David Lanre Messan appointed to the board of Lagos Business School’s Tech-Leap Initiative

Serial techpreneur, David Lanre Messan has been appointed to the board of the prestigious Tech-Leap Initiative, a tech-focused subsidiary of the Lagos Business School (LBS). An avid player in the Nigerian and African tech space, an experienced venture builder, micro angel investor and a business strategist, Lanre-Messan is expected to bring his knowledge, experience and expertise to further strengthen the deliverables of the initiative.

Speaking about the appointment, the Director of the initiative, Dr Emeka Azinge said the appointment has been met with widespread enthusiasm and optimism. He said stakeholders, including faculty, students, and industry partners, are excited about the wealth of experience and innovative thinking he brings. His proven track record in the tech and business sectors is seen as a significant asset that will drive the initiative forward.

“David Lanre Messan is renowned for his visionary leadership and extensive experience in the tech and entrepreneurial ecosystem. He is known for his ability to foresee trends and identify opportunities in the tech landscape. With a background in founding and scaling successful startups, he brings practical insights into nurturing and growing tech ventures. His extensive experience in both local and global tech markets provides valuable perspectives on bridging gaps between academia and industry,” Dr Azinge said.

See also: “Corporate governance can save fintech companies from collapse”- David Messan, CEO, Firstfounders

The director also noted that David has demonstrated strong leadership in various capacities, including mentoring young entrepreneurs and leading tech initiatives. He also has a robust network of contacts in the tech and business communities which can be leveraged for partnerships and collaborations.

Meet David Lanre Messan

David Lanre Messan is renowned in the Nigerian tech startup space as a venture builder. Wielding a certificate in financing and growing a startup without VC funding from the University of London, and a certificate in disruptive strategy from the Harvard Business School (Online), David set out to help startups across Africa scale their business operations even with minimal funding.

He is the Founder of First Founders, a venture studio partnering with early-stage founders to build and scale their startups from scratch. First Founders has since grown to become one of the largest communities for tech founders in Africa. The platform helps founders engage with each other, solve problems and attract funding.

Speaking on his appointment to the LBS-TLI board, David described it as a new call to duty.

“It feels good but more like a new call to duty where we can support the new frameworks for enhancing the tech ecosystem through continuous learning and building of sustainable startups. In looking forward to the role, I am ready to serve and work with other members of the board and the LBS-TLI Team led by Dr Emeka Azinge to drive the vision. I have worked with several tech startups, tech leaders and emerging founders, I am able to bring their concerns and learnings into the conversation and how the initiative can help shape better founders that would develop new abilities to create startups that can last beyond the shutdown syndrome,” he said.

He further assured that he would bring his knowledge, experience and expertise as a venture builder, micro angel investor and business strategist to further strengthen the deliverables of the Tech-Leap initiative.

The Lagos Business School’s Tech-Leap Initiative was founded in 2024, driven by the recognition of the rapidly growing tech sector in Nigeria and Africa at large. The vision was to bridge the gap between a renowned business school and the tech industry, fostering collaboration, innovation, and knowledge exchange.

Speaking about David Lanre Messan’s expectations as a board member, Doctor Emeka Azinge said the techpreneur is expected to contribute strategic guidance and direction to ensure the initiative aligns with its goals and maximizes its impact, and partnership development. He is also expected to provide mentorship, and actively participate in events by speaking at tech conferences, seminars, and workshops organized under the initiative innovation advocacy and resource mobilization by assisting in securing funding and resources necessary for the successful execution of the initiative’s programs.

Speaking about what a successful tenure as a board member of the Tech-Leap initiative would look like to him, Lanre Messan said:

“A successful tenure for me would be that we have democratised tech entrepreneurship in Nigeria and helping founders build businesses with strong corporate governance; integrative innovation, leadership and collaboration; solving real problems that fill the consumer gaps that exist in markets and through this, we can experience the impact in our GDP and future economic growth.”