Catalysing Conversations 2024: Empowering the Future of Entrepreneurship in Africa

October 14, 2024 – Lagos, Nigeria–On October 3, 2024, Endeavor Nigeria hosted its highly anticipated Catalysing Conversations 2024 Summit at the Balmoral Convention Center, Lagos. Industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators convened for a day of insightful discussions, networking, and collaboration. This year’s event focused on the power of collective action and strategic growth to unlock new opportunities and build the future of entrepreneurship across Africa.

The summit opened with remarks from Bolaji Balogun, CEO of Chapel Hill Denham and Chairman of the Board at Endeavor Nigeria, setting the stage for an inspiring day. Key sessions included a fireside chat featuring Ireayo Oladunjoye, Managing Director & CEO of Endeavor Nigeria, Adrian Garcia-Aranyos, President of Endeavor, and Michele Wanjiku, Head of Endeavor Catalyst Africa, where they explored the theme Endeavor – Scaling Impact and Investing in the Future.

In a captivating keynote address titled Leveraging the Power of Collaboration: An Exponential Growth Formula, Tayo Oviosu, Founder and Group CEO of Paga, shared valuable insights on the role of collaboration in driving exponential business growth. Another highlight was a fireside chat between Adrian Garcia-Aranyos and Olugbenga ‘GB’ Agboola, Founder and CEO of Flutterwave, who delved into the journey of transforming an idea into a global success story.

Discussions on expanding the entrepreneurial landscape included a session on Beyond Competition: How to Expand the Pie for Everyone, featuring Jude Chiemeka, CEO of the Nigerian Exchange Limited, Razaq Ahmed, CEO & Co-founder of Cowrywise, Yemi Keri, CEO of Heckerbella and Co-founder of Rising Tide Africa, and moderated by Tage Kene-Okafor, Technology Journalist at TechCrunch. The event also featured a dynamic fireside chat on overcoming setbacks, titled Fail Forward: Transforming Setbacks into Success Stories, with David Adeleke, Publisher of Communique, moderating a conversation with Yomi Adedeji, Co-CEO of Softcom and CEO & Co-founder of Eyowo, and Peter Njonjo, Founder of Selu Group and Endeavor Kenya Board Director.

In addition to these sessions, the summit addressed regulatory compliance challenges through the panel Navigating Regulatory Compliance through Ethical Governance, moderated by Emeka Ajene, Founder & Publisher of Afridigest, and featuring Dalu Ajene, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria, Obi Emetarom, CEO & Co-founder of Zone, Yewande Adewusi, COO of Alitheia Capital, and Akin Oyebode, Honourable Commissioner for Finance for the Ekiti State Government.

The mainstage sessions concluded with closing remarks from Christian Wessels, Endeavor Nigeria Board Director and President and Co-founder of Daystar Power and Sunray Ventures.

The day also included masterclasses on critical topics for entrepreneurs, including Strategic Synergy: Preparing for Exits and Mergers, led by Ike Eze, Managing Partner of Beta.Ventures, Peter Oriaifo, Vice President of M&A at Moniepoint, and Chidi Iwuchukwu, Executive Director of RMB Nigeria. Another masterclass, Financing and Fundraising: Debt or Equity, featured Kunle Osunkunle, Head of Corporate Banking at FSDH, Michele Wanjiku of Endeavor Catalyst Africa, and Ridwan Olalere, CEO of LemFi.

Attendees also had the opportunity to participate in expert speed networking sessions with senior industry leaders, including Toluwaleke Adenmosun, Senior Partner at Verraki Partners; Yinka Edu, Partner at Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie; Deepankar Rustagi, Founder and CEO of OmniRetail; and Ashim Egunjobi, Managing Partner of Octerra Capital.

In attendance were several Endeavor Nigeria Board Directors, including Suresh Chellaram, Managing Director of Chellarams Plc; Sari El-Khalil, Chief Transformation Officer at Seven-Up Bottling Company; and Faysal El-Khalil, Chairman of Seven-Up Bottling Company Ltd and Endeavor Nigeria Board Emeritus. Joining them were notable Endeavor Nigeria Entrepreneurs such as Gatumi Aliyu, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Vendease; Olumide Fayankin, Co-founder and COO of Vendease; Kene Okwuosa, Group CEO of Filmhouse Group; Ngozi Dozie, Co-founder of Carbon; and Adetayo Bamiduro, Co-founder and CEO of MAX.

This year’s summit was made possible through the generous support of Chapel Hill Denham, our Rocketship Sponsor (Headline), and Seven-Up, who kept everyone refreshed with 7Up. We are grateful to our Diamond Sponsors: Shekel Mobility, LemFi, and Trustfund Pensions. Co-sponsors Filmhouse, OmniRetail, Matta, and Paga played a crucial role in the event’s success, while FSDH supported us as the Lanyard Sponsor. Datamellon & AWS facilitated networking as our Networking Sponsors, and RMB sponsored a masterclass session and registration.

The event featured exhibitors showcasing cutting-edge products and services, including Paga, Moniepoint, EzzyCare, MAX, Zone, Matta, Mainstack, Carbon, Filmhouse Group, and Field, further enriching the experience for attendees. The event’s media and ecosystem partners, including BusinessDay, TechCabal, Technext, Loatsad Promomedia, A&A Collective, and VC4A, played a pivotal role in amplifying the summit’s impact.

Catalysing Conversations 2024 was a platform for sharing knowledge and fostering relationships that will drive innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurship across Africa.

For more information, press inquiries, or to request interviews with speakers, please contact:

Joy Mabia – Manager, Marketing and Communications, Endeavor Nigeria – joy.mabia@endeavor.org

Endeavor Nigeria
nigeria@endeavor.org | endeavornigeria.events

About Endeavor:

Endeavor is the world’s leading community of high-impact entrepreneurs. Founded in 1997, Endeavor is a global organization with a mission to unlock the transformational power of entrepreneurship by selecting, supporting, and investing in the world’s top founders. Today, Endeavor’s network spans 42+ markets and supports more than 2,600 entrepreneurs whose companies generate combined revenues of over $67 billion US and have created more than 4.1 million jobs. Endeavor’s unique entrepreneur-first model and network of trust provide a platform for founders to dream big, scale up, and pay it forward to the next generation of entrepreneurs. 

Endeavor launched its Nigeria office in 2018 to select and support the best founders of companies at the scale-up and growth stage who recognise a responsibility to pay it forward and multiply their impact in Nigeria’s entrepreneurship ecosystem. In Nigeria, Endeavor aims to select 4-6 companies a year, and today there are 35 Endeavor Nigeria Entrepreneurs leading 16 companies in their portfolio.

Learn more about Endeavor in Nigeria: nigeria.endeavor.org. Learn about Endeavor’s global network: www.endeavor.org