Tolu Alabi

Buckle up, cause I’m bout to tell you about Tolu Alabi, this absolute beast in the fintech world. The guy’s only in his W24 YC batch, but he’s already making waves. He’s the co-founder and CEO of Cleva, a fintech startup that’s all about giving folks in Africa and other new markets access to USD banking. Think about it-most of these people are stuck with local currencies that are super volatile, right? Tolu’s solution? Help them receive, save, and manage USD easily so they can finally hedge against that crazy currency chaos. No cap, that’s a big change.

But here’s where it gets even more interesting. Tolu’s process didn’t start in fintech. Nah, he’s got a serious background in tech and finance. He’s got an MBA from Stanford-that’s no joke-and a B.A. in Computer Science and Math from Grinnell. Before Cleva, he was running the show at Next in Line Africa, which was all about using basketball to lift up African youth. Dude’s been about empowering underserved communities long before fintech was even a thing for him.

And his resume? Holy shit, it’s stacked. He’s worked at Stripe, leading Credit Card Issuing and Identity & Access Management-so he’s got that fintech cred locked down. Then he jumped into Amazon, managing AR stuff and logistics-talk about being in the trenches of tech innovation. Oh, and he’s also been at Goldman Sachs as an FX Algo Quant, so he knows the finance world from the inside out. Plus, he’s had stints at WhatsApp and some German startup stuff too. Basically, the guy’s been everywhere-finance, tech, startups-and crushed it every step.

What’s wild is how his past all ties together. His experience in finance and tech clearly fuels his mission now with Cleva. He saw a problem-people in new markets getting fucked over by currency volatility-and instead of just complaining, he built a solution. That’s the real deal. It’s about using tech to enable the underserved, creating real impact, and not just chasing the next shiny thing.

Honestly, Tolu’s story is about hustle, purpose, and tech for good. He’s not just in it to make a quick buck – he’s here to build something that truly matters. His process proves he’s driven by empowering others, using his skills to shake up traditional finance, and giving folks left behind a real shot at financial inclusion. That’s why he’s so important – he’s not just another founder; he’s a legit changemaker who jumped into the deep end, learned along the way, and now pushes to make the world fairer through fintech. No cap.