KOREDE FANILOLA

Korede Fanilola is an entrepreneur, advisor, and community builder with a simple mission: to serve others through education, helping others avoid mistakes he has made himself. His journey has taken him from the world of foreign exchange and cross-border payments to advising startups and building communities where founders and business owners can thrive.

His entrepreneurial path came into focus as a co-founder of Zazuu, a venture-backed fintech marketplace designed to make cross-border payments in Africa more transparent and fair. As Chief Operating Officer, he led operations and strategy as they scaled to more than 60,000 users, secured $2M in seed funding, and reached a £20M valuation.

Korede learned that running a startup is like piloting a plane through turbulence, with moments where "I wasn’t sure we’d land safely". That’s when he encountered the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). It gave him the structure to make clear decisions in the middle of chaos. He also learned the hard way that chasing too many opportunities at once can sink a company. The key takeaway from that experience is: "vision without disciplined focus is just an idea".

One of the biggest challenges he faced as both a founder and advisor is raising capital, in his own word "challenges with fundraising ultimately led to Zazuu shutting down, which was one of the toughest but most valuable lessons of my career." Fundraising isn’t just about creating a great pitch deck, it’s about building trust. He learned how to handle rejection, embrace feedback, and stay resilient when the answer was no. Those experiences sharpened his ability to connect with people and strengthened his belief that relationships matter more than transactions.

Today, those lessons fuel his work with early-stage founders through Korizon, where he helps startups raise capital, refine strategy, and scale with clarity. His style is simple: He's a supportive guide and an honest challenger. Founders know he’ll encourage them, but also push them to face the hard truths that move their business forward. 

He's also a co-founder of the Elevate Network, a platform connecting founders, small business owners, and investors through curated events. Elevate was born out of the belief that entrepreneurship isn’t meant to be a lonely road. Education, community, and connection are what allow businesses and people to grow.