Austin Okere (CWG Founder)/ The $35,000 Decision That Built a $90 Million Company!
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Austin Okere, the founder of Computer Warehouse Group (CWG), Nigeria’s first technology company to IPO on the Nigerian Stock Exchange shares the extraordinary 20-year journey of building from $35,000 in seed capital to a $90 million public company. In this powerful conversation, Austin reveals the hard truths about entrepreneurship in Africa: raising capital without structure, surviving the 2008 crash, handling rejection while scaling ethically, and knowing when to step down to make room for the next generation. He explains: ◼️ Why building in Africa is harder and more meaningful than anywhere else ◼️ How to raise money ethically and survive multiple rejections ◼️ What most founders get wrong about succession and legacy ◼️ How to build trust, partnerships & governance investors respect ◼️ Why true wealth is measured by impact, not bank balance 🔗 Follow Austin Okere LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/austinokere 🔔 Subscribe to Afropolitan Podcast for more unfiltered conversations with the world's most insightful Africans. Stay connected with Afropolitan: Twitter: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/afropolitannation/ Website: https://www.afropolitan.io Join the Network State – https://afropolitan.io/join 🔗 Join our community for exclusive updates: afropolitan.io/community Get email updates: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter This episode is sponsored by: Vban, short for VIRTUAL BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER is the borderless banking app built for Africa’s digital workforce. Use the code AFROPOLITAN to sign up: https://vban.com Inverroche Gin, South Africa’s premium craft gin that fuses heritage botanicals with innovation. Discover more: https://www.inverroche Risevest, a digital wealth-manager connecting you to global, dollar-denominated investments in US stocks, real estate & fixed income. Use this link to sign up: https://click.risevest.com/gb0g/afropolitan Want to connect 1:1 with Africa's boldest thinkers? Book a 15-minute convo on Convo: https://convo.vip/ with leaders like Tunde Onakoya, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Asa Asika, and more. Listen to more Afropolitan Podcast episodes: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Afropolitan Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6YwRlkSOq8e35xU6bOp9pU?si=b3a132f9afb3459f&nd=1&dlsi=32c01e3224ac4c64 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/afropolitan/id1808954585 Hosted by Eche — https://www.linkedin.com/in/eemole/ Chika — https://www.linkedin.com/in/chikauwazie/ 00:00 – The Truth About Building in Africa 02:15 – Opportunities in Africa 04:55 – Starting CWG with $35,000 07:00 – Leaving His Job & Early Struggles 09:30 – Partnering with Dell 13:00 – Building Nigeria’s Maintenance Culture 15:30 – Telecom Expansion and VSAT Networks 18:10 – Managing FX Challenges 19:15 – The Afropolitan Toast Segment 20:00 – Software Beginnings & Banking Opportunity 23:00 – The Infosys Partnership 26:00 – Y2K & Winning Three Banks 28:00 – Scaling CWG Through Banking Consolidation 31:45 – $10M Aureos Investment 34:30 – Closing Tony Elumelu at Midnight 37:45 – Surviving the 2008 Global Meltdown 40:20 – Preparing for IPO 41:10 – Listing CWG at $90M Valuation 42:30 – 2,500x Return for Early Investors 44:00 – Private Equity Due Diligence Process 47:30 – Navigating the Nigerian IPO Process 50:55 – Co-Founders and Partnership Structure 53:50 – The T-Person & H-Person Framework 57:00 – Succession Planning & Letting Go 01:00:45 – Transition to Also Leadership Academy 01:03:00 – Redefining What It Means to Be a Billionaire 01:05:30 – How to Join a Board 01:07:55 – Ethics and Corporate Governance 01:09:30 – When CBN Banned ATMs 01:13:20 – Turning a Crisis Into Opportunity 01:15:30 – Reflections on the Abraaj Collapse 01:17:30 – Staying Grounded After Success 01:19:45 – Building the Also Leadership Academy 01:21:45 – Scaling Through COVID & Online Training 01:25:00 – Legacy, Impact, and Shared Prosperity 01:27:30 – Advice to Young Entrepreneurs 01:29:00 – Defining a Billionaire by Impact 01:31:15 – Lessons From 28-Year-Old Austin 01:34:30 – Closing Reflections & Outro
