Founders Connect

What Founders Connect does

Founders Connect is a media and events platform serving Black founders, tech professionals, investors, and creators building for Africa and the diaspora. Founded in 2021 by Peace Itimi as a YouTube interview series, the company has expanded into a multi-format community platform spanning five interconnected product lines: a long-form founder interview podcast distributed via YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts; the Black Builders Network, an online members directory and AMA platform; in-person events including conferences and mixers held across Lagos, Nairobi, London, Toronto, and Bengaluru; the Launchpad pitch competition providing equity-free grants and investor introductions to early-stage African startups; and the Innovating Africa documentary film about Nigeria's tech pioneers, distributed on YouTube and Amazon Prime Video.

The company monetizes through four revenue streams: ticket sales for in-person events (via tix.africa and Selar.com), event and content sponsorships from brands targeting the Black builder community, curated growth programs delivered for partners, and partnership-funded pitch competitions. It maintains an asset-light operational model with no disclosed institutional funding and no disclosed headcount, relying instead on sponsorship revenue and partner contributions. Corporate partners including Paystack, AWS, Intercom, Notion, Google, Sterling Bank, CloudPlexo, African Impact Initiative, Ingressive Capital, and AppsFlyer contribute cash prizes, cloud credits, software perks, and promotional support to the Launchpad program.

The company is trademarked in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, operates without a disclosed parent company or subsidiaries, and is led by founder Peace Itimi as Chief Storyteller and Director & Executive Producer of the documentary. Distribution is primarily community-led, combining physical event attendance, on-demand audio/video content, newsletter communications via Substack, and application-based community enrollment through Airtable forms. Geographic reach spans West Africa (Nigeria), East Africa (Kenya), Europe (UK), and North America (Canada), with India (Bengaluru) announced as an expansion market for 2026 via the new Scaler sub-brand.

Name

Founders Connect

Legal name

Founder's Connect

Website

https://foundersconnect.xyz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Founders Connect is a media and events platform serving Black founders, tech professionals, investors, and creators across Africa and the diaspora through podcasts, an online community, in-person events, and a startup pitch competition program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Media & Community Events

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Professional Organizations (81392), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Product & Innovation Summits (Roadmap, Launch Readiness, Innovation Days) (THAHAMAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Startup community events
• Founder storytelling content
• Pitch competition programs
• Media and events platform
• African tech community

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Event Ticketing: Revenue generated from selling tickets to in-person events including Founders Connect Live events in Lagos, Nairobi, London, and Toronto. Tickets sold through third-party platforms like tix.africa and Selar.com.
2. Event Sponsorships: Monetary sponsorships from partners and companies looking to reach the black builder community at events. Organizations sponsor events in various cities or curate growth programs.
3. Content Sponsorships: Brands sponsor episodes of the YouTube show and podcast featuring founder interviews and storytelling content.
4. Launchpad Program: Pitch competition providing visibility and strategic introductions for early-stage startups, with grant funding from partners like African Impact Initiative and Ingressive Capital. Administered through partnership model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Founders Connect is a media and events platform that tells the stories of African founders and startup builders through a podcast/YouTube interview series, a documentary (Innovating Africa), and live summits and mixers hosted in cities such as New York, London, and Toronto. It also runs the Black Builders Network membership community and the Launchpad pitch competition/program for founders.

Product overview

Founders Connect is a unified media and community platform for Black builders (founders, investors, tech professionals, and creators) across Africa and the diaspora. The platform operates as a content-first ecosystem consisting of five interconnected offerings: the Founders Connect Podcast (YouTube and podcast series featuring founder interviews), the Black Builders Network (online community with global directory and AMAs), Founders Connect Events (in-person conferences and mixers across major cities), Launchpad (startup pitch competition with grant funding and investor access), and the Innovating Africa Documentary (feature film about African tech pioneers). The offerings are unified by a mission to bridge the gap between the ecosystem and its people through storytelling, community building, and resource provision.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Black Builders Network: A vibrant community of black professionals and founders across the world learning and growing together. Black Builders are individuals of Black or African descent or allies dedicated to developing, investing in, and building brands that empower Africa and its diasporic communities.
• Launchpad by Founders Connect
• Innovating Africa Documentary
• FC Startup Innovation Challenge

Products and services

• Founders Connect Podcast / YouTube Series

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1000+ founders and professionals engaged at single events
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• African Impact InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership for the Launchpad startup innovation challenge. African Impact Initiative provides investment opportunities (up to $7,000) to winning startups and co-develops the program with Founders Connect. They also partner on events including FC Nairobi.
• Tech SafariminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Afrotech Fest in London - a festival celebrating Africa's tech ecosystem for founders, operators, investors, and ecosystem players.
• AppsFlyerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExclusive networking event partnership for African Tech Leaders executive meetup in London, bringing together industry professionals for networking.
• PaystackminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLaunchpad perk provider offering $25k in fee-free payment processing for winning startups.
• AWSminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLaunchpad perk provider offering up to $10,000 in AWS credits for winning startups.
• IntercomminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLaunchpad perk provider offering one year free Intercom Pro subscription and 50% discount in year 2.
• NotionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLaunchpad perk provider offering 6 months free with unlimited AI, worth over $6,000 in savings.
• Reneé PRminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLaunchpad perk provider offering 6 months of free PR services for winning startups.
• CloudPlexominorGTM or Marketing PartnerCloud infrastructure partner and supporter of Launchpad program, with Spiff Moses serving as Kenya Country Lead.
• Sterling BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBanking partner supporting the Launchpad program as a perk provider for Nigerian startups.
• GoogleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGoogle provides judges for Launchpad program (Oluwadunni Fanibe, Program Manager) and supports startup ecosystem initiatives.
• African Impact InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner for the Innovating Africa documentary project, supporting the production and mission to tell the story of Nigeria's tech pioneers.
• ScalercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScaler (by Founders Connect) powered by Innovation Lab, hosting SAIS'26 Startup & Investors Summit on August 30, 2026 in Bengaluru, bringing together 150+ founders and 20+ investors.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLsy_ZQC0JM5fZtUil1oTbvnqx2ZHRjWRX

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Founders Connect