Shola Akinlade (born 1989) is the co-founder and CEO of Paystack, one of Africa's most successful fintech companies. Under his leadership, Paystack revolutionized online payments in Nigeria and across Africa, processing millions of transactions and enabling thousands of businesses to accept digital payments. The company's acquisition by Stripe in 2020 for over $200 million marked one of the largest exits in African tech history, demonstrating the global potential of Nigerian technology innovation.


PAYMENT REVOLUTION:
Akinlade co-founded Paystack in 2015 alongside Ezra Olubi, recognizing the critical need for reliable payment infrastructure in Nigeria and across Africa. At the time, accepting online payments in Nigeria was extremely difficult, with high failure rates, complex integration processes, and limited payment options. Paystack solved these problems by creating a simple, reliable payment gateway that businesses could integrate in minutes.

GLOBAL ACQUISITION:
Under Akinlade's leadership as CEO, Paystack grew from a startup to a company processing millions of transactions monthly, serving thousands of businesses across Nigeria and expanding to Ghana and South Africa. In October 2020, Paystack was acquired by Stripe, one of the world's leading payment technology companies, in a deal valued at over $200 million. This acquisition represented one of the largest exits in African technology history.

ECONOMIC IMPACT:
By making online payments accessible and reliable, Paystack enabled the growth of e-commerce, digital services, and the broader digital economy in Nigeria. Thousands of businesses that might not have been able to accept online payments can now participate in the digital economy, creating jobs and economic opportunities. The platform enabled everything from small businesses accepting their first online payments to large enterprises processing millions of dollars in transactions.

INSPIRATION AND MENTORSHIP:
Beyond Paystack, Akinlade has been an active supporter of Nigeria's technology ecosystem. He has mentored other entrepreneurs, invested in startups, and advocated for policies that support technology innovation. His success has helped attract international investment to Nigeria's technology sector, benefiting the broader ecosystem. His achievements demonstrate that Nigerian entrepreneurs can build world-class products that attract interest from the world's leading technology companies.

GLOBAL RECOGNITION:
Akinlade's success has inspired countless other Nigerian entrepreneurs to build technology companies with global ambitions. The acquisition demonstrated global recognition that African technology companies can build world-class products. His success demonstrates that Nigerian entrepreneurs can not only solve local problems but can build solutions that are globally competitive.

FAST FACTS:
- Born 1989 in Nigeria.
- Education: Babcock University (Computer Science).
- Key Achievement: Co-founded Paystack, revolutionizing online payments in Africa.
- Acquisition: Paystack acquired by Stripe in 2020 for over $200 million.
- Impact: Enabled thousands of businesses to accept digital payments across Africa.
- Recognition: One of the largest tech exits in African history.
- Current Role: Continues to support Nigeria's technology ecosystem through mentorship and investment.