Odunayo Eweniyi

Odunayo_Eweniyi

Odunayo Eweniyi

(born december 23,1993) is a Nigerian business executive and activist. She is the Co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of PiggyVest and co-founder of Feminist Coalition. Odunayo Eweniyi has significantly influenced Nigeria’s fintech landscape, championed gender equity in technology, and driven social change through innovative ventures and advocacy. As the co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of PiggyVest, Nigeria’s leading digital savings and investment platform, Eweniyi has transformed how Nigerians manage their finances. She is focused on promoting equality for women in Nigerian society, with core areas including education, financial freedom, and representation in public office using the Feminist coalition.

Quotes

• I would just ask them to go for it. It’s your space and your industry too, and we’re privileged and honoured to be paving the way for you, so do it. For so long, women have deferred to societal norms and practices that dictate that technology is for men. It’s not. Women are doing amazing in tech, maybe even better than men. So, please come on board, follow your dreams
  • Odunayo's advice to African women who want to venture into TECH

• When I started, I thought it was impossible, probably because there were not enough women just breaking down the barriers.I consider it an honour to be here, in tech, doing what I’m doing today; and I desperately want to see more women and girls just come into their own.
  • Odunayo speaking on her desire for African women in the tech space

• Embrace failure and be ready for it: it will happen at some point, so it just depends on what you do with it.
  • [1]

• Why not empower people that make up half of the world’s population? They are human beings. But if we did need a reason, it would be that there are statistics that show that the empowerment of girls and women is always to the betterment of any economy. And there are social reasons. You empower a girl, she pays it forward, you empower anyone, they pay it forward. So why not?
  • Odunayo speaking on the need to have increased women participation in various fields including STEM

• I thought that it was interesting how young people were going to be able to contribute to the future of Nigeria… I can only say that I was taking a chance on being a viable part.
  • Odunayo on her drive to impact positive change in nigerian tech space

• It's a lot of work to start and grow a business in this climate. Some of the challenges include the regulations and a lack of adequate infrastructure, We know for sure that there is talent in Nigeria.
• move out of the way so we can work. I like rules and when they are clear, you know what is right and what is wrong.  The problem we have is that a lot of the rules are grey, and innovation moves faster than regulations.
• I just feel a sense of duty in that I am one woman who’s had it relatively easy.  I have a strong support system and I think that there's been a healthy amount of luck involved in where I am today.  Where we started from, where the journey has gone—right place, right time, and all that.
• My co-founders are probably the best I could have met because they don't hold me back.  They allow me to be the full expression of who I am and so did my parents, so did my siblings.  So, I have gone through life surrounded by people who allowed me to be who I am.  It doesn't seem like that for all women, but it should.
• For me, the mission is that all women should be included, and I feel I have a responsibility to bring more women in.
• Women need to stay steady, know who they are and where they are going.

• A feminist leader will recognize that all women and all men deserve equal opportunities to pursue fulfilling careers and lives, and put structures in place to help others live up to their potential and drive meaningful change.
  • Odunayo speaking on the need of more participation from women

• We put everything we had learned into starting up new projects like PiggyVest. So when you fail, don’t let it disturb you, instead you take all that knowledge into the next and the next, till you strike gold. I don’t want the narrative to be skewed to the positive because it is about learning from these failures, and not just assuming you can’t fail cause you probably can and you will, so don’t stop. I will fail, stumble but I will get up to find solutions. Keep moving forward because the successful ones are built on the ashes of those failed ones.
  • Odunayo speaking on the mindset needed to break through

• “Aim very high. Work very hard. Care very deeply.**[2]

• Set ambitious goals, dedicate yourself to relentless effort and show genuine care in your endeavours. This combination of aspiration, hard work and heartfelt commitment is a recipe for meaningful achievement.
  • [3]

• Keep working hard, keep building. Eventually, the world will recognise your worth.
  • [4]

• Aim very high. Work very hard. Care very deeply.” This principle, inspired by her father, underscores her approach to entrepreneurship—setting bold goals, dedicating effort, and maintaining empathy and integrity
  • Aim Very High, Work Very Hard, and Care Very Deeply — Odunayo Eweniyi Medium (Mar 15, 2022)

• When you have a problem, the problem is there, and it’s not going to go away. You can cry, you can be sad, but the problem will still be there.”
  • An Interview With Odunayo Eweniyi, PiggyVest Co-Founder & COO career foundery ( NOVEMBER 25, 2022)

• We’re not just building tech. We’re building systems that allow people to dream again—women, young people, the underserved.”
  • Odunayo Eweniyi: Driving Financial Inclusion and Gender Equity Across Africa dawncommission(April 26, 2025)

• You were born a woman, you don’t have any control over that so you have to make the best of it.”
  • Odunayo Eweniyi: How we got the idea for Piggybank The cable (March 25, 2019)

• I think that women hear a lot of ‘Don't quit’ or ‘Speak up’. Women have been working and pushing, so perhaps, it's time to speak to the other part of the table: Give Women Capital.
  • Aim Very High, Work Very Hard, and Care Very Deeply — Odunayo Eweniyi Medium (Mar 15, 2022)

• Aim very high. Work very hard. Care very deeply.”
  • Aim Very High, Work Very Hard, and Care Very Deeply — Odunayo Eweniyi Medium (Mar 15, 2022)

• “The biggest resource for you outside of school is Google.”
  • Odunayo Eweniyi: How we got the idea for Piggybank The cable (March 25, 2019)

• I invest in capital markets because I learnt it from Google, I invest financially because I learnt it from edX, open source technology and you being able to pick up digital skills are going to be key.”
  • Odunayo Eweniyi: How we got the idea for Piggybank The cable (March 25, 2019)

• I think it’s easier than most people think to get women talking about and interested in those kinds of topics. You just have to meet them at the point of their needs, figure out what they’d be interested in, and consider what angle we should approach this from. When I was studying, we had women who were willingly studying engineering, and at every stage in my life, I have been able to point to women in the sciences. So while there are cultural and societal pressures not to go into fields perceived to be dominated by men, I think that there are women who are there and are making great names for themselves—across banking, fintech, and many other fields. That’s the kind of representation we need.
  • [5]

• “Solve the problems you see around you.”[6]