₦airaland Forum

Also what do you think about Nigerian fintech start-up valuations? Do you think they are a bit audacious? I watched a pitch yesterday and the start-ups had a $5 million valuation, still in prototype phase, no sales whatsoever. Isn't this bunkers?

Last week my church friends and I visited an acquittance in Victoria, It was my first time taking a ferry and I loved the fact that we could travel with our car parked in the ferry. It felt really cool because we did not have to sit for hours on a road trip and we got to watch movies, have fun and enjoy the sea. We arrived the sea port and drove off in our car.

So yesterday, I had a discussion with a friend and we talked about this same sea transport can be implemented in Nigeria.
He slipped the idea of a private ferry company that runs fast boats across Lagos coastlines and ferries that will accommodate cars as well. I loved the idea but I believe a lot of research needs to be done to determine the exact focus of such start-up. Uber boats and Lagos ferries seem to be doing the people transportation. But the idea of bringing your car along was pretty new.
I think the sea transportation sector(to commute people +their cars interstate) is untapped and there are many opportunities here.
We are about to start working on it and I will update you as we do some research.

What do you guys think?

This is Nigeria sir.
Don't be too quick to judge her "Communication etiquettes". You do not know if she has received scam calls in the past.
You shouldn't be surprised at her reaction, this is typical. She prolly receives all unfamiliar calls in that manner. Did you inform the applicants that they will be contacted via phone number?
Here in Canada, scam calls are common and companies always send emails and set up zoom meetings via emails. If a phone call is necessary, kindly inform the applicant via text message....from ABC company. Let's not be unfortunate please.
Peace.

Wisemfon:
A lady I referred for a bank job in the first week of June got a call this morning to resume work at an Uyo branch of the said commercial bank. She was fortunate to be among the few applicants that were shortlisted from among a large pool of graduates who got interviewed for the jobs.
No, but she won't be resuming!

She finally lost the opportunity because of a phone call.
She had received the call in the early hours of today, 10:00am precise. It was from the HR department of the bank.

But she didn't say "hello".

Her first remark when she picked was "who's this?"

Before she got any other reply she added "how did you get my number?"

The HR person goes "Am I speaking to Miss xxxxxxx?"

She felt the question is unnecessary! And she gave her final response.

"Please if you don't want to introduce yourself get out of my phone" that was her final word!

I got a feedback from the HR by 12noon today and I listened to that conversation. Those kinds of phone calls are always recorded for reference purposes.

Aunty lost the job because she lacks Phone Conversations Etiquette! I listened to the recorded version of that conversation.

She lost the job because she believes every unknown male caller is a "chyker".

You see? After all it's not always because HR people are "despicable" as they have been labeled by Nigerians!

Why would a Homosapien answer a phone call like this in the year 2020AD?

Watch out! Your next phone call might be your breakthrough! But your ill-manners could cost you the miracle

Last month on Twitter was crazy, almost everyday, Techcrunch announced a new Nigerian start-up seed funding, and the numbers were huge!
There has been a lot of uproar in the Nigerian fintech space. They seem to be the only tech start-up field getting a lot of investments, grants and attention from investors around the world.

Paystack built the fintech foundation after the $200m acquisition in October 2020. 5 months later, we began to see a boom!
More than 10 Nigerian companies got backed by YCombinator. $125k for 7% of their company. Flutterwave raised $170m and is valued at $1 billion ~340 billion naira. Geezo!
I was all optimistic and happy to see Nigeria in a new light! Then I saw this tweet below by Wole Oluyemi, a Nigerian investor.
It gave me Jumia NYSE ptsd. Makes we wonder, are we seeing another dot.com bubble? Will they end up competing for the same market share? Why are so many Fintechs trying to solve the same problems; payments, payments and payments!
Are these founders just after the bag? I think the second tweet by Mikal Khoso explained it a little.

I am quite optimistic because this is tech and the opportunities are limitless with Technology + Africa is still growing. I feel there are many tech revolving areas untapped. Most times these start-ups are a replica of a western version. When are we going to build something for ourselves, that wouldn't have to be ------ for Africa.

Let me know what you think.

Next, we will talk about why Nigerian start-ups are rejecting investment deals from Nigerian investors. I blame them not!
I should make this a thing- Start-up talks with Grace lol.

Why do you say so? Do I strike you as a someone who wants a companion?

RENOWNED2:
You need a boyfriend ASAP!

Hard work pays. He deserves it!

But Tailors can become High class Fashion designers and make cloths and dresses worth millions for celebrities. Sha not in Nigeria. But isn't the ICT field of web design too saturated already. Legit everyone is trying to do IT. I think cybersecurity and ethical hacking is the new gig!
Just last week, Chinese hackers disrupted Microsoft -Outlook emails and also accessed classified government files. The need for high level cyber protection is key because even VPNs are not all safe. IT intelligence is hot at the moment. Data analytics too, hot cake!

tensazangetsu20:
The only skills i would advise any youth to get is digital ICT skills. Coding, UI and UX design, graphic design, video editing and animations. These skills enable you to work for companies abroad and help you get paid a very nice salary while you live in Nigeria but you see those tailoring et al. Run far away from that shit as a youth.

This is a little difficult to grasp, but I am learning quite a lot. "The dead in Christ shall rise again" this is usually likened to Rapture, when God comes back to take his own and the dead in him shall rise and be resurrected as well. But before then, Kindly explain what happens when a Christian and an unbeliever die at the same time. I understand that the unbeliever has paid for his sins with death. But does the believer go to heaven? What then is eternal life for the righteous? I am sure you don't mean reincarnation.

MaxInDHouse:
Heaven is the place God made for his spirits sons to dwell closer to him but the earth is where God created for humans. Psalms 115:16
Before God created Adam there was no Adam so at death Adam return to non-existence but his body which supposed to last forever is buried in Hell (Grave)
There are traditional religious teachings about heaven and hell that's fabricated as if they have to do with scriptures but they're all lies.
Death is the wages of sin {Romans 6:23 compare to Genesis 3:19} and the person that died has paid for all his sins at death {Romans 6:7} God has no business with them again unless if they're part of those who lived based on their own conscience, to God such persons are UNRIGHTEOUS since they don't know the righteousness of God! Act 24:15
So they will be resurrected back to life where they will now be tested whether they will accept God's righteousness which is through Christ or not.
But as for those who intentionally lived a wicked life or those who after knowing the righteousness of God through Christ but ignored it, they are gone for good because their own judgement is automatic! John 3:16-19

You did not mention judgement after death, Heaven or Hell and where we will spend eternity. Any reason for that? As much as I understand your scriptural evidence, the bible also talks about Heaven and Hell, which you made no reference to. Enlighten me please

MaxInDHouse:
God created the first human couple from dust {Genesis 2:7} before then they never existed and he promised them a gift "immortality" if they will abide by his rules but if not he will return them to where they came (non-existence) {Genesis 2:17} therefore the gift is only for the good not for evildoers! Romans 6:23
So at death humans return to non-existence just like all other creatures {Ecclesiastes 3:19-20} the only hope now lies in the hands of God who has the power to restore life back to those who proved to be his friend {Job 14:13-15} because he keeps all their data in his memory book {Genesis 4:10 compare to Hebrew 11:4} he can restore them back no matter what happened to their former bodies can't stop him from bringing them back to life! John 5:28-29
But presently all those who died are sleeping in death they know nothing, feel nothing and so they can't help nor harm the living neither can we do anything to help them {Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, 10} all their memories has vanished it's only God who knows the useful ones among them and he will bring them back if they made his heart glad when the were alive! Proverbs 27:11 compare to Ecclesiastes 12:1
God bless you and may you have PEACE!

"School na scam" "Bill gates and Mark Zuckerberg have no degrees"
You will usually here this phrase from youths and students who see no future, hope or necessity in their University education.
Others have brothers and sisters who graduated from Universities but never used their degree. Some graduates sell wigs online, do menial Jobs or are into Binance and cryptocurrency.
All in all, many youths are still fighting their way to get into a University, many of them write Jamb year after year. PostUtme after PostUtme. They attend many private lessons and hire tutors just to enable them get a University admission. And many people get in hardly recover from carry-overs.
Those wasted years and money can be put into sometime useful.
Is University education really compulsory? Why is there no accepted/popular alternative learning/ skill acquisition opportunity for the non-book smart. Why is skill acquisition regarded as a second option in Nigeria.
Why does it sound derogatory to learn tailoring, baking, mechatronics, etc.

Lets be honest, not every youth is really interested in tertiary education. Many are under parental pressure to go to the university like every other person does. This narrative has to change. Not everyone is bound to excel on pen and paper. Everyone is wired differently. Imagine if these Yahoo boys could put their street-smart knowledge into good use.

What do you think?

Kindly expatiate a little further

ednut1:
You this babe again. We can see why you are lonely in canada

Ofcourse, go for it!

MaxInDHouse:
I am Maximus one of JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES, would you like if i also participate in the discussion?

Hi everyone,

I have been on Nairaland for a while now but just recently started making a few posts. Ranging from my personal life experiences to replying to someone's post. I got really heart-warming replies and messages from my first post which made me feel like a belonged to the Nairaland community. Many people sent emails and wanted to be friends. Of course, this required sharing my WhatsApp contact, IG handle and other personal details.

Now what?

I have had many experiences where i shared contacts with folks on Twitter and other social apps and the conversation just dies, because we had nothing to talk about. Good morning, How are you, have you eaten, how was your day, yada yada yada---empty conversations. Sometimes it moves in the wrong direction, people always have different motives and interests that may never align with yours.

While I do appreciate the kind gesture and wiliness to communicate and be friends, I believe that for friendship to thrive, there has to be a strong linking factor, either a common interest, field of study or goal. That's why for a start, i do recommend we chat from Google Hangouts and then we can move the friendship on a closer level, but a lot of people are either not on Hangout or just want WhatsApp or nothing.

PS: To everyone who has sent me request emails, thank you!, I see them but sometimes i am unsure how/what to reply. That's why I always follow back, perhaps your next message will make more meaning.

This forum is full of great-minded, intelligent and wonderful people and I have chatted with a few.
For the Nairalanders who have made friends on this forum, what would you advise? What experiences have you had?
Is it worth sharing your contacts?

Let me know your thoughts/experiences

This has nothing to do with self-esteem. Approaching people is not even the problem and striking up a conversation is not as difficult.
The issues are:
Are they interested in having a conversation with you? Do they like you enough? Would they foster a friendship from that short convo?
NO matter how you want to socialize it never works out well if its one-sided. When all the energy is coming from your end alone. When they make you feel like you are pestering, all in a bid to socialize.
Applying for a Job is different, there is a need and a want from both parties.
Its not about just reaching out to people, do they want to be reached out to?

You honestly have a lot to learn. Be open minded and you will understand things a lot more.

In Peace, I come!

Mcslize:
Taaaah! I don't live abroad but stop looking down on yourself before the whites.

Most of you are simply having low self esteem. Knowing how to talk to people is not a hard thing to do. There is a way you talk to someone, she will definitely give a positive feedback. Weirdo you said? Who gives a bleep? That's the condemnations I mentioned earlier. You already condemned yourself that the person you want to talk to won't answer you politely.

It's more like applying for a job and just before you are invited, you already condemned yourself as not fit for the job. That's low self esteem. Why not make an attempt first before writing yourself off?

It is the same mindset that is preventing many from reaching out to people. You feel someone will take you as weirdo just by saying Hi or reaching out to them. Confident men don't give a fvck about the reply ladies give them.

As far as I am just being myself, how a lady view a man doesn't matter to a man who knows what he is doing.

Weirdo indeed!

I have personally experienced that this before. We had a group assignment( 5 people- My black self and 3 white guys and a white girl) and i reached out to someone in the group about how we would work together. The guy said, we will work individually and only present together. You wouldn't believe they actually created a google doc and planned the whole presentation without me. I can not even describe how that made me feel. I did my part and silently went to the library to weep. And yes they were all smiling as usual

otipoju:
Leave all those guys that think movie is real life.

That face smiling at you can dial 911 in the next ten seconds to report that she does not feel safe because a stranger is staring at her menacingly....while still smiling at you.

Its when your coworkers or classmates organise stuff behind your back that youll realise that you are not one of them.

The neighbours to my right,left and front, we dont know their names...na hello, hi, you good? Na him we dey do.
Nobody wants any problem .

I go to a Nigerian Church, attend Nigerian parties, play football with Nigerians...so im not lonely.

Me I've learnt to mind my business and face my front.
Make God bless me so i can be going back and forth at will.

Na hustle i come hustle for yankee...no be my papa land.

What sounds flimsy to you might mean the world to another person. Everyone with their cup of akamu. Learn to respect other people's preferences

shegun4sur:
With masters it would've made more brain to get a more reasonable job. Coming back solely because of such flimsy reasons is not cogent

"Following the train from station to station" This cracked me up
Honestly Nigerian churches abroad is a topic for another day.

LordOfTheGame:
You have explained to the guy many times yet he refused to understand that. Life here is not beans. As I write now, am feeling depressed because nowhere to go to and nobody to hang out with. Just dress up and go to any train station here and just be following the train from station to another station. You see a white girl and start to talk to her, she makes you look stupid or you see a black girl, she will start displaying one yeye attitude as if she holds your life with their entitlement mentality. See me wey dey fine better woman to marry, nowhere to see her. For church na there e worst pass.

Many believers like myself believe that after death on earth is judgement which decides where we spend eternity in either heaven or hell.
But why Heaven or Hell? Isn't that overly dichotomous? Sometimes I really want to side with the Catholics who believe in Purgatory.
Can we really be 100% holy as humans? Are we all going to hell?

A friend of mine once told me that she sees Heaven as God's abode; where he and his angels reside alone. She said Heaven is not a retirement home for saints. How about Hell? Same, Where the Devil and his demons reside alone. I then asked what happens to humans when we die? She said nothing, we seize to exist, that is all...the end. I could not really wrap that around my head then she proceeded to discuss Before-life

What is Before-life? No one can seem to answer the question "where were we before we are born?"
Some have told me we where in heaven, many people have said we simply did not exist.
But where are our souls camped before being assigned to our mothers womb?

If we seized to exist before-life what are the chances that we will exist afterlife?

I will appreciate if the mods move this to front page

It's looks quite easy from your end. "they don't make an effort to socialize" lol this is not Lagos. Everyone minds their business here, just chit chat and move on, no time for committed relationships or friendships except they are particularly interested in you, even your co-workers like to keep it professional. Its not just the environment, it's the people, their preferences and way of life. You as a foreigner, you cannot change that. There is really no place like home.
Peace

ednut1:
I dont take them serious because they are not serious. Keep staying in your house complaining and dont make effort to socialize o. For many its the validation and toasting they get in Nigeria. But all of a sudden no one sends you again lol

Honestly, you wouldn't have explained it any better. Been in Vancouver for 3 years now and I could not agree less. I usually engage myself with volunteering, community service, church choir and taking swimming lessons and post my random thoughts on Nairaland. That alleviates the boredom a little, but the loneliness is unmatched. You better learn to enjoy your own company before coming over. Don't overdo things or try to be too friendly, they'll see you as a pest.

Peace

flokii:
While it looks like blessing to put in all your life savings to acquire Visa, work permit etc. and migrate to obodo oyinbo.. when you get there, the oyinbo people will see you as disturbance and uninvited guest, you won't have friends or people to bond with, loneliness, boredom and feeling of regret would then creep in.
It's only married ones with kids that tend to feel loved, not the singles.

If we had good leaders in Africa in general, who would want to run abroad and live in deep freezer? you sef reason am na.
As a guy, your penls will start to shrink like it's no man's business out of cold and sickness.

l

This topic is somewhat like a double-edged sword.
First edge; Nobody points a gun to your head to take a course. (anybody can do what they want)
2nd edge: Being gullible and ignorant can be a choice.

What triggered me to make this post: An Instagram page(dedicated to empowering Nigerian women), asking people to take loans for an online Instagram class TO LEARN BUSINESS, NOT TO START .
PS: The loan will be payed directly to the online professors account, not yours. Just take a class and be in debt

In 2021, with the vast amount of free learning resources and accessible ocean of knowledge on the internet, it marvels me to see people paying for absurd and DIY-able courses. Google, Youtube, Skillshare, Udemy, Figma, Canva and many others are an invaluable blessing to mankind. There are thousands of websites that offer free courses and materials on literally any topic, subject or idea that you can think of. Any form of Information and knowledge is literally one click away and everything is online. The internet has brought so much knowledge to our fingertips but humans will always be humans.

I was on clubhouse yesterday and I saw a room "HOW TO MAKE $1000 IN 24 HOURS" over 300 attendees. I could not help but wonder, why people choose to be deceived? These scams are everywhere, on YouTube, Facebook and I was not surprised to see them on Clubhouse. What marvels me is why people keep falling for this scams, with all the bad reviews and warnings and enlightenment. Truly there is something like a Coconut head.
I believe that in every attempt to make a decision, no matter how desperate, common sense should be applied.
Why do people think making money is as easy as this scammers pronounce? Why is someone teaching you how to make money by selling a course? Same goes for the money-flipping, people still fall for that. It drives me crazy, how gullible people can be.

An acquittance shared a personal experience taking an online course with a Naija mentor. He paid N10,000 for an Instagram class on business communication skills. He then noticed the professor was playing YouTube videos, reading off an online material and sharing a free e-book that he once read. I asked him "why did you have to pay for a course, knowing that there is so much information on the internet" He replied that he wanted a convenient and interactive and face-face learning experience he could pay for.

It appear to me that sometimes, people know the right things to do but they just want to be spoon-fed.
Same goes for people who buy slimming tea; you know the right thing to do is gym and avoid fat consumptions but you rather pay to have a substance do some magic to your digestive system.

Back to what triggered me to make this post. How can you, a mentor, a so called women's advocate, ask people to take loans for an Instagram class? How is that empowering? Is this how people can be desperate for money? The funny thing is their target audience are those women with small business looking for a way to grow their sales and outreach. It is insane!

The crazy part is these online teachers are just middle men, selling free online materials to lazy people. Online professors are cashing out sha. Imagine 300 folks paying N100,000 for a course. Apparently there is a online course on "HOW TO TAKE ONLINE COURSES'' This has to a business venture and people are willing to pay. I used to think people were too lazy to do simple research, although some are but others actually feel better paying to take classes than researching free information. I think it is psychological to a point or maybe it's just choice.

Let me know what you think, feel free to criticize and add your opinion.
Grace is my name.

Hi Steady,
Nice to meet you, I guess you are a web developer and I will love to learn more about your tech innovations and share some of mine as well.
What field in tech are you most interested in?
Something tells me you reside in the UK? I hope to hear from you soon.
Bless!

steadyMoving22:
Hi , myself and a friend of mine have actually been working on a couple of innovative tech ideas,but we really think we need a partner most especially investors. I really don't mind if we can partner together to create something amazing .

Thank you everyone for the advice and support. Thanks for taking the time to send those encouraging messages too.
I feel better knowing that other people have felt the same at some point in their lives.
My email is also registered on google hangouts, I am always happy to chat a little.
Thanks again.
Grace.

What do you mean?

GOFRONT:
I hope no be girlchild sha!!!

Hi Bless Star,
While I do not have a start-up yet, I I intend on building one. My ideas and innovations are still in the research and market evaluation stage.
However, if you do need a grant for your business, I will advice applying for the Tony Elumelu Foundation for a start. Goodluck!

blessStar:
hi Childofthelord ;


1.so how can one get grants ...do you know of any

2. have you gotten grants yourself

3 . do you have a startup

Hi everyone,

I have attended many start-up conferences and pitch platforms and from my anecdotal research, I discovered that many start-up founders are scared of bringing investors on board their start-up. There is a common misconception that, Venture capitalists and angel investors will take over your company if you strike deals with them. Many founders are very concerned about giving up equity and sometimes feel cheated after accepting a business deal. Others believe so much in their business that they are always scared of being exploited or have their business ideas stolen when pitching. Because of this way of thinking, many start-up founders would rather apply for grants rather than investment deals.

Personally, I believe that no idea is so unique or extraordinary, all ideas are useless without execution. Many Nigerian founders have little to no understanding about company valuation and equity, they do not know their company's worth and some overestimate their projections and valuations at obscene levels. I personally think that Start-up founders should try to bootstrap before seeking funding from investors. I hold the opinion that if a business is not profitable or has no interested customers in its early stage, then fund-raising is a red flag.

About investors; The early investors of Paystack were Stripe and Visa. I can recall the founders of Paystack mentioned that they received $120,000 for YCombinator for 7% of their company. Previously, foreign investors were more interested in the African market than Nigerians themselves but that is changing now. More investors and accelerators are emerging in Nigeria and taking pivotal steps in the development of Start-ups.
Microtraction: a tech based Nigerian investment firm offers an investment proposition of 25,000 for 7% of any promising company that pitches to them. Firstcheck Africa: Invests in ridiculously early female-owned start-ups
I was on Twitter yesterday and I saw a tweet about an application for start-ups to pitch to Lion's Den Nigeria( An African version of the Canadian Dragon's Den).
Few days ago, A group of Nigerian investors held a pitching platform for small businesses on Clubhouse; they gave away over N6M in grants.
I am completely fascinated that we are now beginning to believe in ourselves and the potentials that we have. I felt like this would be a good way for Nigerian investors to support our own start-up and businesses.

I was watching Tayo Aina's Youtube videos and was so appalled by how much gifted we are as a country and how Nigerians in diaspora have come back home to build companies and create start-ups, while Nigerians here are looking for means to gain Canadian residency and never come back.
Touche!
As for me, I love my country, there is no place like home and I will always embrace the Nigerian dream.
I believe the future of the development of Africa is in our hands, if we decide to face our fears and support one another.
What is your opinion on this matter? What is the future of Start-ups in Africa?

I did not understand the intensity of the North-South war until now. Fresh produce are highly perishable and have a low shelf life. The lack of food storage infrastructure leads to food wastage and will affect us all in the long run. It appears as though the North is losing it but we all in some deep shit. Someone has to do something

Hi everyone,

During the quarantine period, i developed a keen interest for Start-ups, unicorns, angel investors, VC and all the entrepreneurship buzz word that ever existed. I once stumbled on Shark Tank (An American TV show where entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to investors like Mark Cuban, for a business deal). This was where I learnt what an equity was, a convertible note, company valuation, business scalability, sales projection, breaking even, profitability and many other things.
My idea of starting/building a company completely changed when I watched these shows and learnt how, many business have raised money and failed, others have bootstrapped and succeed, some have sold their company, some run into debt, others have misplaced priority while a chunk of them are creating products nobody needs. The Nigerian start-up ecosystem really does interests me, think of the likes of GOkada, was doing so well and then came the government ban. The Nigerian government seems to be an enemy of progress and make it harder for foreign investors. Against all odds, some start-ups have marveled our wildest expectations...

PAYSTACK: I pretty sure many people are familiar with the names Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi, these tech geeks built an Online payment platform for SMEs, scaled and sold to STRIPE for $200m. Truly every Nigerian was proud of this great achievement, I myself felt enthusiastic about the possible potentials for Nigerian start-ups not to mention what happened with Jumia's IPO at the NYSE. Alas, I felt a rush of hope for the Nigerian dream. About Paystack, I tried to analyze how they grew and what made them so valuable to the international market.
Many reviews i read emphasized on right timing, market need and ease of use, others felt they got the right support and funding from YC. But I met a few people who insisted that the company should not have been sold. Dare, a friend of mine pointed out that Paystack could have built a foundation for the silicon valley of Nigeria, he was not too happy with the fact that we "sold" what should have been "ours" to hold as Africans. Btw Silicon valley is like the Tech headquarters of the United states, it camps many successful giants like Twitter, Facebook, Google etc. Contrary to my friend, I hold the opinion that Paystack has already laid the foundation. There are many other start-ups doing amazingly well like Piggyvest, cowrywise, fluterwave Farmcrowdy etc. But is Nigeria willing to support these guys and many other young founders in the long run? Will there be more acquisitions or they should "stay African"?
Let me know your thoughts and let's talk about how Paystack was funded in its early stage.
(I feel the need to stop here for discussions- before I continue)

Next discussion: Grants, funding and investment brouhaha for Start-ups and SMEs in Nigeria.

Hi everyone,

During the quarantine period, i developed a keen interest for Start-ups, unicorns, angel investors, VC and all the entrepreneurship buzz word that ever existed. I once stumbled on Shark Tank (An American TV show where entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to investors like Mark Cuban, for a business deal). This was where I learnt what an equity was, a convertible note, company valuation, business scalability, sales projection, breaking even, profitability and many other things.
My idea of starting/building a company completely changed when I watched these shows and learnt how, many business have raised money and failed, others have bootstrapped and succeed, some have sold their company, some run into debt, others have misplaced priority while a chunk of them are creating products nobody needs. The Nigerian start-up ecosystem really does interests me, think of the likes of GOkada, was doing so well and then came the government ban. The Nigerian government seems to be an enemy of progress and make it harder for foreign investors. Against all odds, some start-ups have marveled our wildest expectations


PAYSTACK: I pretty sure many people are familiar with the names Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi, these tech geeks built an Online payment platform for SMEs, scaled and sold to STRIPE for $200m. Truly every Nigerian was proud of this great achievement, I myself felt enthusiastic about the possible potentials for Nigerian start-ups not to mention what happened with Jumia's IPO at the NYSE. Alas, I felt a rush of hope for the Nigerian dream. About Paystack, I tried to analyze how they grew and what made them so valuable to the international market.
Many reviews i read emphasized on right timing, market need and ease of use, others felt they got the right support and funding from YC. But I met a few people who insisted that the company should not have been sold. Dare, a friend of mine pointed out that Paystack could have built a foundation for the silicon valley of Nigeria, he was not too happy with the fact that we "sold" what should have been "ours" to hold as Africans. Btw Silicon valley is like the Tech headquarters of the United states, it camps many successful giants like Twitter, Facebook, Google etc. Contrary to my friend, I hold the opinion that Paystack has already laid the foundation. There are many other start-ups doing amazingly well like Piggyvest, cowrywise, fluterwave Farmcrowdy etc. But is Nigeria willing to support these guys and many other young founders in the long run? Will there be more acquisitions or they should "stay African"?
Let me know your thoughts and let's talk about how Paystack was funded in its early stage.
(I feel the need to stop here for discussions- before I continue)

Next discussion: Grants, funding and investment brouhaha for Start-ups and SMEs in Nigeria.

It's quite obvious that you've never experienced what I am going through, which is totally fine. Typical naija people reaction to anything they can't relate with. Love and Light regardless.

Oracleforce:
Your brain supposes to tell you that this is a cooked-up story...

Keep fooling yourself