The Real Cost of Building in Africa: I Lost $27 Million in 6 Months

Description

Eghosa Nehikhare walked away from medicine to build Multigate a treasury and trade operating system now serving enterprises across Africa. Eight years later, he's helped companies manage hundreds of bank accounts, navigated a $27M crisis that would have broken most founders, and learned every brutal lesson about building financial infrastructure on the continent. But this conversation goes far beyond fintech. We unpack why African payments still route through New York, what it really costs to build enterprise trust in emerging markets, and why most founders underestimate the compliance game until it's too late. Eghosa breaks down: • Why now is the best time for diaspora to move back: "All the components are aligned" • The pain point hiding in plain sight: enterprises manually logging into 300-400 bank accounts daily • Treasury and trade operating system explained: the iOS moment for African corporate finance • The medicine-to-tech pivot: how a food delivery startup grew from $300K to $6.5M in six months • The one-year disownment: "I don't want to see any of my properties" • Swift demystified: it's a messaging layer, not a payment infrastructure • The $27M PR crisis: "First is shock. This is not true. It's painful, it was humbling." • What saved them: documentation, governance, and transparency • Why he'd say no if he knew what he knows now: "Let me look for something easier" • Living life in parallel lanes: "You can't put all other lanes on hold" • The 5-point market entry framework: political, regulatory, legal, taxation, media • GLIPH values: Generosity, Loyalty, Integrity, Perseverance, Humility • How he chose his wife using a checklist — and she did the same • Why he never considered Japa: "I just fell in love with Nigeria" This isn't just about fintech. It's about building something that lasts in a region that tests you at every turn. WHERE TO FIND EGHOSA Nehikhare LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/eghosa-nehikhare-39483148 Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/eghosa.n/ EPISODE SPONSORS Vban - Open a