Episode 19: Chiwete John-Njokanma, Co-Founder and CEO of FINT

Today’s guest is Chiwete John-Njokanma. Now the third Northeast-10 Conference tennis alum I’ve had on the podcast, Chiwete is the Co-Founder and CEO of FINT, a technology platform dedicated to powering impact investing in Nigeria. More specifically, FINT is a loan marketplace that matches lenders looking for competitive returns with credit-worthy borrowers looking for the most attractive interest rates possible. Chiwete grew up in Nigeria, attended boarding school at the age of 10 (that’s right, 10 years old) and went to school at Adelphi University in New York City. It was while at Adelphi, through discussing with friends around solving core issues in the world that the idea of building a FinTech platform came about. And after graduating, Chiwete turned down two great finance offers in New York to pursue the FinTech platform full-time back in Nigeria. In this interview, we discuss the Pandemic’s impact on Nigeria and his business, growing up in Nigeria and moving to the US, his company FINT, and of course the extravagance of Nigerian weddings.

Timestamps

00:02:43 Pandemic's impact on Nigeria and his business

00:13:07 Growing up in Nigeria

00:17:17 What sparked his interest in tennis

00:21:06 Choosing where to go to college

00:29:30 When the idea arose of starting a business

00:33:20 Entrepreneurship in Nigeria

00:34:51 Mentors

00:42:53 Overview of FINT

00:47:23 How the platform allows borrowers to secure lower rates

00:51:03 Issue with credit in Nigeria

00:54:23 Lender and borrower verification

01:01:05 How loan terms are set

01:03:00 Fundraising

01:08:00 Vision for FINT

01:10:37 Economic upside for Nigeria

01:14:55 Extravagance of Nigerian weddings

01:19:37 What to do when visiting Nigeria

01:22:00 His daily routine

01:24:33 His driving force

01:27:42 Advice for people thinking about starting a business