OAN
Olakunle Akinniyi
Growth & Ecosystems Leader | Co-Founder

Building
Africa's Web3
Economy.

Web3 Growth Manager with 4+ years scaling crypto adoption across Africa and Emerging Markets — turning community, KOL networks, and offline events into hard commercial outcomes. Co-founder of Rally, Africa's mobile-first crypto exchange with M-Pesa rails.

$0M
Bitget Africa Volume
0K
Community Built
0
Signups (4 Months)
0
Years in Web3
Olakunle Akinniyi
4+
Years in Web3
About Me

Where strategy
meets execution.

Web3 Growth & Ecosystems Leader building full-stack user acquisition engines across Africa — specialising in crypto community growth, mobile money rails, and go-to-market strategy.

From co-founding Rally — Africa's mobile-first crypto exchange with M-Pesa, OPay, PalmPay, and MTN MoMo integration — to scaling Bitget's Africa BD from zero to $75M in monthly trading volume, my work converts community into hard commercial outcomes.

Growth Strategy Ecosystems Dev Offline Events M-Pesa Rails KOL Management GTM Strategy Product Adoption Token GTM Market Intelligence Cross-Functional Leadership
$75M
Bitget Volume Built
9K+
Community Built
5+
Countries
Work History

Where I've built things.

4+ years across Africa's leading crypto exchanges — from Business Development to Co-Founder.

Rally
Co-Founder & Chief Growth Officer
Aug 2024 — Nov 2025
Co-Founded
  • Co-founded Africa's mobile-first crypto exchange with direct cashout via M-Pesa, OPay, PalmPay, and MTN MoMo across Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana.
  • Built multilingual trader communities across francophone and anglophone West and East Africa — Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Uganda.
  • Grew Rally's social following to 16,500+ across TikTok (13.5K), Twitter (1.1K), Telegram (1.5K), and LinkedIn.
  • Led go-to-market execution for the RPT token — awareness campaigns, partner activations, and early demand generation.
16.5K+ Social M-Pesa Rails Token GTM Pan-Africa
MEXC
Regional Growth Manager — Africa
Feb 2025 — Jul 2025
Contract
  • Led MEXC's 7-person Africa growth team (5 BD, 1 community, 1 marketing) across regional markets.
  • Built and scaled the Africa community from zero to over 9,000 members through targeted activation and community programming.
  • Onboarded nearly 700 first-time users in Q1 through targeted acquisition campaigns and KOL partnerships.
  • Executed localised campaigns and market-specific promotions to deepen MEXC's regional brand presence.
9K+ Community 700+ FTUs (Q1) 7-Person Team Led
BingX
Regional Growth Strategy & Business Development
Sep 2024 — Feb 2025
Contract
  • Managed regional growth strategy and BD across African markets for a top-tier global crypto exchange.
  • Maintained and activated relationships with key operators, KOLs, and community partners.
  • Executed localised market activation and trader engagement campaigns across target markets.
Regional Growth KOL Relations Africa Activation
Bitget
Africa Business Development Manager
Jan 2022 — Feb 2023
  • Generated over $3M in trading volume in month one of launch.
  • Drove 2,574+ user signups by month four — sustaining 50% month-on-month growth.
  • Expanded regional trading volume to $75M by Q3, maintaining a $45M monthly average thereafter.
  • Built high-impact KOL and VIP trader relationships to drive sustained liquidity and retention.
$75M Monthly Volume 2,574+ Signups 50% MoM Growth
Flexage Blockchain Hub
BD & Community Manager
Mar 2021 — Jan 2022
  • Scaled a single KOL's trading volume from $2.5M to $90M within one year — a 36x increase.
  • Built trading communities — 700+ new members in the first quarter.
  • Delivered 2,000+ new signups through webinars, campus activations, and brand partnerships.
  • Supported P2P operations, contributing to a 30% increase in platform trading volume.
$90M KOL Scale 36x Growth 2,000+ Signups
Case Studies

Selected Projects

High-impact campaigns that drove measurable commercial outcomes across Africa.

03
01
Bitget Africa BD — $0 to $75M
Growth StrategyUser AcquisitionAfricaRevenue
+
Bitget Africa events
Community activation
KOL partnerships
Africa expansion

Built Bitget's Africa BD from a standing start — designing the full acquisition engine: KOL partnerships, offline activations, VIP trader outreach, and community infrastructure. Reached $75M monthly trading volume by Q3 with sustained $45M monthly average.

$75M
Monthly trading volume at peak (Q3)
2,574+
User signups in 4 months
$3M
Trading volume in month one
50%
Month-on-month growth sustained
KOL NetworksOffline EventsTwitter/XTelegramVIP Trader Relations
02
MEXC Africa — 7-Person Team & 9K Community
Team LeadershipCommunity GrowthEast AfricaFutures
+
MEXC Africa community
MEXC KBCC booth
Regional activation
East Africa

Led MEXC's 7-person Africa growth team — BD, community, and marketing — building the Africa community from zero to 9,000+ members and onboarding 700 first-time users in Q1.

9,000+
Africa community members built from zero
700+
First-time users onboarded in Q1
7
Person team led (BD, community, marketing)
$900M–$1.3B
Monthly futures volume on platform (Africa region)
Team LeadershipCommunity GrowthKOL ActivationEast AfricaFutures Trading
03
Rally — Africa's M-Pesa Crypto Exchange
Co-FounderMobile MoneyToken GTMPan-Africa
+
Rally mobile app
M-Pesa integration
Community growth
Token launch

Co-founded Rally — a mobile-first crypto exchange enabling direct M-Pesa, OPay, PalmPay, and MTN MoMo cashout across Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana. Built the GTM strategy, community infrastructure, and RPT token launch campaign.

16,500+
Social following built across platforms
4
Mobile money rails (M-Pesa, OPay, PalmPay, MTN)
3+
Countries at launch (Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana)
13.5K
TikTok followers (organic)
M-PesaMobile MoneyToken GTMTikTokPan-Africa GTM
What I Do

Services & Expertise

Available for senior growth, ecosystems, and community leadership roles at Web3-native organizations globally.

01
Growth Strategy & User Acquisition
Full-stack acquisition engines combining organic community, paid channels, and offline activation into measurable commercial outcomes.
  • FTT/FTD funnel design
  • KOL & influencer strategy
  • ASO, SEO & paid media
  • Campaign analytics
02
Ecosystems & Partnerships
Building the infrastructure of communities, ambassadors, and partner networks that compound into sustained market presence.
  • Ambassador program architecture
  • Affiliate & P2P merchant networks
  • University & campus integration
  • BD pipeline management
03
Offline Events & Activations
High-impact in-person events across Africa that trend on social media, onboard real traders, and establish brand authority in target markets.
  • Pan-Africa event production
  • Trader connect conferences
  • Branded meetups & roundtables
  • Campus & community tours
04
Content & Product Adoption
Educational content infrastructure that moves first-time users from awareness to active trading - built for African retail audiences.
  • YouTube channel strategy
  • Localized content production
  • Product education campaigns
  • Francophone market adaptation
05
Community & Brand Positioning
Building community infrastructure that transforms brand awareness into a recognized, trusted presence among target trader demographics.
  • Community growth frameworks
  • Brand voice & positioning
  • Competitive intelligence
  • Social media strategy
06
Go-To-Market - Emerging Markets
Deep-rooted knowledge of how crypto adoption works across Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Francophone Africa - with proven playbooks for each.
  • Market entry strategy
  • Localised GTM playbooks
  • Regulatory & compliance context
  • KOL & media landscape mapping
Education & Certifications

Credentials that back the work.

Degree
B.Sc. Computer Science
National Open University of Nigeria
2021
Certification
Mini-MBA in International Business Management
IBMI — International Business Management Institute
Certification
Introduction to Data Analytics
SkillUp
Certification
IP Subnetting
Udemy
$75MBitget Africa Volume Built
9K+MEXC Africa Community
2,574+Signups in 4 Months
16.5K+Social Following Built at Rally
$90MKOL Volume Scaled (36x)
4+Mobile Money Rails (M-Pesa, OPay, PalmPay, MTN)
4+Years in Web3
5+Countries
$75MBitget Africa Volume Built
9K+MEXC Africa Community
2,574+Signups in 4 Months
16.5K+Social Following Built at Rally
$90MKOL Volume Scaled (36x)
4+Mobile Money Rails
4+Years in Web3
5+Countries
Podcast & Press

In the media.

Appearances and press coverage on Web3, crypto, and Africa's digital economy.

Coming Soon

Press features and podcast appearances will be added here. Drop a link to your coverage to add it.

Events & Activations

In the rooms
that matter.

8+ activations across Kenya, Nigeria, Dubai — from Nairobi to Lagos.

Kenya Blockchain & Crypto Conference 2025
Kenya Blockchain & Crypto Conference 2025
KBCC · Nairobi 2025
OKX Alphas · Kisumu Traders Connect
OKX Alphas · Kisumu Traders Connect
On stage · Kisumu 2025
Africa Blockchain Festival
Africa Blockchain Festival
ABF · Nairobi 2025
Token2049 Dubai · MEXC
Token2049 Dubai · MEXC
Token2049 · MEXC 7th Anniversary
Tola Fadugbagbe Book Launch
Tola Fadugbagbe Book Launch
Speaking · Bitget · Lagos 2022
Bitget · Blockchain Vibes Lagos
Bitget · Blockchain Vibes Lagos
Blockchain Vibes · Lagos 2022
OKX · Lagos Networking Events
OKX · Lagos Networking Events
OKX · Lagos 2021–2022
OKEx · Campus Activations
OKEx · Campus Activations
Campus Activation · Nigeria 2021
Kenya Blockchain & Crypto Conference 2025
Kenya Blockchain & Crypto Conference 2025
KBCC · Nairobi 2025
OKX Alphas · Kisumu Traders Connect
OKX Alphas · Kisumu Traders Connect
On stage · Kisumu 2025
Africa Blockchain Festival
Africa Blockchain Festival
ABF · Nairobi 2025
Token2049 Dubai · MEXC
Token2049 Dubai · MEXC
Token2049 · MEXC 7th Anniversary
Tola Fadugbagbe Book Launch
Tola Fadugbagbe Book Launch
Speaking · Bitget · Lagos 2022
Bitget · Blockchain Vibes Lagos
Bitget · Blockchain Vibes Lagos
Blockchain Vibes · Lagos 2022
OKX · Lagos Networking Events
OKX · Lagos Networking Events
OKX · Lagos 2021–2022
OKEx · Campus Activations
OKEx · Campus Activations
Campus Activation · Nigeria 2021
In Motion

Watch the work.

A look at what execution in the field actually looks like.

Field Execution
Growth · Community · Impact
Contact — Nairobi, Kenya

Let's build something together.

Open to senior growth, ecosystems, and community leadership roles at Web3-native and tech organizations globally.

Available Now
Open to Opportunities
Exploring senior roles at Web3, crypto and tech companies globally — growth, ecosystems, community, and GTM leadership across Africa and Emerging Markets.
  • Head of Growth / VP Growth
  • Ecosystems Lead
  • Community Leadership
  • GTM — Emerging Markets
  • Advisory & Consulting
  • Event Partnerships