Speakers

MOONSHOT 2025

We’re bringing together some of the most audacious thinkers and doers in African tech, working on everything from fintech to commerce, energy, Web3 and AI, telco, cloud and more.

Francis Sani

Programme Director, 3MTT Nigeria

ENTERING TECH

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Francis Sani

Programme Director, 3MTT Nigeria
Eric Wainaina

General Manager, Africa, Conduit

FUTURE OF COMMERCE

Eric Wainaina is the General Manager, Africa for Conduit. He leads Conduit’s business development and expansion on the continent, helping businesses in Africa move money across borders more easily, quickly, and with lower fees. Before joining Conduit, Eric worked in a similar capacity at Caliza Technologies and previously had a stint working in a sovereign fund championing technology investments and projects in Eastern Africa.

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Eric Wainaina

General Manager, Africa, Conduit
Josephine Sarouk

Managing Director, Bayobab Nigeria (MTN Fiber Subsidiary)

BIG TECH/ENTERPRISE

Josephine Sarouk is the Managing Director of Bayobab Nigeria, an MTN Group company, where she leads strategy and operations to expand Nigeria’s digital and connectivity infrastructure. With over 20 years of leadership experience across technology companies in the UK and Nigeria, she has demonstrated excellence in driving business growth, market expansion, and digital transformation.

Since joining MTN in 2009, Josephine has held several strategic roles, including Senior Manager of Strategic Accounts and General Manager, Regional Operations (Lagos and South-West), where she spearheaded enterprise service growth and regional market development. As Managing Director of Bayobab Nigeria, she has led the company’s acquisition of a National Long-Distance Operator License, the fiberization of data centres nationwide, and the landing of the 2Africa Submarine Cable in Lagos — a milestone strengthening Nigeria’s digital economy.

A Harvard GMP and University of West London alumna, and a John Maxwell Certified Coach and Speaker, Josephine was named a 2024 Woman in Telecoms awardee at the World Communication Awards in the UK. Passionate about women’s leadership and education, she actively contributes to Women in Successful Careers (WISCAR) and supports initiatives advancing the girl child in Nigeria.

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Josephine Sarouk

Managing Director, Bayobab Nigeria (MTN Fiber Subsidiary)
Michael Emeeka

Country Head, Nigeria, Blockchain.com

EMERGING TECH

Michael Emeeka is the Country Head at Blockchain.com in Nigeria, leading growth, customer engagement, and market expansion strategies. Passionate about financial inclusion and the future of digital assets, he brings deep insights into building user trust, scaling digital finance solutions, and unlocking opportunities for crypto adoption across Africa.

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Michael Emeeka

Country Head, Nigeria, Blockchain.com
Dan Herman

Innovation Policy Expert and Filmmaker

STARTUP FESTIVAL

Dan Herman is a Toronto-based innovation policy expert, lecturer, and independent filmmaker. His film projects include directing and producing Magnetic Cities, an 18-part documentary series on the most innovative and dynamic cities around the world for startups. Dan is a lecturer at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, where he teaches a class on the evolution of the global innovation economy and how startups from everywhere are competing and winning on the global stage.

Previously, Dan served as a senior policy advisor in the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation, and was the co-founder of the Centre for Digital Entrepreneurship and Economic Performance (DEEP Centre), a non-partisan think tank focused on the Canadian economy.

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Dan Herman

Innovation Policy Expert and Filmmaker
Victor Fatanmi

STARTUP FESTIVAL

Co-founder, FourthCanvas

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Victor Fatanmi

Director, Strategy, FourthCanvas
Gennate Hassad

Global Head of Financing, Gozem

STARTUP FESTIVAL

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Gennate Hassad

Global Head of Financing, Gozem
Hilda Moraa

CEO, Pezesha

FUTURE OF COMMERCE

Hilda Moraa is the Founder and CEO of Pezesha, a digital financial marketplace bridging access to affordable credit for underserved individuals and SMEs across Africa. An award-winning entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in fintech and innovation, she previously founded WezaTele, a pioneering mobility and supply chain solutions company that was successfully acquired in 2015. Before her entrepreneurial journey, Hilda was part of the founding team at iHub Research, one of Nairobi’s first innovation hubs, driving tech research and ecosystem growth. She is also the author of A Kenyan Startup Journey, sharing lessons from building and scaling ventures on the continent. Recognized among Quartz Africa’s Top 30 Innovators in 2018, Hilda has spoken on global stages, including delivering a keynote at the 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi alongside President Barack Obama.

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Hilda Moraa

CEO, Pezesha
Funmbi Ogunbanwo

Film Producer, Fatherland Productions

CREATIVE ECONOMY

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Funmbi Ogunbanwo

Film Producer, Fatherland Productions
Damian Okafor

Marketing Lead, Chowdeck

STARTUP FESTIVAL

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Damian Okafor

Marketing Lead, Chowdeck
Audu Maikori

Founder, Chocolate City Group

CREATIVE ECONOMY

Audu Maikori is a Nigerian lawyer, entrepreneur, and creative industry leader with over two decades of experience transforming Africa’s entertainment landscape. He is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Chocolate City Group, a 360-degree media and entertainment powerhouse comprising Chocolate City Music, Chocolate City Media, Chocolate City Kenya, and Bean Creative IMC. Under his leadership, Chocolate City has been instrumental in driving the global rise of Afrobeats and strengthening Africa’s creative economy. Beyond music, he leads innovations such as Pixel Ray Studios, advancing African storytelling in film. His expertise spans media strategy, cultural storytelling, market expansion, and creative infrastructure development.

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Audu Maikori

Founder, Chocolate City Group
Seyi Lasisi

Senior Staff Writer, The Culture Custodian

CREATIVE ECONOMY

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Seyi Lasisi

Senior Staff Writer, The Culture Custodian
Bankole Cardoso

Managing Director, Delta40

FUTURE OF COMMERCE

Bankole Cardoso is the Managing Director of Delta40 Venture Studio, where he partners with early-stage founders to build and scale transformative ventures across Africa in the fields of clean energy, mobility, and climate technology. With a career spanning venture building, investment, and entrepreneurship, Bankole brings a Pan-African perspective on what it takes to grow innovative companies and unlock
meaningful exits. He previously served as Investment Director at Factor[e] Ventures, leading climate-tech investments across Sub-Saharan Africa, and as the
founding Managing Director of Fenix International / ENGIE Energy Access Nigeria, where he helped deliver clean energy to over one million people.
Earlier in his career, Bankole co-founded Easy Taxi Nigeria, the country’s first tech enabled ride hailing platform.

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Bankole Cardoso

Managing Director, Delta40
Israel Koledowo

CFO, Sabi

GOVERNMENT, POLICY & REGULATION

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Israel Koledowo

CFO, Sabi
Gbite Oduneye

Founder, ODBA

BIG TECH/ENTERPRISE

Gbite Oduneye is the Managing Partner at ODBA, a venture capital firm backing innovative startups using technology to create improbable stories across fintech, edtech, healthtech, logistics, AI, and digital infrastructure. He also serves on the Governing Council of Indexa Exchange Group, home to the Africa Tech 50 (AT50) Index, the benchmark spotlighting the continent’s most investable technology companies and leads Valmere Industries, an investment and acquisition platform focused on listed companies and high-growth SMEs. With over two decades of experience across entrepreneurship, finance, and capital markets, Gbite sits on several boards and speaks globally on venture capital, innovation, and company building. His work bridges innovation and institutional capital to shape the next generation of technology-driven growth and liquidity across emerging markets.

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Gbite Oduneye

Founder, ODBA
Ashim Egunjobi

Managing Partner, Octerra Capital

STARTUP FESTIVAL

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Ashim Egunjobi

Managing Partner, Octerra Capital
Emeka Ajene

Founder, Afridigest

STARTUP FESTIVAL

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Emeka Ajene

Founder, Afridigest
Jessica Hope

CEO, Wimbart

CREATIVE ECONOMY

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Jessica Hope

CEO, Wimbart
Toyin Emmauel-Olubake

Chief Investment Officer, Catalyst Fund

CLEAN/CLIMATE TECH

Olúwátóyìn is the Chief Investment Officer at Catalyst Fund, where he is responsible for the investment team and function. He brings over 17 years of experience working across the financing value chain. His primary focus is to bring the best out of innovative entrepreneurs solving fundamental problems by enabling them to build thriving businesses that deliver lasting superior value to their investors, organization, customers, communities, and environments.

His expertise includes fundraising, investment appraisal, commercial growth, organizational growth, strategic planning, board management, ESG, and impact. He is also passionate about helping people navigate career growth and align work with talent and purpose to drive excellence.

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Toyin Emmauel-Olubake

Chief Investment Officer, Catalyst Fund
Bidemi Oke

CEO, FlashChange

EMERGING TECH

Bidemi Oke is the Founder and CEO of FlashChange, a forward-thinking digital asset solutions platform built to meet the needs of today’s evolving financial landscape. A passionate leader with a reputation for driving innovation and growth in fintech, Bidemi is committed to reshaping how individuals and businesses interact with digital finance.
Since founding FlashChange, he has worked hand-in-hand with his team to position the company as a trusted leader in digital asset trading and beyond. Under his guidance, FlashChange launched its flagship product, the FlashChange App, delivering secure, reliable, and user-friendly options for digital asset trading to thousands of customers.

Today, Bidemi is steering the company into its next chapter with the introduction of FlashChange 2.0, a cross-border payment solution designed to simplify and accelerate global transactions. This expansion underscores his vision of making FlashChange not just a trading platform, but a comprehensive financial ecosystem for the future.

His strategic acumen, coupled with a relentless dedication to innovation, has solidified FlashChange’s place as a key player in Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem and a rising force across Africa.

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Bidemi Oke

CEO, FlashChange