Nigeria is one of the countries where we have lots of hardworking entrepreneurs making it and filling the necessary gaps in society.
As a Nigerian, there are a lot of people to inspire you on your entrepreneurship journey in almost all sectors of the country. If you look around, you will find lots of inspiration
Here are 5 out of the entrepreneurs we love in Nigeria:
Jason Njoku: Jason Njoku is the CEO/Co-founder of iROKOtv, which is termed to be the biggest video on demand movie platform in Nollywood. iROKOtv is an on-demand platform that provides quality African movies, hence, it is sometimes referred to as the Netflix of Africa. Before starting iROKOtv, Jason tried different businesses that didn’t quite go well before he discovered an idea about starting up a Nollywood online distribution business. This led him to fly to Nigeria to understudy the Nollywood industry. His best friend, Bastian Gotter financially invested into iROKOtv to help him execute his ideas. From there, they started buying online licenses of Nigerian movies, and they then they struck a deal with YouTube in Germany they also secured an initial investments fund of $3 million from Tiger Global company in 2010. In addition, they went ahead to secure an additional $22 million from international venture capitals.
Image Credit: Jason.com.ng
Debola Williams: Debola Williams is the co-founder of RED, a media group that owns high influence media and communication platforms like Red Media Africa, StateCraft Inc., Church Culture, Generation Y!, and The Future Project. RED also has flagship youth media brands like Y!/YNaija.com, Rubbin’ Minds, and The Future Awards Africa (TFAA). Adebola was awarded CNBC Young Business Leader in the All Africa Business Leaders Awards in 2014 and has been listed among Forbes Best 30 Entrepreneurs and Business Day 40 under 40.
Image Credit: Y Naija
Uche Pedro: Uche Pedro is the founder of Bellanaija.com, an online platform for lifestyle content that serves Africa. Bellanaija.com is an online platform that dishes quality lifestyle, fashion, and entertainment content. It is a website with a loyal following amongst the young, cosmopolitan, upwardly mobile set in Nigeria. Uche started Bella Naija as a hobby in 2006. The idea came to her while she was studying at a university in Canada. She had two weeks holiday and soon got bored, then she was inspired to start something that represented this exciting vibe in Nigeria.
Bidemi Zakariyau: Bidemi Zakariyau is the founder of LSF|PR, a public relations firm in Nigeria. LSF|PR is a full-service public relations agency with core competencies in corporate communications, consumer and lifestyle brands. Bidemi also recently founded The Luxe Digest – a pan-African luxury content platform. She was listed in the Forbes 30 under 30, business category. Likewise, her agency was recently awarded a SABRE certificate of excellence for their Philips campaign. Different bodies have also recognized her and her organization for their good work. She is also a member of the Nigerian Bar Association and a certified member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations.
Dr. Ola Orekunrin: She is the founder of Flying Doctors, West Africa’s first Air Ambulance Service. Flying Doctors helps to bring care to the most remote parts of Western Africa. Dr. Ola was motivated to start the company after her younger sister tragically died while traveling in Nigeria as a result of no medical air service available to transport her to the hospital. She is a British-Nigerian medical doctor who graduated from Hull York Medical School at the age of 21, becoming one of the youngest medical doctors in the United Kingdom.
Image Credit: Twitter
Who are some of the entrepreneurs you admire in Nigeria?
