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Founders Rant X Brings Raw, Honest Conversations About Building in Nigeria to Alliance Française, Ikoyi.
On May 13, 2026, over 150 founders, operators, and investors walked into Alliance Française, Ikoyi on the morning of May 13, 2026, and did something that does not happen enough in Nigerian tech: they told the truth.
Founders Rant X, the seventh edition of YellowLyfe’s flagship founder conversation series, opened at 9 am and ran through a full day of keynotes, panel discussions, and unfiltered conversations about what it actually takes to build a business in Nigeria.
No filters. Just founders in a room, talking.
The event was set in motion by Paul Onwanibe, CEO of Landmark Africa, who delivered the opening keynote with Seyi Olaniyan, Convener of Founders Rant, moderating.
Mr. Paul Onwanibe drew from decades of building to offer the room three things worth sitting with:
- “When you decide to do it, burn the boat. That way, you are not tempted to go back”.
- “If you cannot change your mind, you cannot change. Change is not optional, it is a requirement”.
- “Sanity is a choice. You cannot control what happens, but you can always control how you respond to it”.
The room was paying attention as he gave insights of what it feels like to build for decades.
The conversation shifted to money, because it always has to.
Damilola Teidi-Ayoola, Head of Principal Ventures Platform, led a session on capital conversations, funding realities, and what bootstrapping actually looks like on the ground.
Ada Armstrong, Founder of Startup HR, moderated a discussion that did not shy away from the parts of the funding conversation that rarely make it onto LinkedIn.
Kehinde Ogundare, Country Manager at ZOHO Nigeria, and Kelechi Nwaozuzu, General Manager at Cafe One, took the floor for a session on what it means to build and win specifically in the Nigerian market. The conversation was moderated by Boluwatife Omoniyi, Head of Events at Big Cabal, and covered the market realities, the operational truths, and the mindset it takes to stay standing.
“What you cannot track, you cannot grow. Always build for the future. Build systems.” — Kelechi Nwaozuzu
The final session of the day brought together Fola Olatunji-David, Founder of Kickoff Africa, and Katharina Link, CEO of Pulse Africa, for a conversation on what actually drives growth, moderated by Williams Fatayo, CEO and Co-Founder of CommsOS.
The session produced some of the sharpest lines of the day:
- “As a founder, you need to be obsessed with what you do.” — Katharina Link
- “Identify the fundamentals that make your business valuable and more scalable, then focus on that.” — Fola Olatunji-David
Founders Rant X was not just a conference. There were no practised questions or rehearsed answers. Just people who have built real things, telling the truth about what that actually looks like and how to do it.
That has always been the point of Founders Rant, and the 6th edition delivered exactly that.
Over 150 founders were in that room communicating with zero sugarcoating. From the first rant to the last conversation that spilled into the corridor long after the programme ended, the energy was something you had to be there to feel.
See you in the next Edition: Lagos, August, and Abuja, September.
Partners and Sponsors
Founders Rant X was made possible with the support of: YellowLyfe, Cleva, Red Media, Hype Infinity, Condia, Startup in 60, Techpression, Samiroks Visuals, Seven30, Candles Haven, and Maruchi Cart.
About Founders Rant
Founders Rant is a YellowLyfe initiative that brings together founders, builders, and investors for honest, unfiltered conversations about entrepreneurship in Nigeria. Now in its seventh edition, it has grown into one of Lagos’s most anticipated gatherings for the founder community.
About YellowLyfe
YellowLyfe is an experience and event company focused on team bonding, corporate experiences, event production, games, and corporate gifting. The company helps organizations create memorable experiences that improve connection, culture, and engagement, and has worked with brands including Uber, PiggyVest, Interswitch, and KPMG.
On the community side, YellowLyfe runs a growing ecosystem of initiatives including UnwindFest, TechUnwind, and SMEUnwind.
Media Contact
Convener, UnwindFest
Seyi Olaniyan
[email protected]
English (US) ·