The reality of startups is that entrepreneurs give many years to their companies. Most of the waking moments of those years will be spent with working on those companies. Most people spent the past weekend with their significant others. But if you spent valentine’s with your co-founder, we know exactly how you feel, and this post is dedicated to your hustle.
Africans tend to go solo, so this list is not as long as we would like (please point out the ones we’ve obviously missed!), but we found some entrepreneurs who teamed up to create incredible businesses that have changed the entrepreneurial landscape on the continent.
Opeyemi Awoyemi, Ayodeji Adewunmi, Lekan Olude – The Jobbermen
Apart from building one of the most valuable internet startups in Africa, the Jobberman founding trio are perhaps one of the most visible for a partnership that goes far beyond the startup’s 6-year history to their college days when a medical student, and two computer science students first met in the University of Ife. Jobberman would go from a hobby to raising angel capital from L5 Labs, institutional investment from Tiger Global, and follow-on funding from Seek under the auspices of One Africa Media. In 2015, Jobberman was ranked on of Africa’s most innovative companies by Fast Company.
Chude Jideonwo and Debola Williams – Red Media and Future Awards
Dynamic duo is unforgivable cliche, but there’s really no better way to describe these two. Their personalities and M.Os are uniquely complementary. While Debola is the affable, gregarious dealmaker who’s perfected the art of schmooving the right people in high places, while Chude is the calculating high-level media strategist. Together, the two run a pan-African digital media and communications consultancy, one of the continent’s most trafficked youth-oriented media websites, as well as a prestigious annual award that has run since 2005.
Kofi Dadzie and Ehi Binitie – Rancard Solutions
In 2001 when Ehi and Kofi Dadzie co-founded Rancard Solutions, their plan was to create a globally relevant software company. Fourteen years later, they are doing just that, and more, attracting millions of dollars in funding from global investors along the way.
Jason Njoku and Bastian Gotter – iROKO TV
Jason gets most of the quotes and soundbites (and of course the bile) where iROKO’s progress is concerned. But Jason has always been careful to acknowledge Bastian Gotter, his friend, co-founder, and equal partner in iROKO. Bastian’s initial 90,000 Euro injection into iROKO allowed Jason to put boots on the ground and create a VOD bulldozer that changed the way the world’s perception of Nollywood and is valued at more than $50 million today.
*Bankole Olwafemi contributed to this post.
Image credit: Training journal
