Kike Oniwinde

1992

East London

British Nigerian

2014 – graduates with BSc Economics
2015 – gains MSc Management
2016 – BYP launched
2018 – Oniwinde was included in the Financial Times and Inclusive Board’s first list of Top 100 UK BAME Leaders in Tech.
2019 – she was included in a list of young leaders within technology in Europe (Forbes’ 30 under 30) and was one of the 2019 Maserati 100, a list produced by Maserati and the Sunday Times
2019, Oniwinde was awarded the Alumni Laureate Recent Graduate Award by University of Nottingham

Oniwinde was born in 1992 and as a child lived in East London with her mother and two brothers. Growing up in East London, Kike Oniwinde never dreamed she might have a future as a tech entrepreneur. Her mother raised her and her two brothers alone in a crime-ridden neighbourhood “where everybody knew somebody who died in a knife crime”.
In a sometimes unforgiving environment, her mother instilled into her a relentless sense of determination.
She took Economics and double Maths at Alevel, gaining ‘A’ grades, and then entered the University of Nottingham, graduating with 2:1 BSc Economics in 2014. She then studied at University of Florida, supported by a track and field scholarship, and gained an MSc degree in Management.

Oniwinde was an intern at Goldman Sachs and Citi Investment Bank while a student, and worked for a financial technology start-up after graduation. In 2016 she founded the BYP Network App to connect Black young professionals with each other and corporations. In 2019 it had 30,000 members in 65 countries. She undertook the NEF Fast Track programme to support her development as an entrepreneur.
BYP Network, often dubbed ‘the LinkedIn for Black professionals’, has now grown to a platform of tens of thousands of members across the globe. With a focus on changing the Black narrative to one focused on aspirations, attainability and achievement, BYP is now a community that connects Black professionals with each other and corporations. Oniwinde noticed a significant gap in the social media network area which connected Black professionals in one place. The BYP app encompasses social networking and career development, specifically focusing on the D&I space. It has transformed this area with a variety of features, from platforms for Black groups to connect and collaborate, an in-app job board, live events and much more all in one place.
In 2019, BYP Network hosted a Senior Leadership Conference which attracted 900 attendees, and guest speakers from senior professionals in industries within Tech and Finance. Over August and July, BYP aimed to scale their business through an equity crowdfund campaign and within five days of going public, they raised £500,000 with over 1,000 investors. In August, BYP announced a total raise of over £850,000 meaning Kike became one of 35 female founders to have raised over $1million. Since its launch two years ago the platform has grown exponentially, with 30,000 members in 65 countries and a net worth of over £1.5 million.
She was awarded the Southeastern Conference Academic Honour award for her MSc Management degree and athletics by University of Florida.
In 2018 Oniwinde was included in the Financial Times and Inclusive Board’s first list of Top 100 UK BAME Leaders in Tech.
In 2019 she was included in a list of young leaders within technology in Europe (Forbes’ 30 under 30) and was one of the 2019 Maserati 100, a list produced by Maserati and the Sunday Times.
In December 2019, Oniwinde was awarded the Alumni Laureate Recent Graduate Award by University of Nottingham.

For Kike, one of her driving motivations for launching BYP Network was growing up in a community where nobody imagined it might be possible to find, and share insights with, aspirational fellow Blacks. The University of Florida, where she met a community of exceptional Black students, academics and professionals, became a liberating experience, and planted the seed of her future as a tech pioneer. Florida gave Kike the invaluable experience of being out of her comfort zone in an unfamiliar environment, struggling with the pressure to perform in sports and study while receiving a full scholarship. It was an experience that helped steel her for the plunge into the tech world, where survival can hinge upon making the right connections and finding creative solutions even when you are out of your depth. While calling herself an entrepreneur and an activist, Kike quickly found herself growing frustrated with the limitations of protesting inequality and discrimination. She said “I want to offer a solution.”

11 successful Black women in business you should know about – Business Live (business-live.co.uk)

BYP Founder, Kike Oniwinde: Connecting Black Talent During Covid | Adobe XD Ideas
(42) Kike Oniwinde | LinkedIn
Changing the Black narrative – University of Nottingham – The University of Nottingham
My Story | Kike (kikeoniwinde.com)
Kike Oniwinde – Wikipedia
Kike Oniwinde | Track to Field to Tech | Accenture