Tingo Group Chief Executive Officer Dozy Mmobuosi has challenged Nigerian entrepreneurs to think beyond the domestic market and build businesses that can attract global capital.
Mmobuosi delivered the charge at the unveiling of Founders House, a new monthly platform that brings together entrepreneurs, creators, chief executives, and business leaders to develop ideas, forge partnerships, and explore funding opportunities.
The inaugural meeting, held at Tingo AI’s premises in Victoria Island, Lagos, attracted founders and business executives seeking opportunities for collaboration, mentorship and enterprise development.
Mmobuosi, who founded the initiative, said his experience building businesses had taught him that access to the right people, networks and candid conversations could determine whether an idea progressed into a viable enterprise.
‘I have built businesses, I have failed, I have got back up, and I have learnt that the difference between an idea and an enterprise is often just one honest conversation with the right person,’ he said.
He explained that Founders House was established primarily to give the next generation of entrepreneurs access to mentorship, business networks, and opportunities that could accelerate their growth.
Mmobuosi stressed that he was not seeking an executive position in the initiative, describing it instead as an effort to give back and create opportunities for emerging business leaders.
‘This is about giving back, about opening a door for the next generation of businessmen and women who deserve the kind of mentorship and access that I had to fight for,’ he said.
However, he cautioned entrepreneurs against viewing the platform as an avenue for automatic funding, stressing that only businesses with the potential to solve real problems and scale internationally would meet the required standard.
‘The ideas that will get funded here are the ones that solve real problems, the ones that can scale beyond Lagos, beyond Nigeria, and can genuinely go to the capital markets anywhere in the world. That is the standard we are setting,’ he said.
According to him, the platform is designed to provide more than access to capital, with participants expected to benefit from the experience, mentorship and networks of established business leaders.
He said the initiative would encourage entrepreneurs to develop businesses capable of competing beyond Nigeria and attracting investment from international capital markets.
Speaking on the philosophy behind Founders House, Prince Osasuwu Okojie said the platform would provide a monthly meeting point for young entrepreneurs to identify common interests, exchange ideas and establish mutually beneficial partnerships.
Okojie drew an analogy from Genesis 1:26, where the Bible records God saying, ‘Let us make man,’ to emphasise the importance of collaboration in achieving ambitious goals.
He said the platform would encourage entrepreneurs to recognise that building sustainable enterprises often requires collaboration, shared expertise and access to networks beyond an individual founder’s immediate circle.
‘So what Founders House is doing is bringing people together, talking about how they can support each other to push the envelope forward,’ he said.
He also urged Nigerians to take greater ownership of the country’s economic future.
‘We cannot continue to wait for the West to come to our aid. Nigeria has always done good by us; it is left for Nigerians to make Nigeria work. We are the world’s largest black nation, and Founders House is for us to shape our own narrative,’ Okojie said.
For Michele Odisi, who runs a travel and hospitality company and attended the inaugural gathering, the initiative offers entrepreneurs an opportunity to meet, exchange ideas, and develop ventures with wider social and economic impact.
She expressed optimism that the monthly meetings would generate practical ideas that could contribute to national development while improving participants’ livelihoods.
Founders House is expected to operate as a regular meeting point for entrepreneurs and business leaders, with its agenda centred on collaboration, mentorship, enterprise development and access to capital.