by Sera
The ever-growing African tech ecosystem has been graced with brilliant and prominent female figures who have made their mark in driving its growth; Oyin Solebo is one of them.
Over the years, the UK-born entrepreneur and investment expert has reconnected with her African and Nigerian roots by lending her extensive expertise in investment and entrepreneurship to nurture innovation and empower (tech) entrepreneurs across the continent.
With a BSc Hons in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an executive MBA distinction from the London Business School, Solebo started her career as an investment associate in the Private Wealth Management division at Goldman Sachs. Her career trajectory widened after leaving Goldman Sachs for Roland Berger, a global management consultancy firm, where she worked as a Strategy consultant for the firm’s sub-saharan African division. Her role at Roland Berger helped establish the company’s presence on the continent.
In 2014, she co-founded Movemeback, a Google-funded community platform that aimed at connecting global talents with unique opportunities in Africa. It launched with the vision of promoting talent development in Africa by leveraging the talents and resources of the African diaspora, focusing on helping diaspora Africans returning to the continent, by offering them access to jobs, business opportunities, investment options, and collaborative projects.
Today, the platform boasts over 700 organizations across various sectors, including tech, consulting, finance, etc., and is duly recognized by high-profile institutions like the London Stock Exchange. Solebo worked at Movemeback for eight years before eventually pivoting fully into the tech and venture capital space.
Solebo’s career has been marked by her dedication to being a force of empowerment. This relentless drive to make a difference earned her an incredible highlight in her journey as the managing director of TechStars, a global investment business that provides access to capital, in-depth mentorship, customized programming, and other start-up resources for early-stage entrepreneurs.
Related: Discover The 12 Africans Who Made The Business Of Fashion 500 List.
Under her leadership, in her commitment to leveraging both financial and human capital to support African (tech) entrepreneurs, TechStars, in collaboration with ARM Labs, a Lagos-based tech innovation program focused on supporting fintech startups, initiated the ARM Labs Lagos TechStars Accelerator program; investing in fintech, prop-tech, and other tech-driven startups, addressing not only the need for investment but also the gap in resources and mentorship for African startups. Seasoned in the field, it was only right that Solebo took charge of the accelerator program as well, in her continued bid to maximize her expertise on the continent.
Solebo’s role has since been a driving force behind the growth of numerous startups. Under her leadership, the program became a hub for fostering talent within the (African) tech eco-system, boasting of 24 investments in its two-year run until its halt just few weeks ago. Her investment expertise aided many startups in securing and maximizing funds to scale their businesses and gain traction.
For Solebo, she envisions Tech as a catalyst for economic growth across Africa and supporting startups as a leeway to creating significant employment opportunities.
As a female founder and pioneer, she also advocates for gender diversity, working to create more opportunities for female entrepreneurs within the tech space.
Despite the TechStars Lagos shutdown, Solebo confirmed in a farewell letter that she will still be operating in the African Venture Capital ecosystem.
