“I became a millionaire at 23” — Nigerian billionaire reveals how Mark Zuckerberg ended up investing in his company

• Iyinoluwa Aboyeji said he became a millionaire at the age of 23.

• The Nigerian entrepreneur revealed he co-founded two billion-dollar companies, Andela and Flutterwave.

• He said Mark Zuckerberg eventually invested in one of his companies after The Social Network inspired him to become an entrepreneur.

• Aboyeji urged young people to focus on serving others, building great teams and creating businesses that make money for other people first.

Nigerian entrepreneur and investor Iyinoluwa Aboyeji has shared the remarkable journey that saw him become a millionaire at just 23 years old before going on to co-found two billion-dollar companies.

Speaking during an interview with James Dumoulin, the co-founder and face of The School of Hard Knocks, Aboyeji reflected on his entrepreneurial journey, the power of building strong teams and the surprising connection that eventually brought Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg in as an investor.

The conversation started with a simple question.

"Excuse me, sir. How old were you when you became a millionaire?"

Laughing, Aboyeji replied, "How do you know I was a millionaire?"

When Dumoulin explained that he interviews billionaires around the world and thought he looked like one, Aboyeji smiled and answered: "I was 23."

The Nigerian entrepreneur then revealed something even more surprising.

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"I actually built two billion-dollar companies. Right there from Lagos, Nigeria."

Aboyeji is best known as one of the co-founders of Andela and Flutterwave, two Nigerian-founded startups that both achieved unicorn status, a term used for privately owned companies valued at over $1 billion.

During the interview, Aboyeji revealed that the 2010 movie The Social Network, based on Facebook's founding story, inspired him to become an entrepreneur.

He said the story came full circle years later.

"I watched The Social Network and actually, full circle, Mark Zuckerberg ended up investing in my first billion-dollar company."

A surprised Dumoulin asked, "Zuckerberg invested in you?"

Aboyeji simply replied: "Yes."

Meta, formerly Facebook, was among the investors that backed Andela during one of its funding rounds.

Asked what helped him scale businesses successfully, Aboyeji said success isn't about one genius founder but about building the right systems and surrounding yourself with capable people.

He recalled advice from one of his billionaire mentors.

"A billion-dollar company is just a bunch of people who could have individually built 10 million-dollar businesses who decided to come together and build one business."

According to him, the strength of any company lies in its team. "It's the team."

Aboyeji also shared an unconventional perspective on wealth.

"Make money for your friends and you'll never have to worry about money in your life."

He added: "The more money you make other people, the more money you're going to make yourself."

On networking, he believes many people approach relationships the wrong way.

Instead of asking what they can get, they should focus on helping others first.

"The biggest advice for networking is serve people. How can I help? Those four words are the most powerful words in the world."

He continued: "Don't be a taker. Give, give, give, give, give. And eventually, it will be given on to you."

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Aboyeji, whose companies are incorporated in Delaware in the United States, was also asked about the biggest difference between doing business in Nigeria and America.

His answer caught attention.

"The difference in Nigeria, if you don't make other people money, you don't get to make money."

He added: "In America, if you don't make money, you can't make other people money."

Now 35, Aboyeji ended the interview with a message for young Africans dreaming of building global businesses.

"Build, build, build."

He added that there was a time many people believed billion-dollar companies could never emerge from Africa.

"At one point, people just didn't believe billion-dollar companies could come from this part of the world. But look at God."

His journey, from becoming a millionaire at 23 to helping build two unicorn startups out of Lagos, has become one of Nigeria's biggest entrepreneurship success stories and continues to inspire a new generation of founders across Africa.