Ayo Arikawe
Venture Partner
At Velocity Digital, Ayo serves as Entrepreneur-in-Residence, leading founder engagement, scaling support, and operator-driven portfolio value creation.
He works hands-on with founders across strategy, execution, and growth, helping them navigate the realities of scaling technology businesses in fragmented, high-friction markets. His operator-first perspective makes him a trusted advisor to founders and the primary engine behind Velocity’s high-quality inbound deal flow.
Ayo is a tech entrepreneur since age 15 and the co-founder of ThriveAgric , one of Africa’s largest YC-backed agtech companies. He helped scale the company from inception to over $60M in revenue, a $200M+ valuation, and operations across seven African markets, navigating regulatory complexity, infrastructure gaps, and cross-border execution firsthand.
Few GPs bring this depth of lived company-building experience. Ayo has seen every phase of the journey; from zero to scale, and brings that pattern recognition directly into Velocity’s investment and portfolio support model.
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