Folabi Esan
Partner @ Adlevo Capital
Nigeria
Folabi Esan is a pre-seed investor at Adlevo Capital in Nigeria focused on Mobile and FinTech. Folabi Esan has been a partner at Adlevo Capital since it was founded in 2007. Prior to joining Adlevo Capital, Folabi was the founder and Managing Consultant of Catalyst TDC, a Nigeria-based consulting firm that advises clients on technology adoption issues within their companies. Prior to founding Catalyst TDC, Folabi was the Managing Director of SAP Nigeria, the Nigerian subsidiary of the leading enterprise software company, for five years. He successfully drove the company to profitability within three years and was instrumental in building the company up to its current position as the leading provider of enterprise software to large corporations in the region. Before he joined SAP, Folabi managed Heureka Consulting, a marketing consulting firm that provided consulting services to small and mid-sized IT Companies in Nigeria. He started Heureka Consulting after founding and running Wood Products Limited, a Nigeria-based manufacturer of wood products. Folabi’s previous experience also includes positions with Bain & Company in the US and Andersen Consulting in Nigeria. Folabi received a B. Eng. in Mechanical Engineering (First Class Division) from Ahmadu Bello University, an M.S. in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Stanford University, and an M.Sc. in Innovation Management and Technology Policy from University of London.
- Total investments:
- 5
- Last investment:
- Lead investor:
- 40%
Last updated:
For AI agents: llms.txt
Industries Folabi Esan invests in
Stages Folabi Esan invests in
Countries Folabi Esan invests in
Round sizes
Contacts
| Type | Contact | Validation |
|---|---|---|
| Work email | ||
| Personal email | ||
| Work phone | ||
| Personal phone | ||
| Socials |
Round size
- Pre-Seed
- $597k–$1M
- Series B
- $10M–$15M
Investment Focus
Industry
- Mobile 2 (40%)
- FinTech 2 (40%)
- Mobile Payments 2 (40%)
- AgTech 1 (20%)
- Finance 1 (20%)
Stage
- Pre-Seed 2 (40%)
- Series B 1 (20%)
- Venture - Series Unknown 1 (20%)
Country
- Nigeria 2 (40%)
- Germany 1 (20%)
- United Kingdom 1 (20%)
Investments
| Company | Description | Round | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Cooko” means “Source” or “Wellspring” in the proto-Bantu language of West Africa. This reflects the spirit of the company. We aim to go to the source, to work from the ground up to improve the livelihood of Cacao farmers.Our key innovation changes the way that cacao is sourced. Not only does it provide a better quality bean, we also providefirst-mile traceability. This has been identified as the key factor in transforming the industry into a more sustainable and equitable economic force.The farmer benefits: In one day they can make the money that would have required 10 days labour.The industry benefits: International traders are increasingly frustrated with low-grade cacao, contaminated with everything from stones to unfermented beans. By changing the first step in the process we lock the beans into a controlled refinement process.The consumer benefits: When you see the source-fermented™ label, you will know that your cacao (or chocolate) has been equitably sourced. | $596.9K / Pre-Seed / Jun 25, 2021 | ||
| OnePipe simplifies complex infrastructure so you can focus on creating market-defining innovations. Banks and fintech partners of OnePipe have contributed the majority of the underlying infrastructure required to establish your product as a service. | $1M / Pre-Seed / Dec 17, 2020 | ||
| Paga is a mobile payment company. We are building an ecosystem to enable people to digitally send and receive money, and creating simple financial access for everyone. Our mission is to make it simple for one billion people to access and use money. Our first market is Nigeria where Paga is the leading mobile payment company. | $10M / Series B / Sep 06, 2018 | ||
| Paga is a mobile payment company. We are building an ecosystem to enable people to digitally send and receive money, and creating simple financial access for everyone. Our mission is to make it simple for one billion people to access and use money. Our first market is Nigeria where Paga is the leading mobile payment company. | $15M / Series B / Oct 06, 2015 | ||
| SOLO Phone manufactures mobile devices that is designed to offer experience-driven digital content. | Venture - Series Unknown / Jan 16, 2014 |
Co-Investors
About Adlevo Capital
Adlevo Capital is a private equity firm that finances technology-enabled companies across sub-Saharan Africa. It develops market intelligence through a local presence and an understanding of the dynamics of the local market. Adlevo Capital maintains active local presence via its base in Lagos, Nigeria. It was founded by Yemi Lalude in 2009.
Adlevo Capital Contacts
| Name | Phone | Socials | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Folabi Esan
Partner
|
|||
Olumide Olagbegi
CFO
|
|||
Access 48,091 investors
822 industries, 177 countries. Updated daily. Emails and phones included.
Browse database — It's Free!
Find investors for your startup
Search 48,091 investors by industry and country. Emails and phones included.
Similar Investors
Similar industry
Similar stage
Featured in Investor Lists
Recommended lists
FAQ
What does Folabi Esan invest in?
Folabi Esan invests primarily in Mobile, FinTech and Mobile Payments startups, most often at Pre-Seed and Series B stage. Most of the 5 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in Nigeria. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.
What round sizes does Folabi Esan invest in?
Folabi Esan typically joins rounds of $597k–$1M at Pre-Seed and $10M–$15M at Series B. These are whole funding-round sizes, not Folabi Esan's own check, which is rarely disclosed: the 10th–90th percentile of the confirmed public funding rounds Folabi Esan took part in.
How do I contact Folabi Esan?
Public channels for Folabi Esan include LinkedIn. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.
When did Folabi Esan last invest?
The most recent investment recorded for Folabi Esan closed in Jun 2021. Shizune tracks 5 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.
Is Shizune's investor data accurate?
Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Oct 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.
Contact your first 100 investors today
Find who invests in your industry, stage, and country. Download investor list with emails in 5 minutes.
Find investors — It's Free!
Continue with Google
Continue with LinkedIn
