About Us
Lagos Angel Network is an exclusive network that aims to enable the Nigerian and broader African ecosystem by educating angel investors, helping to facilitate angel investments into promising, early-stage startups, and advocating for sustainable policy with the private and public sectors, to enable the technology ecosystem.
LAN was set up in 2011 by its Founding Fathers, Tomi Davies and Dr. Adedotun Sulaiman, who helped set up the first-ever structures at LAN and, by doing so, laid down the foundations of how angel investments should work in Nigeria. They did this through many channels, events, and literature; one of the more popular ones was the POEM framework developed by Tomi Davies to help Angels evaluate startups for investments.
In 2021, after an exciting and progressive decade of developing the ecosystem and having seen significant milestones in the Nigerian ecosystem, such as the first listing of a Nigerian startup on the NYSE, the emergence of Nigerian-owned global unicorns, and the acquisition of a payments startup which paved the way for the first significant exit for angels in the ecosystem, the baton was handed over to a new generation of board members. The new board is ably chaired by Kola Aina and Deputy Chaired by Biola Alabi. Other board members include Yemi Keri of Rising Tide Africa, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji of Future Africa, and Olumide Soyombo of Voltron Capita.
They have since appointed an Executive Director – Victor Kareem. With their support, he is tasked with implementing the strategy to achieve the organization’s pillars (Learning & Membership, Funding & Finance, and Advocacy) and launch LAN into an era of new relevance and leadership.
This is what Victor had to say:
I am grateful to the Founding Fathers and Board of Governors for their demonstrated faith in appointing me as the Executive Director at LAN. I have been tasked with the mandate to continue to educate Angel Investors on the safest and most profitable ways to invest in the ecosystem, helping and supporting startups to get some of their first angel checks and, of course, leading along with the public sector to help shape and influence policy affecting startups in our young tech ecosystem.
I look forward to bringing a new and innovative face to all these fronts and building LAN into a world-class institution and an example across the continent with the help and support of this amazing board.
LAN’s operations currently reside in helping to raise funding for startups that meet our criteria for raising from our angels, while continuing to develop our framework for developing the pillars of our Nigerian ecosystem along with various partners.