Iyinoluwa Aboyeji: Tech Visionary Behind Future Africa,Co-founder of Andela & Flutterwave

Iyinoluwa Samuel Aboyeji, born on March 28, 1991, in Lagos, Nigeria, has emerged as one of Africa’s most influential tech entrepreneurs. Best known as a co-founder of both Andela and Flutterwave, he now leads Future Africa, a venture platform supporting innovators across the continent.

Aboyeji’s journey reflects a passion for harnessing technology to solve real-world challenges and empower the next generation of African leaders 

Early Life and Education

Raised by his parents,both reverends,in Lagos, Aboyeji attended St. Saviour’s Primary School before earning his secondary certificate at Loyola Jesuit College in Abuja in 2007.

He then moved to Canada, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies at the University of Waterloo and St. Jerome’s University. His international education fostered a global outlook that he would later apply to building pan-African tech enterprises 

Co-founding Andela

In 2014, at just 23 years old, Aboyeji co-founded Andela alongside Jeremy Johnson, Nadayar Enegesi and Christina Sass. Andela connects Africa’s top software developers with global companies, quickly scaling to support over 1,000 engineers in multiple African markets.

Backed by investors such as the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Google Ventures, Andela has become a blueprint for talent development on the continent.

Building Flutterwave

Two years later, in 2016, Aboyeji co-founded Flutterwave with Olugbenga “GB” Agboola to streamline payments across Africa.

As its first Managing Director, he helped grow Flutterwave into one of the continent’s fastest-growing fintech firms, facilitating over $2 billion in transactions and serving tens of millions of users within a few years.

His leadership secured funding from top global investors and set the stage for Flutterwave’s unicorn valuation.

Launching Future Africa

In 2019, Aboyeji shifted focus from operator to investor by founding Future Africa. As a general partner, he oversees a platform that combines capital, coaching and community to back mission-driven startups.

To date, Future Africa has invested in over 100 companies across sectors like healthtech, cleantech and education technology, with a collective portfolio valued in the billions of dollars.

Venturing into Itana

Continuing his track record of bold moonshots, Aboyeji co-founded Itana (formerly Talent City) in 2022. Itana aims to build Africa’s first “digital free zone”,a special jurisdiction where businesses can operate virtually under its own regulatory framework.

Situated in Lekki Free Zone, Lagos, the project has already secured $2 million in pre-seed funding and plans to launch in early 2024, promising a new model for attracting global talent and investment. 

Public Service and Recognition

Beyond his startups, Aboyeji served as Deputy Director-General for Oby Ezekwesili’s 2019 presidential campaign and sits on advisory committees promoting digital employability in Nigeria.

In October 2022, President Muhammadu Buhari awarded him the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) for his contributions to technology and entrepreneurship. He is also a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and a Forbes 30 Under 30 alumnus.