In the past six years, Nigerians have expressed aptitude in the technology field through innovations, support, and the creation of tech products, builders, and users. This aptitude for tech has however not escaped the acknowledgment of Y Combinator, a funding and support accelerator for tech startups all over the world. Ever since Flutterwave's and Paystack's adoption into the program, a total of 53 other Nigerian startups have shown their interest and gained recognition by Y Combinator.

In this article, a chronological list of seven Nigerian tech startups incorporated into YC is presented with their founders.

• Flutterwave: Flutterwave is a Nigerian fintech company that provides payment infrastructures for global merchants in Africa. It was founded by Olugbenga Agboola, also known as GB, and ACA Adekoya in 2016. In 2021, Flutterwave raised $170 million in Series C funding which gave the company a valuation of over $1 billion, making it a Unicorn. Recently, the company also raised $250 million in Series D funding, giving it a 3X valuation of $3 billion. In a virtual event themed "Flutterwave 3.0," Flutterwave unveiled a slew of new products and services, including Fintech as a Service, FaaS, for embedded finance, SME loans for users, and card issuance for a diverse range of clients, as well as the addition of Apple Pay and Google Pay to its payment options. It is currently ranked #38 on Y Combinator's top 155 companies.

• Paystack: Paystack, like Flutterwave, is a fintech company that facilitates payment for vendors, companies, banks, and customers through credit and debit cards and mobile transfers. It helps little to large-scale businesses receive payments from local and global customers. It was founded in 2016 by Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi, and in the same year, it received support from YC and joined the W16 program. In 2020, Stripe, a fintech company that processes online payments for businesses acquired Paystack for a $200M+ deal after raising $600M in its Series G extension and reaching a valuation of $36B. Paystack was the first Nigerian fintech to get into YC after which Flutterwave followed suit.

• Helium Health: Helium Health is a leading provider of technology services to all healthcare providers in Nigeria and Africa at large. It was founded in 2016 by Adegoke Olubisi, Dimeji Sofowora, and Tito Ovia, and the following year, it joined YC in the S17 program. Its offered services include Teleclinic, a platform through which medical personnel and the patient meet and discuss, recommend, and give health-related advice; HeliumPay, a payment platform that helps healthcare facilities receive and make payments; MyHelium Patient SuperApp, for keeping records of patients' sessions; HeliumCover, a health-centered insurance facility for governmental bodies, companies, and families; HeliumCare Credit, for facilitating credits and collateral-free loans. In 2020, Helium Health raised $10M in Series A funding led by major healthcare and tech companies.

• Releaf: An Agritech startup started by six American-Nigerian cousins of Ivy-league colleges with over 120 hired students in the diaspora to work on the agricultural project. It was founded in 2017 by Uzoma Ayogu, Kenna Nzewi, and Isaiah Udotong, and in the same year, joined YC's S17 program. It was at first a non-profit agricultural-based group but it became a profit-oriented company when it relocated to Nigeria in 2017, and almost died while searching for the best business model. In 2019, Releaf completed a $1M angel funding round and started building a world-class team. In 2021, Releaf raised an additional $4.2M to expand its operation into the Oil Palm sector of the Nigerian agricultural sector.

• Reliance Health: Reliance Health is an InsureTech company, providing and making health insurance available and affordable to hundreds of companies and their workers. It was founded in 2016 by Seun Kuti, an Alumnus of the great Obafemi Awolowo University with an MBChB in Medicine and Surgery. Reliance Health joined YC in the W17 program, the same year it was founded. In 2019, it was listed among Jobberman's top 100 companies in Nigeria. Recently, Reliance Health raised a total of $40M in Series B funding, led by General Atlantic, the biggest in African Health Tech to date.

• Cowrywise: A Nigerian-built Fintech company that offers customers savings and investment opportunities. Cowrywise was founded in 2017 by Razaq Ahmed and Edward Popoola and was accepted into the Y Combinator's 2018 summer batch. In 2021, the fintech startup raised a $3M pre-seed funding led by Quona Capital. Cowrywise is duly licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC., therefore, no cause for alarm.

• Kobo360: Kobo360 is a supply chain management and logistics company that employs AI technology in connecting manufacturers and cargo owners with truck operators to enable seamless and efficient delivery. Kobo360 was founded in 2018 by Obi Uzor and Ife Oyedele II. In the same year, it got accepted into the Y Combinator's summer batch, S18. Since its inception, Kobo360 has successfully moved over 9 billion kilograms of goods and has 50,000+ trucks operating under its name. In 2018, the company won Business Day's Top 100 SME in Nigeria and topped it with the Africa CEO Forum Disruptor of the Year award in 2019.

Yeah, so these are seven 9ja tech startups backed in order of the date they were founded. Catch up on the next series of "Meet Naija Tech Startup Founders in YCombinator" where I bring you more amazing startups in Nigeria with brilliant founders.

Don't miss it 😋