By Umeh Juliet

“What does it take to be a great founder? It takes having strong ideas and the sheer determination to push them forward, even without resources, in the face of obstacles, and with little support. Founders are the secret ingredient to any startup ecosystem.”

At the Enugu Tech Festival 2025, Eleanya Eke Urum, founder and CEO of Risevest Technologies, stood before a captivated audience and delivered a message as poignant as it was practical. His words painted a vivid picture of what it takes to succeed as a founder in Africa-a journey defined by ambition, and a deep sense of purpose.

Urum’s narrative was rooted in the duality of action and perseverance. “There are two kinds of people,” he said. “People who do things and people who say things can’t be done.” For him, the hallmark of a successful founder is the inability to give up.

“Most of the people you know today who are successful didn’t achieve success because they had all the resources,” he told the audience. “It’s because they just wouldn’t stop. If you stay alive long enough, you’ll find you’re making a dent in the universe.”

Yet, Urum emphasised that founders don’t build alone. Ecosystems thrive when enablers—universities, governments, investors, and accelerators—rally around the people with the boldest ideas.

For Urum, education is foundational to this effort. He recounted a visit to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he encountered the dilapidated state of Eni Njoku (boys) hostel. Driven by a belief in the power of pride and respect, he rented a bulldozer to clean the area the same day. “You cannot say you want to build great things without inculcating values around greatness,” he said. “If people learn in a place they don’t see as great, they will not believe themselves to be great. It’s important to treat young people as the valued resources they are and to provide institutions that make them proud. This energy drives them to go into the world and create.”

This philosophy drives initiatives like Rise Academy, a bootcamp launched by Risevest to train software engineers to the highest standards, with an option to join the company afterward. Urum envisions expanding this programme into a full-fledged campus in Enugu or Nsukka, creating a pipeline of skilled talent to fuel Africa’s tech ecosystem.

Funding, however, remains a significant hurdle for many African startups, a reality Urum understands intimately. Reflecting on the early days of Risevest and Paystack, he acknowledged the critical role of accelerators like Y Combinator and TechStars, which recognised the potential of African founders and empowered them to figure things out without unnecessary interference. “When you find people doing something good, let them figure it out. They understand the future better than you,” he advised.

Urum repeatedly reminded the audience that building a startup is a marathon, not a sprint. He likened the journey to a 20-year endeavour, requiring patience, persistence, and a commitment to creating real value.

“Greatness doesn’t come overnight,” he noted. “Demand support from the government, invest in education, and build institutions that align with the scale of your ambition. As the ecosystem grows, the demand will grow too.”

He cited the example of Andela as a world-class institution that demonstrated how talent from Africa could be nurtured and exported. Enugu, he said, has the talent but it just needs the infrastructure and support to thrive.

As he closed, Urum reflected on Risevest’s journey, starting with fewer than 2,000 users and growing to over 600,000 across the US, Nigeria, and Kenya. He shared a question he often asks himself: “How many people can retire comfortably because Risevest exists?”

For Urum, success is measured not just in financial metrics but in the lives transformed by the ecosystems he’s helping to build. He left the audience with words Iyin Aboyeji, a fellow entrepreneur, told him: “Look for opportunities to build greatness in others. Greatness will naturally follow you.”