Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dayo Adeosun. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Dayo, thanks for joining us today. So, what do you think about family businesses? Would you want your children or other family members to one day join your business?

Everyone in the world should have a family business. The Notorious B.I.G incorrectly said: “Keep your family and business completely separated.” I believe this is one of the few things he ever got wrong in his hip-hop career. I believe the greatest businesses in the world are, have been, and will always be family businesses. In the past, we look at families like the Musa Dynasty leading to Mansa Musa, the Rothschilds, The Arnault’s of LVMH, and even all the family businesses that owned NFL teams. I believe every family may have a craft they uniquely do best and it’s up to them to support the key individual in the family who can execute that craft and vision. In family businesses the good thing to know is that “blood is thicker than water” meaning that even if you have a disagreement or bad experience that in the end they are still your family so you have an unconditional love for them that leads you to fight stronger for the success of the business. In business it’s about determination and grit more than anything so having a core passion that can be the foundation of that grit being the family that birthed you will always be an emotional and motivational force in your life.

Dayo, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

If you don’t know who I am, I started and sold my first personal map app while at UChicago when I was 19 with some college friends. The company had a $5m valuation and I was able to raise $230,000 while getting around 50,000 users on the app helping them find their people and their places. Then due to lack of revenue, making only $10,000 selling to local businesses, universities, and food trucks, we pivoted. At age 23 we then built the first video NFT marketplace generating $2m+ in revenue for creators, raising over $6m from the likes of Coinbase and others, and having a $50 million valuation. We were making anywhere from $1,000 to $50,000 selling videos to video collectors. I worked with creators like Timbaland, Kygo, Selah Marley, and many upcoming artists. Then after having a fallout with my cofounders, I went on to learn for a full year about my mistakes and what future I wanted in life. I learned about technical analysis, how to grow my Twitter brand, investing, hydrogen energy, security, and frontend programming. But what stayed with me was that 95% of people over 65 are either financially bankrupt or reliant on government money to survive. That year allowed me to learn what I wanted to do and I knew that financial issue was a problem I wanted to solve first starting with the communities I am familiar with. So then I decided to found a family office investing with my brother and mom to invest in crypto, PE, and VC in sub-Saharan Africa. My brother had 8 years in sub-Saharan Africa investing and I had 8 years of experience in crypto. This is when my purpose began to become clear to me that I was meant to be a financial, technological, and community leader. After helping so many creators, companies, and people either get richer, feel more connected to a community, feel better about themselves, or have a deeper appreciation for technology I knew this was a special skill I possessed. But I knew I wanted to only do business with my family that I could compound and build over a long period with no disruption.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I went from the top of the world with my video NFT marketplace startup to the crypto bear market and being betrayed by my cofounders and people I hired was one of the hardest points in my life. I had to take a step back and remember who I am, what are my advantages, and how I can help solve important problems for people. I spent a whole year in hibernation working learning, and experimenting. I started a web3 gaming growth partner company. I learned how to do Twitter personal branding. I learned how to code. I learned about hydrogen energy. I kept trying new things. I was hungry and I was foolish in the way I was trying to learn the fundamentals of everything, I read over 50 books and listened to over 100 podcasts. And most importantly my oldest brother had his first baby so I became an uncle. It was that year that set me up for my next 10 years in life. I decided to start a show and podcast, manage an artist named Hermez, and do DJ gigs in NYC, Miami, Lagos, and London with my brother as a DJ group called Ladi Dada, and to do a family office for investing called Anjorin Capital Management following the footsteps of my Dad.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

In business you have to learn to unlearn. In school they tell you not to be a disruptor and to fall in line, in business you have to be a disruptor and a divergent. Also learning that everyone is just figuring out and even professionals don’t know what they’re doing so just start and keep going.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://anjorincapital.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stories/dayoadeosun10/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dadeosun/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/dayoadeosun10
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BlackLeadersPodcast