Many young Nigerians, who had lost confidence in traditional Nigerian banks, did not have easy access to trusted and profitable savings and investment platforms until Odunayo Eweniyi changed that.
She is the co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of PiggyVest, Nigeria’s most significant digital savings and investment app.
Through this platform, she is making it easier for everyday Nigerians to save money, invest, and plan for their future. Her work is not just about using new technology; it’s about truly understanding what people need and helping them build better financial lives.
From Computer Engineering to Financial Empowerment
Eweniyi graduated top of her class in Computer Engineering from Covenant University in 2013. She didn’t set out to disrupt Nigeria’s financial sector. Still, when she and her co-founders stumbled upon a viral social media post about the traditional piggy bank, “kolo”, they saw an opportunity.
That opportunity led to the launch of PiggyVest (formerly Piggybank.ng) in 2016. The platform offered a simple but powerful promise: helping users build a savings culture through technology. What began with a few hundred users has evolved into a financial powerhouse, boasting over 5 million active users and billions of naira saved and invested.
“Financial discipline doesn’t have to be complicated,” Eweniyi has often said in interviews. “It just needs to be accessible.”
Operational Excellence and Startup Grit
As COO, Eweniyi’s role is central to PiggyVest’s engine room. She handles everything from user experience to team management, platform scalability, and regulatory compliance.
Her commitment to structure and efficiency has helped the company thrive in a challenging ecosystem, even bootstrapping operations in the early days before securing a $1.1 million seed round.
PiggyVest now offers automated savings, fixed deposits, and investment opportunities in agriculture and transportation, demonstrating how digital tools can reshape how a generation handles money.
A Champion for Women and Civic Advocacy
Beyond the boardroom, Odunayo is an unrelenting voice for gender equity and social justice. In 2020, during the #EndSARS protests against police brutality in Nigeria, she co-founded the Feminist Coalition. This women-led advocacy group raised over ₦147 million in donations to support protestors with legal aid, medical assistance, and supplies.
The impact of her work during #EndSARS was recognised globally. In 2021, TIME Magazine named her to its TIME100 Next list, honouring her influence as both a tech leader and an activist.
She’s also the co-founder of FirstCheck Africa, a female-focused angel fund established to support women-led startups from the outset. Her mission? To increase funding access and mentorship for African women in tech, who remain vastly underrepresented in VC deals.
Recognition and Global Influence
Eweniyi’s bold leadership hasn’t gone unnoticed. She’s earned numerous accolades, including:
- Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 (2019)
- Quartz Africa Innovators (2019)
- Future Awards Africa Prize in Technology (2018)
- Forbes Woman Africa Tech & Innovation Award (2022)
- Bloomberg New Economy Catalyst (2022)
These aren’t just titles, they’re a reflection of her growing impact on both the local and global tech ecosystems.
Leading with Purpose
What sets Odunayo Eweniyi apart isn’t just her business acumen. It’s her clarity of purpose. She is unapologetically committed to creating systems that work for people, especially women and underserved communities.
Her leadership style is rooted in resilience and self-awareness. “I don’t lead with noise,” she once said. “I lead with process, people, and clarity.” That quiet confidence has helped her build not just a successful company, but a movement.