Prowl

Shola Akinlade explains how Paystack helps African businesses accept digital payments and how the company grew from an idea into a payments platform launched in Nigeria in 2016. He describes learning from merchants, working with banks, joining Y Combinator, and raising funding from Stripe and Visa. The talk covers the challenges of payments in Nigeria, including low card use, varied customer needs, fraud, and the need to tailor checkout experiences and payment methods. Akinlade also discusses Paystack’s expansion plans, engineering and hiring needs, and the importance of building a strong team and supporting African businesses.