Ridwan Olalere of LemFi Joins Endeavor Network Following Selection at the 100th International Selection Panel

Endeavor Nigeria proudly announces that Ridwan Olalere, Co-Founder of LemFi, has been selected as an Endeavor Entrepreneur following his participation at the 100th in-person International Selection Panel (ISP) held in Dublin, Ireland. Ridwan joins 31 other high-impact entrepreneurs from around the world selected at the event, reinforcing Endeavor’s mission to support entrepreneurs leading transformative companies.

LemFi, co-founded by Ridwan Olalere and Rian Cochran, is addressing the pressing challenges faced by migrant communities when sending remittances. With over $800 billion transferred globally yearly, many remittances still need to be more expensive, slow, and complex. LemFi offers an innovative solution by providing fast, reliable, low-cost money transfers tailored specifically to underserved communities. Since its launch in 2021, LemFi has served over a million immigrants and facilitated the transfer of billions of dollars to more than 15 countries.

Ridwan’s experience in fintech, having previously co-launched Opay and built payment infrastructure at Flutterwave, equipped him with the knowledge and drive to create LemFi. The company’s community-based approach, which focuses on providing the best services to select migrant groups, differentiates it from other remittance platforms. By honing in on underserved communities, LemFi offers faster transfers, lower fees, and a smoother user experience, making a meaningful impact in the lives of millions of immigrants.

Commenting on his selection process and joining the Endeavor network, Ridwan Olalere, co-founder of LemFi, said, “I am delighted to be in the esteemed company of entrepreneurs, leaders and problem solvers on the Endeavor Network, delivering value by taking on some of the biggest challenges in the world. One Endeavor value that I resonate with personally is “Go Big.” It highlights our ambitions at LemFi as we continue to build the future financial service for immigrants worldwide. I am confident I can rely on the community’s Network of Trust to establish connections to help us achieve this vision.”

Ridwan was selected alongside entrepreneurs from other high-growth companies including Andres Perez and Mateo Semerene of AltScore (Ecuador), Martin Rohland of Baly (UAE), Ryan Close of Bartesian (Great Lakes, USA), Uljan Sharka of iGenius (Italy), Antonio Nunes and Margarida Freitas of Instaleap (Colombia), Mohammed AlRazaz and Muhammed Furkan Uzar of OTO (Saudi Arabia), Manoela Mitchell and Thiago Torres of Pipo Saúde (Brazil), Ezequiel Sánchez, Raúl Torres, and Raúl Verdú of PLD Space (Spain), Karl Gilbert of Raylo (Ireland), Rina Onur Şirinoğlu, Remi Onur, Barkın Başaran, Mithat Madra, and Fuat Coşkun of Spyke Games (Türkiye), Wisnu Nugrahadi, Dimas Pramudya Putra, and Margana Mohamad of Staffinc (Indonesia), Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr of Thndr (Egypt), Wael Bizri and Sary Azakir of Toothpick (Lebanon), and Asmaa Chakir Alaoui, Jamil El Garti, and Othman Razine of VelyVelo (Morocco).

The 100th ISP in Dublin marks a significant milestone for Endeavor, having now selected 2,635 entrepreneurs leading 1,609 companies across more than 40 countries. These entrepreneurs are helping to fuel innovation and economic growth on a global scale.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ridwan Olalere to the Endeavor family,” said Ireayomide Oladunjoye, Managing Director and CEO at Endeavor Nigeria. “Ridwan’s vision for LemFi, along with his dedication to solving the challenges migrant communities face, is a prime example of the high-impact entrepreneurship that Endeavor supports. We look forward to working with him as he continues to grow LemFi and make a lasting impact.”

Endeavor extends its gratitude to the panel of esteemed judges who played a crucial role in the selection process, including: Edgar Bronfman Jr., Guillaume Pousaz, Jason Green, Joanna Rees, Martín Escobari, Veronica Serra, Elaine Coughlan, Herman Bosman, Jasen Ko, Jason Borschow, Martín Migoya, Pietro Sella, Sergio Furio, Aldi Haryopratomo, Diego Piacentini, Monica Brand Engel, Arvind Rajan, Brett Rochkind, Drew McElroy, Eric Pérez-Grovas, Javier Villamizar, Oliver Rippel, Patrick McGinnis, and Taddy Hall.

For media inquiries or additional information, please contact:
Joy Mabia – Manager, Marketing and Communications, Endeavor Nigeria – joy.mabia@endeavor.org

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 17 companies in their portfolio. 

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