Female Fintech Founder: Tomilola Adejana

Our female fintech founder series today focuses on Tomilola Adejana, one of the remarkable women challenging gender inequality in the Nigerian tech space. She is the co-founder and current chief executive officer of Bankly. A startup that promotes financial inclusion in the traditionally cash-based economy of Nigeria.

Early Life and Education

Tomilola was born and raised in Lagos, a prominent City in Nigeria. She has a bachelor of science degree in physiology from the University of Lagos. In 2014, she earned a certificate in Strategic Innovation and Business Development from the Lagos Business School. And also, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance, Investment Banking and Wealth Management from Singapore Jain School of Global Management in 2015. Tomilola has worked in the investment/ financial sector for over 7 years. She has garnered immense experience and expertise in financial analysis, financial modelling, business analysis, market planning, portfolio management and project management.

Some of her interests include Startups Management and Development, Entrepreneurship, Fintech, Development Finance, Marketing and Branding, as well as Consulting.

Career

Just like other female founders, Tomilola has built a career in the male-dominated sector of the Nigerian tech space. She co-founded SmartCredit, a lending platform with one of her friends. SmartCredit was born out of a partnership between Access Bank and Airtel. Between 2016 and 2018, Tomilola served as Head of Business at ALEDIN Nano Limited, a mobile financial services company. She also worked at Meristem Wealth Management Limited. She was their Senior Investment Analyst and worked with other team members to manage and plan the financial portfolios of many high-net-worth individuals and corporations.

Again, she is known for her volunteer works in some well-known institutions. This is her of promoting the growth of both local, and international communities. First, she has volunteered for the United Nations health campaign for the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The campaign was for the achievement of its sixth goal to combat HIV, Malaria and other diseases. In the process, they also taught sex education and basic hygiene to female students in public secondary schools in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, Nigeria.

Another worthy volunteer work of hers is at Utiva, a fast-rising technology training platform focused on accelerating tech careers in Africa. She volunteered as the practice lead. She has contributed immensely to the African financial technology sector by eliminating fraud, decentralizing funds, and enabling transparency and inclusion in the financial space.

Overall, Tomilola believes that Technology doesn’t solve issues, it is only an enabler. She considers it a waste if one is building a technological solution without looking at how it solves human problems. Just like social change is brought about by social problems, any innovative technology must be borne out of the need to solve a core human need Or want. Tomilola is and will always be a source of inspiration to the many women striving to win in a male-dominated world.