Tolu Adetuyi

Tolu Adetuyi

Innovator & Venture Architect

Forbes Tech Council'24

Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer at Prembly(YC W22)

I build the infrastructure people and businesses need to create and exchange value, so they can earn, grow, and participate productively in the global economy.

Over the past decade, I have built at the intersection of identity, compliance, financial infrastructure, and capital formation across Africa. At Prembly, I am building the trust infrastructure that enables businesses to verify, transact, and grow with confidence.

Before Prembly, I led growth at Moniepoint, helping build the distribution network behind billions of dollars in transactions across Africa. That experience shaped how I work today: synthesizing intelligence and relationships into products, ventures, deals, and institutional leverage.

I hold a first-class degree in Computer Science and an MBA with a concentration in Finance from Morgan State University, where I graduated as a GSBM Scholar. I am also a lifetime member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the international business honor society.

Current Work

Prembly(YC W22)Co-Founder & CIO
Identity, Fraud Prevention & Compliance
Energy & Physical Infrastructure

I also curate Chronicles of Innovation and created ZeroToAct to make practical knowledge easier to use.

Core Areas of Focus

Trust, Financial & Cross-Border InfrastructureDistribution & Market AccessEnergy, Manufacturing & Productive InfrastructureKnowledge, Venture & Capital Formation

Essays and frameworks on trust, capital, infrastructure, leadership, and how emerging markets work.

My Thesis

Infrastructure for economic participation

My work is guided by a simple conviction. Economic participation expands when people and businesses can prove who they are, move money, reach markets, learn what works, access capital and productive assets, and rely on dependable infrastructure.

Most of the work I have done and continue to do is an active expression of that thesis, from trust infrastructure to distribution to capital. The newest is Powering Nigeria Infrastructure Fund 1, being formed to finance distributed energy assets around productive demand and test how reliable power can strengthen earnings, operating capacity, and economic inclusion.

Read my thesis

Speaking & Panels

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The Prosperity EngineSlide deck · 2026
Closing the Compliance Gap for African StartupsSlide deck
Bootstrapping & Making Your Idea Attractive to InvestorsSlide deck · 2023

Featured Press & Publications

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Is Africa's Risk Premium Really a Legibility Problem?The Kenyan Wallstreet · 2026
FATF Grey List Exit, Payment Vision 2028 & Nigeria's National Payment StackTechEconomy · 2026
CBN AML Directive Triggers Tech Reset as Banks, Fintechs Battle Data & Talent GapsBusinessDay · 2026
Prembly Launches FraudLensTechCabal · 2026