By Adetutu Audu

Tech Founder & Startup ecosystem builder Samuel Linus successfully convened the latest edition of the Dear Founder Community event, themed “WHAT WORKS,” bringing together ambitious founders, operators, investors, and ecosystem leaders for an honest conversation on building and scaling startups in Africa.

Hosted in partnership with Datamellon, the event was designed to address a growing challenge within the startup ecosystem: many early-stage founders are building products and companies without access to proven execution frameworks. Unlike traditional startup events filled with theory and motivational talks, WHAT WORKS was created to uncover the real strategies, systems, and decisions that drive sustainable growth.

The event was hosted by Favour Mfonabasi Thompson, whose energetic and engaging moderation helped drive insightful conversations throughout the day. Her ability to facilitate discussions between speakers, founders, and ecosystem stakeholders contributed significantly to the event’s interactive and high-value experience.

Speaking at the event, Samuel Linus emphasized the need for founders to learn directly from those who have navigated the challenges of building companies.

“Too many founders are building in isolation, making costly mistakes that could be avoided through shared experiences. WHAT WORKS was designed to bring founders into the same room to exchange practical insights, tested playbooks, and lessons from the trenches. The goal is simple: help founders move faster by learning what actually works,” he said.

The event further demonstrated Samuel Linus’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s startup ecosystem through the Dear Founder Community, an initiative focused on creating meaningful connections, knowledge exchange, and support systems for entrepreneurs building the next generation of African companies.

As part of the partnership, Datamellon announced a range of support initiatives aimed at helping startups reduce the financial burden of product development and infrastructure management. These include free cloud migration to AWS, up to $5,000 in AWS credits, complimentary machine learning and proof-of-concept assessments, and access to expert guidance on cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence adoption. These opportunities are expected to help founders accelerate product development while reducing operational costs at the early stages of building.

The event featured a lineup of respected founders and ecosystem leaders who shared practical lessons from their entrepreneurial journeys.

Devinegift Soetan, Founder and CEO of Impota Holdings, delivered insights on startup fundraising, helping founders understand what investors look for and how to position their businesses for investment readiness.

Sanmi Amos, popularly known as the “Tech Prophet,” spoke on building resilient technology infrastructure for FinTech and AI startups, emphasizing the importance of making strategic infrastructure decisions early in a company’s growth journey.

Paul Akume, Founder of RACE Africa, shared perspectives on building venture-backable startups, helping attendees understand the characteristics, metrics, and opportunities that make startups attractive to investors.

Samuel Linus also delivered a session on “Marketing That Works,” challenging founders to build products with the market in mind from day one and highlighting the importance of customer-centric growth strategies over vanity metrics.

Beyond the keynote sessions, WHAT WORKS featured curated founder roundtable discussions led by some of the ecosystem’s most respected builders and operators. The event attracted high-intent participants and industry leaders including Osita James, Managing Partner at BlackCrest; Charles Archibong, CEO and Co-Founder of MyAza; Justice Eneje, CEO and Co-Founder of ClapMi; David-Bobola Ojoawo, Founder and CEO of CompasAI; Bolaji Yusuf, Founder of WeBuildX; Michael Oladele, Founder of MyDialecta; and Francis Odeyemi, Founder of NinthGrid.

Each roundtable was facilitated by a dedicated table lead to ensure discussions remained practical, focused, and actionable, creating an environment where founders could openly discuss challenges, opportunities, and growth strategies. The format encouraged deeper collaboration and peer-to-peer learning, making the event more than just another networking gathering.

The success of WHAT WORKS reflects a growing demand among Nigerian founders for authentic communities and practical learning experiences. Through Dear Founder Community, Samuel Linus continues to build a platform where founders can access the relationships, insights, and support needed to navigate the realities of entrepreneurship.

As Nigeria’s startup ecosystem continues to evolve, initiatives like Dear Founder and events such as WHAT WORKS are playing an increasingly important role in equipping founders with the knowledge, networks, and resources required to build sustainable and globally competitive companies. Through his work with Dear Founder, Samuel Linus is helping foster a culture of collaboration, execution, and founder-to-founder support that is shaping the future of entrepreneurship in Nigeria.

About Dear Founder Community

Dear Founder Community is a founder-led ecosystem dedicated to helping entrepreneurs connect, learn, and grow through meaningful conversations, peer-to-peer support, strategic partnerships, and practical insights from experienced builders. The community exists to ensure that founders do not have to build alone while providing access to the networks, resources, and opportunities needed to scale impactful ventures.