Forbes Africa recently released the 2017 class of 30 under 30. 5 Nigerian entrepreneurs, who are considered to be among 600 of the brightest young entrepreneurs, innovators and game changer in the world, and who leveraged the power of The Internet made it to the list.
They include Muktar Onifade, 26, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, 26, Edikan Udiong, 29, Shakeela Tolasade Williams, 29 and Nasir Yammama, 27.
Muktar Onifade, 26 (Nigeria), Founder, VIZUVLGVDS
VIZUVLGVDS, (pronounced visual gods) is a fashion brand that focuses on contemporary African art. Onifade has released three collections since founding in 2013. All garments are handmade in his Lagos and Detroit studios. By day, Onifade is an engineer at General Motors.
According to NBC, He usually starts his days at 4 a.m., splitting time between testing car engines for various standards and requirements and his studio, where he designs his minimalist, high-end brand, VIZUVLGVDS. The fashion collection combines Onifade’s technical, engineering precision with his Nigerian heritage.
Shakeela Tolasade Williams, 29 (Nigeria), Founder, Sade Hair
In February 2013, she branded her company and sold her car, borrowed money from family and invested all her initial earnings into a boutique store after quitting her job at a bank to pursue a career in the ever-growing hair extension industry.
Nasir Yammama, 27 (Nigeria), Founder, Verdant Agri-Tech
Nasir Yammama is a Creative Technologist and Entrepreneur. He is the founder of Verdant, an Agri-Tech value chain company that offers innovative solutions to farmers and other stakeholders for improved food production using novel technologies. He is interested in technology, design, enterprise, renewable energies, and agriculture.
He Won UK Innovation Prize and Mentorship with Richard Branson. He also represented Nigeria and won first place in interdisciplinary category in Mtnadao Afrika, an IT youth camp and contest for all African nations in Cairo, Egypt. This month, Yammama will receive the Queen’s Young Leaders Award in England.
Edikan Udiong, 29 (Nigeria), Founder, Oleander House
Udiong watched her sister and friends search far and wide for a particular weight loss supplement. Their search came to a dead end. The supplier of that product was no longer in business. She saw an opportunity.
In 2012, Oleander House was born. She took advantage of social media advertising to promote the business.
Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, 26 (Nigeria) Founder, Flutterwave
Iyinoluwa is a Nigerian serial entrepreneur with several years of experience running social ventures in education technology and publishing. When he was 18, he worked as an intern for the World Youth Alliance in the United Nations Headquarters. He went on to run one of Canada’s largest student-owned publishing houses, Imprint Publications as President of the Board.
Iyinoluwa helped found and run Bookneto Inc, a social e-learning platform for university professors to teach online courses. Bookneto Inc. was acquired in 2013.
In 2016, Aboyeji left his Startup, Andela a talent accelerator that recruits and trains software developers and connects them with employers, after raising $24 million in funding from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, to start Flutterwave, a provider of technology and infrastructure solutions for digital payments across Africa. The company processes over $760 million through 7.5 million transactions for merchants in partnership with financial institutions.
