Kola Aina
Kola Aina is an entrepreneur, futurist, venture capitalist, and investor who combines a powerful mix of entrepreneurial, investment and technical experience across diverse industries including finance, media, agriculture, technology and real estate. He is the Founding Partner at Ventures Platform, an early-stage “discovery” venture capital fund championing the next generation of African entrepreneurs.
Kola believes that with the right support Africans can build scalable businesses that will move the continent forward especially when they leverage innovative technology.
As a venture capitalist, Kola identifies and invests in early-stage technology companies focused on the disruption of financial services, healthcare, education, agriculture, and enterprise software.
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Kola has built a strong investment portfolio of best-in-class, high-growth companies with current investments including companies like Mono, PiggyVest, Reliance HMO, and Paystack, which was acquired by Stripe in 2020.
Before founding Ventures Platform, Kola Aina worked in various roles in the technology industry, including as a software engineer, product manager, and consultant. He has also been involved in various initiatives aimed at promoting technology and entrepreneurship in Africa, including co-founding the Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB), a social innovation center in Nigeria that provides support to technology startups.
Kola is a frequent speaker at technology and entrepreneurship events, and has received numerous awards and recognitions for his work, including being named one of the “100 Most Influential People of African Descent” in 2018.
Kola is Chair of the Advisory Group on Technology and Creativity to the President of Nigeria and Co-Chair of the Committee on Job Creation & Youth Employment to the President of Nigeria.
He is also a board member and advisory board member for institutions including ARM Financial Advisers Limited, Reliance HMO, and the Yemisi Shyllon Art Museum.