SHOLA AKINLADE: ‘A 40 UNDER 40 CEO’ DRIVING FINTECH VISIONARY & CULTIVATING TALENT-LED OPPORTUNITIES

Shola Akinlade, is driving youth empowerment with Sporting Lagos, he is redefining innovation, impact, and opportunity across the continent.

By Victoria Mgbanwa

Africa Innovation Transformation Business Fintech Paystack.
Shola Akinlade, Co-founder and CEO of Paystack
Shola Akinlade, Co-founder and CEO of Paystack



As Co-founder and CEO of Paystack, Shola Akinlade is pioneering African fintech innovation, transforming how businesses across the continent get paid with simplicity, security, and scale.

Akinlade launched Paystack in 2015 alongside Ezra Olubi, aiming to fill a critical gap in reliable and accessible payment infrastructure for African businesses. Their platform gained traction quickly, earning acceptance into Y Combinator in 2016—the first Nigerian company to join the elite accelerator at the time.

Under his direction, Paystack has become a fintech powerhouse: by 2020, it processed over half of Nigeria’s web payments and served more than 60,000 businesses, including major names like FedEx, UPS, and MTN. That year also marked a historic turning point: Stripe acquired Paystack for over $200 million, contributing to Stripe’s largest acquisition to date and cementing Paystack’s legacy as a flagship African tech success.

But Akinlade’s ambition wouldn’t stop at fintech. In 2022, he founded Sporting Lagos F.C., not just as a football club but as a platform for community development and youth empowerment in Nigeria. To deepen pathways for talent, he acquired a 55% stake in Danish club Aarhus Fremad in 2023, creating a pioneering bridge between Nigerian grassroots football and European professional environments.

Akinlade’s contributions have earned him national recognition. In October 2022, he was conferred with the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) by President Muhammadu Buhari in recognition of his significant impact on finance tech and business in Nigeria.

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