Startup founders, entrepreneurs and investors gathered in Ibadan for The Founders Buffet, an initiative organised by Ighodalo Labs to help business owners build connections, get feedback on their ideas and explore investment opportunities.
The programme, which began at 3 p.m., gave founders an opportunity to present their businesses to investors and experienced professionals. Participants introduced their brands, explained how their businesses operate and took questions from attendees, who offered feedback and suggested ways to refine their ideas.
In his opening remarks, Ighodalo Labs founder Desmond Aghughu said he had not set out to establish a venture studio. He recalled arriving in Ibadan in January 2025 with plans to build a startup of his own.
Aghughu identified unreliable internet access and limited opportunities to meet other entrepreneurs as challenges that could discourage founders and slow the growth of young businesses.
He said The Founders Buffet was designed for people already running businesses and those considering starting one. He added that Ighodalo Labs was committed to building a support network that would give founders more room to develop their ideas and grow their businesses.
In an interview at the event, Oluwamayowa, a participating founder and creative strategist, said his work involved helping entrepreneurs identify what customers need and build business plans and operating structures around those needs.
He said people approached him for guidance at different stages of growth, from working towards their first $1,000 to pursuing targets of $10,000 or $1 million.
Oluwamayowa, who said he had spent more than a decade in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, described the gathering as an opportunity for founders to test ideas with peers and learn from one another’s experience.
He identified the rising pressure on household budgets as a challenge for his business. As customers spend more of their income on food and other essentials, he said, they have less to spend on services like his. He also cited unreliable electricity as a challenge to his day-to-day operations.
Despite those difficulties, Oluwamayowa encouraged other founders to stay focused on their goals and use gatherings like The Founders Buffet to share ideas and seek advice from people facing similar
