Welcome back, builders and leaders as we approach the final weekend of March 2026, the energy in our ecosystem is absolutely electric. Whether you are heads-down in product development or navigating the high-stakes pivots of a scaling team, we have curated a package this week that is designed to give you a genuine tactical advantage. We are stepping into a period of massive transition, and this issue is your manual for staying ahead of the curve as we prepare to unlock the incredible opportunities lined up for you.

Before we dive into the deep end of the Opportunity Vault, it is worth looking at the broader world to see what lessons we can extract from the noise. Take a look at the Strait of Hormuz, which is currently serving as the world’s most expensive cautionary tale. With the waterway effectively at a standstill, we are seeing the direct impact of what happens when a global chokepoint fails. For business leaders, the lesson here is about "single points of failure." The Strait handles a massive portion of the world's energy and trade, and its closure has sent Brent crude skyrocketing. This serves as a stark reminder that redundancy isn't a luxury; it’s an insurance policy. If your entire operation relies on a single supplier, a single marketing channel, or a single key individual, you aren't building a fortress ,that’s building a house of cards. Now is the time to identify your internal chokepoints and diversify before the market forces your hand.

On a lighter note, we have to talk about the Carabao Cup Final at Wembley. Seeing Arsenal fall 2-0 to Manchester City was a tough watch for the Gunners in our community. Honestly, at this point, we need to ask: who exactly did Arsenal offend? Because giving up two headers in four minutes to a 21-year-old after Kepa decided to play table tennis doesn't just look like a tactical error. It looks like a spiritual issue. It’s as if someone took the team’s matter to a high mountain and did a special prayer for them. To the gunners in the community: I know the quadruple dream just entered one chance, and the football group chat are currently a war zone of "Kepa’s Butterfingers" memes. But look on the bright side - you're still 9 points clear in the league. Just... maybe tell the team to go and settle whatever pending sacrifice they owe before the next final, because the way things are going ehn..

With that bit of perspective, let’s move into the meat of this issue. We have a lot to cover in this issue.

Let’s get into WO updates.

We have a session coming up that is an ultimate masterclass in what it actually means to be a founder. While many treat persistence as a buzzword, Saheed Akinbile lived it in the most literal sense. Saheed is stepping into the room to pull back the curtain on a journey that saw him face seven consecutive rejections from Y-Combinator before finally breaking through on his eighth attempt.

This isn't just a feel-good story about not giving up; it is a strategic deep dive into the raw, unedited reality of how those rejections were transformed into a $1.1 million raise, including that career-defining $500k check from YC. If you are currently navigating the psychological toll of fundraising, building through setbacks, or wondering why your pitch isn't sticking, this is the one conversation that could change your entire trajectory. This is your chance to gain the kind of wisdom that isn't written in any textbook ,the kind that only comes from staring down failure seven times and winning on the eighth. You don't want to be the one hearing about these insights second-hand on Sunday morning when everyone else is already applying the lessons.

Event Details:

Next, I want to take a moment to shine a massive spotlight on a startup that is an integral part of our community. We are sending a huge shout-out and a hearty congratulations to Shoptreo on their game-changing new partnership with FundMey HQ.

This isn't just another corporate handshake; it’s a strategic move that addresses the biggest bottleneck in our informal economy: liquidity. By joining forces with FundMey HQ, Shoptreo is effectively supercharging its ability to rewrite the rules of trade finance. For the manufacturers in our house, this partnership means Shoptreo can now fund your customers at an even greater scale, ensuring your inventory keeps moving without the usual cash-flow friction. For distributors, it means access to the vital capital needed to buy in bulk and expand your reach.

For the broader ecosystem, this collaboration signals a shift toward embedded finance where technology and capital meet to formalize and scale traditionally overlooked sectors like the Aba leather cluster. It is this kind of practical, problem-solving innovation that actually moves the needle for our industries. You can see the full celebration and the impact of this milestone over on LinkedIn here.

Watching members of this community hit these kinds of strides is exactly why we do what we do. Keep building, Team Shoptreo

As we draw the curtains on Women’s Month, one of our own community member is hosting a conversation that moves past the usual surface-level advice on fundraising. If you have ever wondered why some startups seem to glide through funding rounds while others equally brilliant struggle to gain traction, this session is designed to bridge that gap. This Saturday on Umbrella Saturdays, the discussion goes under the hood of the investment machine to understand how capital actually moves in today’s market.

The session features Sarah Solomon-Eseh, the Managing Director at Nolton Africa, who brings a rare perspective on what shapes investor thinking and the specific invisible signals that drive final decisions. With an extensive background in strategy and development consulting, Sarah offers more than just tips for a pitch deck; she provides practical frameworks and real market context that founders can use to align themselves with what investors are truly looking for in 2026. Whether you are a founder, an operator, or an investor trying to understand the current funding landscape, this is a chance to get honest, high-level insights. Save your spot and show up ready to take notes - this is the kind of intelligence that changes how you approach a board meeting or an investor call.

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It all comes together this weekend—this is the grand finale. After a month of powerful conversations, leadership development, and impact-driven action, the 2026 Leadership & Impact Series is officially drawing to a close.

One of our community members is bringing this month-long journey to a defining moment to celebrate a legacy of excellence. Join the gathering to honor Otunba Bola Adewumi at this closing ceremony, which uniquely brings together the OBA Leadership Summit, International Women’s Day, and the Ten Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) awards into one remarkable experience.

This is more than just a ceremony; it is a celebration of the impact, growth, and collective excellence seen over the past few weeks. If you’ve been part of this journey, make sure to celebrate in person as the series reaches its peak.

Event Details:

There is a point in every high-achiever’s career where technical excellence stops being the tool that takes you higher. To move from a top-tier executor to a generational architect, you have to stop simply managing tasks and start designing strategy.

The problem is that you cannot build that version of yourself while submerged in the noise of daily operations. This is the core of the Retreat for Young Execs - a strategic pit stop designed for leaders ready to sharpen their edge and return with a clarity that their peers lack. In a high-pressure economy, stepping back to recalibrate isn't a luxury; it’s a competitive advantage.

What You Will Gain: You will walk away with a sharper mindset for managing pressure and a practical productivity system to organize your work and prioritize what actually moves the needle. You'll also gain clear insight into how AI is specifically impacting your role and a mentoring roadmap to accelerate your growth. Most importantly, you will leave with defined personal commitments to turn these insights into immediate action.

The Facilitators

The retreat brings together a heavy-hitting lineup of industry veterans and leadership experts, including:

Register for the Retreat Here

Most people understand the need to invest, but the disconnect usually happens between that intention and the actual execution. Whether you are yet to start or have already begun but lack a clear roadmap, one of our own is stepping up to bridge that gap on April 8th. Over the past few years, more than 25,000 people have utilized PaceUP Invest to take control of their financial lives, and this upcoming session is a deep dive into that very methodology.

This live webinar and demo isn't just about general advice; it is about building a solid financial plan, simulating different investment scenarios to see what works, and learning how to make smarter, more confident decisions with your money. If you are looking to move from uncertainty to a clear, data-backed strategy for better financial outcomes, this is a session that belongs on your calendar. Register now and show up ready to transform how you look at your portfolio.

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As we close out the first quarter of 2026, the funding landscape is moving from "wait and see" to active deployment. Whether you are building deep-tech solutions in Lagos or scaling an agrifood startup globally, this week’s vault is packed with high-value equity-free grants, accelerators, and prize-based competitions with open deadlines.

Africa-Specific Opportunities:

Global Opportunities for Founders:

WO Weekend Hack

The "Steelman" Strategy

To wrap up this issue, we’re sharing a high-leverage prompt hack that has been making waves in our community. Our Chief, Dr.Sola shared this hack with the group recently, and the feedback has been incredible members are already using it to stress-test their strategies and refine their pitches with massive success.

Before you step into the room to pitch whether it’s to an investor, a client, or even your own team—you need to know exactly where your blind spots are. Most people "strawman" their competition, making their own idea look better by comparison. But if you want to actually win, you need to do the opposite: Steelman the opposition.

The Prompt:

Why this works: It forces the AI to generate the strongest, most logical, and most difficult arguments against you. These are the "hard questions" that usually catch people off guard. As our members have discovered, once you see the strongest version of the counter-argument, you can prepare the data and the logic to address it before it’s even asked.

Try it this week for: