the development of a smarter and greener community by leveraging renewable energy as an alternative source of power.

Abubakar Falalu

Age: 35 years

Company: FalGates

Industry: Agriculture

Abubakar Falalu, the Chief Executive Officer of FalGates, comfortably occupies a position on the list. Falalu runs a rice production and milling farm in Kaduna called FalGates which grows, processes, packs and sells parboiled rice across Nigeria. Falalu?s brilliance was first noticed in 2021 when FaLGates reported an annual turnover of $3.4 million. The company has since expanded with other productions while sharing business ideas and models with upcoming entrepreneurs.

Babs Ogundeyi

Age: 37 years

Company: Kuda

Industry: FinTech

Just a few years away from 40, Babs Ogundeyi, the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Kuda, has written his name in gold with footprints on the sands of Nigeria?s fintech sector. Under his wing, Kuda transformed from a startup into a leading digital bank, renowned for its innovative approach to banking. Just as many of his contemporaries, Ogundeyi tapped into the millions of Nigerian youths to get his first customers. Ogundeyi?s vision of creating a bank that prioritises accessibility, efficiency and customer satisfaction has driven the digital bank to an enviable height.

Femi Aluko

Age: 35 years

Company: Chowdeck

Industry: FoodTech

Femi Aluko is the Chief Executive Officer as well as the co-founder of Chowdeck. Aluko?s brilliance was brought to test when he co-founded Chowdeck, an on-demand food delivery service and marketplace where people can purchase their favourite meals from a wide range of restaurants and delivered to their doorstep. Unknown to many, Aluko had proved his mettle at Paystack before co-founding Chowdeck with a mission to ensure restaurants in Africa deliver meals to customers anywhere and anytime.

Ayobami Akindipe

Age: 28 years

Company: Aces Real Estate

Industry: Real Estate

With over a decade from turning 40, Ayobami Akindipe has positioned himself as one of the young and established Chief Executive Officers in Nigeria. The brain and founder behind Aces Real Estate, Akindipe?s foray into Nigeria?s real estate industry is marked by a unique blend of vision and determination. He started out at the young age of 13 as a bricklayer before working through the ladder to transition into a real estate agent at 21. At 29, he sits atop a fast rising real estate firm, Ace Real Estate Development LTD. Ayobami is one of the many inspiring stories of young African CEOs, who continue to shatter the ceilings of barriers to make a name for themselves in their chosen fields. (The Nation)

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