We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Olaoluwa Kitan David Aboluwarin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Olaoluwa Kitan David below.
Olaoluwa Kitan David, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
I come from a lineage of large-scale industrial farmers, with my missionary/farmer father being the first in his family to attain tertiary education. Growing up, I split my time between life in the rural underserved areas, on expansive farmlands, and bustling cities. This duality gave me a grounded sense of identity and the belief that “impossibility is nothing.” I witnessed firsthand how hard work, vision, and resilience could change generational narratives.
My confidence continued to evolve through each stage of life, first with peers in college, then through exposure to professors, and later, colleagues and supervisors in the workplace. One defining moment came during my time at Nokia. My manager’s flight was delayed, and I had to unexpectedly represent our team at a high-stakes meeting with government officials and researchers at GIMPA in Accra. I hesitated and considered sending a last-minute rescheduling email, but my supervisor stopped me. He said, “Look at it this way, most of the work I’m about to present, you did. So go ahead and present it. Talk less, listen more. It’s easier than you think.” That moment stayed with me.
Confidence, I’ve learned, is built not just in success, but in those moments when others see something in you before you see it in yourself, and you choose to rise to the occasion.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My career spans finance, strategy, impact investing, product development, innovation, and digital transformation. I am a two-time founder, and much of my professional journey has been dedicated to driving innovation in the social impact space.
One of the most rewarding chapters of my career has been my time at Future Academy – helping over forty-two thousand young people from low-income families across twenty-five countries gain access to digital skills for the first time. I also served as a cofounder/Cheif product Officer at Pika and led the development of Africa’s first AI-powered market intelligence platform tailored to the informal economy. This platform supports traders mostly women in the informal/open market in global emerging communities currently valued at fifteen trillion dollars globally, by helping them make smarter business decisions and improve profitability. It also provides real-time consumer analytics and strategic advisory services to manufacturers and fast-moving consumer goods companies.
Following this, I transitioned into private equity, joining the investment team at Alitheia Capital, Africa’s largest fund focused on investing in gender‑diverse SMEs; a trailblazing impact-investing private equity and financial advisory firm investing, managing over US $250 million AUM across multiple vehicles.
Currently, I serve as Co-founder and Investment Lead at Learnpally Finance, a fintech company providing international student loans for postgraduate degrees such as MBAs and Management programs at top global universities. We use a borderless, AI-powered credit model that evaluates risk based on future earning potential. Our funding comes from a global network of alumni, institutional investors, and impact-driven lenders.
Outside of work, I enjoy playing tennis and spending quality time with my family—often doing farm work, which reconnects me with my roots and brings me peace.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Looking back, three qualities have consistently shaped and accelerated my journey: adaptability, relationship-building, and strategic thinking.
Adaptability has been crucial. Whether I was working in underserved communities, building tech platforms, or managing investment portfolios, being able to learn quickly, pivot when needed, and thrive in new or uncertain environments made all the difference. The world changes fast, those who stay relevant are those who stay flexible.
Relationship-building opened doors I could never have walked through alone. From mentors to co-founders, investors to community leaders, meaningful relationships have been the backbone of every opportunity I’ve had. People often invest in you before they invest in your ideas. For anyone starting out, be intentional about who you learn from, who you collaborate with, and how you show up in those relationships.
Strategic thinking helped me navigate complex problems and scale impact. It’s one thing to work hard, but it’s another to align your effort with long-term outcomes. Whether it was designing scalable programs for youth empowerment or structuring investment vehicles for financial inclusion, thinking in systems and anticipating challenges gave me an edge.
My advice:
Embrace discomfort; growth lives there.
Ask better questions instead of rushing for answers.
Surround yourself with people who can correct you
Your journey doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be authentic and intentional.
Build confidence, stay humble, Be Bold!!!
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Yes, I’m always open to meaningful partnerships and collaborations, especially those that can accelerate the mission of Learnpally Finance.
We are particularly looking to connect with:
University admissions and international student offices across Europe who are interested in easing the financial burden for talented international students admitted into their MBA or Management programs.
Alumni networks and high-net-worth individuals who are passionate about expanding access to world-class education and are open to funding the next generation of leaders through a transparent, AI-powered lending model.
Institutional investors, family offices, and impact-driven funds looking to support a data-backed, scalable, and socially responsible alternative lending platform.
Fintech accelerators, venture studios, and ecosystem enablers in Europe who understand regulation, market entry, and the nuances of cross-border credit systems and can help us deepen our European footprint.
If you’re aligned with our vision of creating a world where access to quality education is not limited by geography or income, I’d love to hear from you.
You can connect with me directly via LinkedIn or reach out through our team email: [email protected]
Let’s build something transformational together.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/kitandavid
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/kitandavid
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kitandavid
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