The highly anticipated Founders Connect Live: The Builders Summit, held on May 23, 2025, at the Balmoral Convention Centre, hosted hundreds of tech founders, investors, and dreamers.
The summit was alive, a gathering of dreamers and doers hell-bent on rewriting Africa’s tech story. You could sense the idea exchanges between founders, possible deal closures over quick handshakes, and stories finally getting the spotlight they deserved.
Tobiloba Asu-Johnson, co-founder of Zap Africa, the crypto startup that headlined the summit, captured the event’s bold spirit.
“For us at Zap, sponsoring this event is bigger than branding. It’s about pushing the culture forward,” he said. “We believe Africa is ready for the next wave of financial innovation, and Zap is leading that charge. As a non-custodial crypto exchange, we’re building the kind of platform that gives people real freedom, where you control your own money, your own keys, and your own future. No stories, no middlemen“, he added.
True to its promise, the event mirrored the energy – bold, fresh, and built for the future of Africa.
In a session, Peace Itimi sat across from David Adeleke, saying she always checks her “reasons for doing” what she does, and for her, the “mission centres on impacting African founders.”
Founders Connect exists for that purpose, she declared, emphasising that storytelling holds power because Africans don’t tell their stories enough. Her words landed like a challenge, urging everyone in the room to claim their narrative.
David Adeleke’s goal, with Communique, is on making people richer so they can come back and patronise him. His point highlights a major principle that success breeds success, and building wealth for others creates a cycle of growth.
The panel session on how African founders can win in tough markets drew a packed audience.
Damilola Teidi, an investor with a sharp eye for potential and Head, Platform and Networks, shared what she seeks in founders. She looks for people “who can evolve,” she said, “those who solve real market problems.”
Her advice felt like a roadmap, urging founders to stay nimble in a world where markets shift like sand.
Ireayo Oladunjoye, Managing Director, Endeavor, echoed the call for storytelling, stressing its role in standing out. She also pushed for collaboration, urging founders to “work closely with industry players.”
Teidi doubled down, asking founders to think like investors. “What do VCs look for?” she pressed, prompting a wave of nods as the audience scribbled notes.
Seye Dele, the CEO of GetPaidHR, took the stage earlier, diving into how to spot ‘salespeople who thrive in uncharted waters’. He didn’t care for long-winded answers, he said.
He values how “someone thinks on their feet,” especially in unfamiliar territory. He gave an example: he doesn’t know how to build workspaces for remote workers, but he wants to see someone tackle the challenge with calm conviction and quick solutions.
That mindset, he argued, shows a person can absorb knowledge fast and pivot in sales, using intuition to find what clicks with clients. His words painted a picture of resilience, the grit African founders need to navigate a world that doesn’t always bet on them.
Omolara Dada, Growth and Marketing Lead at Anchor, highlighted the summit’s role in uniting the ecosystem.
“The Builders Summit has been an incredible gathering of Africa’s brightest minds in tech; founders, operators, and creators coming together to share ideas and push boundaries,” she said.
“As an infrastructure company powering digital financial services, we’re here to support the next generation of builders with tools that make launching and scaling fintech products faster and more reliably. It’s inspiring to see so many people building for impact, and we’re proud to be enabling that future.”
Why Founders Connect?
Events like Founders Connect matter because they create space for these conversations.
Africa’s tech scene pulses with potential, but potential alone doesn’t win. Founders need platforms to connect, learn, and grow. This summit delivered that, offering inspiration and practical tools—panels, breakout sessions.
The event reminded everyone that African founders compete and redefine the game. It fostered a sense of community, a reminder that no one builds alone. Investors met dreamers, mentors found mentees, and ideas turned into plans.
The ripple effect of such gatherings stretches far beyond a single day, planting seeds for startups that could change lives.
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