Eyitemi Rachael Popo is an entrepreneur who invests in products, services, and ecosystems that help women thrive. Whether through media, technology or tourism, her focus is on creating sustainable growth for women-focused initiatives, especially in Africa. She believes there is so much space for disruption with products and services that meet the needs – and ambitions – of women; especially those on the African continent.
She is the CEO of Ayiba Media and Girls Trip Tours, a transformative travel experience focused on female empowerment. Alongside her businesses, she works in deep tech VC as an entrepreneur in residence. Temi was named by Colombia’s Manos Visibles as a “Who’s Who” in the African Diaspora and a Leading Woman by BusinessDay Nigeria.
She graduated with high honors from Mount Holyoke College, and also holds a Master’s in Digital Experience Innovation from the University of Waterloo and is certified in digital publishing from NYU. Popo comes from a lineage of barrier-breaking women; her grandmother graduated with honors from the University of St Andrew’s in Scotland and became the first Nigerian woman to serve as a permanent delegate at UNESCO in Paris. She was also the first woman to reach the highest level at the Nigerian Ministry of Education. She basically built the education system all Nigerians follow today.
With Ayiba Magazine, Popo has followed in her grandmother’s footsteps and worked to amplify the African female voice in media, as well as create business opportunities in Africa for creatives and entrepreneurs. One of the main strengths of the magazine is that their readers are also their contributors. This “by us for us” approach positions Africans to be in control of the narratives that shape their stories, reducing the risk of stereotypes becoming barriers to investment and growth.
