From a Living Room to 100,000 Borrowers: The Unconventional Credit Model Powering Africa's Lending Revolution

​Babatunde Akin-Moses started Sycamore in 2018 after seeing how difficult it was for Nigerian individuals and SMEs to access affordable credit. Beginning from his living room with limited capital, he built the company around disciplined lending, operational efficiency, and profitability rather than chasing rapid VC-funded growth. Today, Sycamore has evolved from a lending platform into a broader financial services company offering savings, investment, and credit products.

​Most founders hear the same advice: raise venture capital, grow at all costs, and worry about profitability later. Babatunde took the opposite path. He built through economic cycles, scaled without relying on aggressive fundraising, and proved that sustainable growth is still possible in one of Africa's most competitive fintech markets.

​This session explores what it actually takes to build a resilient fintech when capital is scarce, risk is high, and every lending decision matters. How do you balance growth with profitability? When should founders ignore conventional startup wisdom? And what lessons can operators take from building a business designed to last rather than one designed simply to raise the next round?