For CEOs, entrepreneurs, and investors, understanding how Flutterwave, the African payments technology startup, has achieved its incredible rise to global prominence is a masterclass in modern business.

Launched in 2016, the fintech company achieved unicorn status (a valuation of more than $1 billion) in just five years and has continued to grow. Guided by its founder’s vision to “connect all of Africa,” the company has managed to revolutionize the continent’s financial landscape, bringing modern tools to previously underserved markets. 

Yet, its success can’t be attributed solely to its innovative technology or inspiring vision. More than all other attributes, the secret to Flutterwave’s success has been its personnel, according to founder and CEO Olugbenga “GB” Agboola. 

“Our success at Flutterwave lies in our incredible people. From day one till today, it has been a privilege to build and support the talented teams that power our growth,” he posted on LinkedIn.

New Hires Make a Difference 

One of the most crucial decisions that startup leaders make occurs just as their business is beginning to take off. Many new businesses lose track of their core commitments, customer service, or initial vision when attempting to scale. 

But Flutterwave has managed to retain its commitments in the face of rapid growth. That’s a function of a clear vision and hiring the right people, Agboola said. 

Looking at the latest roster changes, it’s clear that Flutterwave has put together a winning team. Among its most recent hires is Mitesh Popat, who now serves as Flutterwave’s chief financial officer. 

Popat is a 20-year veteran of the global financial services sector, having served in C-suite positions for companies in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. As Citi’s former CFO for the Middle East and Africa, his wealth of experience makes him perfectly suited to shore up Flutterwave’s ambitious goals in the region. 

But it’s easy to find a CFO with business experience. It’s much harder to land on someone who fits within the culture of an established organization. Luckily, Popat brings both. When announcing the new hire, Agboola made sure to tie the move to the continuation of Flutterwave’s preestablished vision. 

“We have an ambitious goal to connect Africa to the world, and Mitesh embodies our vision with his experience working extensively within Africa in a global capacity. He shares our values of customer obsession and we’re certain that with his impressive track record in financial management, he will contribute to the next phase of our growth,” he said. “As our new CFO, his work will be adding value to our customers — both enterprise merchants and retail remittance customers, as well as the African fintech ecosystem.”

In addition to Popat, the company tapped Amaresh Mohan, previously of GoTo Group, to join its ranks as Flutterwave’s first chief risk officer. The move, which brings a 25-year veteran of the startup space to the e-payment platform, signaled a continuation of Flutterwave’s meticulous attention to security.

While overseeing risk and compliance at GoTo, Mohan was instrumental in guiding the company — Indonesia’s largest digital ecosystem — through its initial public offering in 2022. Having previously held a position at fintech outfits Stripe and PayPal and served in key positions at global banks such as Citi, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Bank of America, Mohan brings a keen understanding of modern risk management to his new role.

Making Plans for a More Equitable Future

While the new hires will help Flutterwave take its vision further than before, the company has continued to use its position in the market as a force for equality among the people of Africa. 

Despite making up more than half of Africa’s total population, women are underrepresented in the continent’s tech firms. 

According to African Leadership Magazine, women made up only about 30% of the total technological workforce across the continent in 2024. Addressing the gender gap is a key way that Flutterwave can expand opportunities for Africans. 

Toward those ends, the company hosts regular events geared toward empowering and inspiring African women to take an interest in its rapidly growing industry. Last year alone, Flutterwave hosted events for students to learn more about the fintech sector. 

For International Women’s Day, Flutterwave’s headquarters in Nigeria opened its doors to a busload of female high school students. The one-day event provided firsthand access to the day-to-day workings of a global tech firm and featured conversations between students and high-level female executives at the firm. 

The company believes inspiring students is crucial to its mission of bettering Africans. In addition to hosting female students, Flutterwave has a robust internship program that provides hands-on opportunities for college students to learn. 

“At Flutterwave, we believe that the youth of today hold the key to unlocking Africa’s future potential. Their innovative spirit, coupled with the right opportunities, can drive unparalleled growth and transformation,” Agboola said. “This belief underpins everything we do. It’s why we’ve made it our priority to be a champion for young Africans, creating pathways for them to thrive in an increasingly digital world.”

In addition to working with students, Flutterwave has joined forces with Femme Africa to co-sponsor the “In Her Bag” accelerator program, which provides cash grants and expert advice to young women entrepreneurs who wish to start new businesses in industries such as fashion, beauty, and retail. 

For Agboola, shepherding the next generation into a more prosperous future is part and parcel of his company’s mission. Ensuring that the next generation of Africans is full of empowered, educated entrepreneurs will ensure not only a robust future for Africa but for Flutterwave as well. 

“For us it's just really, we're playing the long game, right, we're here for the long term as a company, we want to be here for a long time. We want to be here, we want to be the story of a company that started from zero and became something in Africa. That's our story,” he said. “We started from zero and we've had to restart from zero, but what is going on here is that we've been able to. We're still here and we're thriving.”

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