In this episode of the Made in Africa podcast, I sit down with Paul Akolade and Raphael Abayomi, co-founders of Vant, one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing fintech startups offering an all-in-one finance and operations management platform for SMEs.

We dive deep into their childhood experiences growing up around older people, and how that early exposure to maturity shaped their worldview, discipline, and ambition. Raphael, CTO, began writing code in university while already building software solutions for brands and businesses. Paul, on the other hand, built a solid foundation in corporate roles in MTN, BedMate among others before their paths crossed through a shared project that sparked the idea for Vant.

Paul shares the inspiring story of how Vant started as a small POS shop — funded by a ₦50,000 loan from his mother-in-law — and how relentless focus, teamwork, and vision helped them scale to over ₦1 billion in processed payments on the Vant platform.

If you’re passionate about fintech, startup growth, and the resilience behind African innovation, this episode is a must-listen.