Idris Ayodeji Bello is a distinguished strategist, venture investor, and global health advocate whose work bridges technology, innovation, and social impact across Africa. He is Founding Partner at LoftyInc Capital Management, co-founder of The Wennovation Hub, and a major figure in nurturing early-stage African startups.
He earned a First Class Honours degree in Computer Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, followed by an M.Sc in Computer Science & Data Mining from the University of Houston, an MBA in Entrepreneurship & Strategy from Rice University, and an M.Sc in Global Health Science from the University of Oxford, where he was awarded the Lord Weidenfeld Scholarship.
In his early career, Bello worked with global corporations including Chevron and ExxonMobil, leading large upstream technology projects across the USA and Sub-Saharan Africa. He also served at Procter & Gamble and directed projects for the Clinton Foundation Health Access Initiative, where he helped deploy mobile health innovations such as appointment reminder systems in national HIV/AIDS programs.
As co-founder of Wennovation Hub, he helped launch numerous startups in health, education, and e-commerce, supporting founders and connecting them to capital, networks, and expertise. Under his leadership, Wennovation became a foundational platform in Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.
At LoftyInc Capital, Bello leads the Afropreneurs Fund and has been instrumental in raising capital for early- and late-seed startups. In 2025, his LoftyInc Alpha Fund achieved a US$43 million first close, targeting innovative startups in sectors like logistics, climate tech, AI, financial services, and healthcare.
He is also an angel investor and startup advisor, with early checks into companies like Andela, Flutterwave, RelianceHealth, and others, helping them scale regionally and globally.
Bello’s leadership is recognized by a host of fellowships and honors: among them CNN’s Top Ten African Technology Voices (2012), Dell’s Best Social Innovation Awards, MIT Global Start-up Fellow, Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance Associate, and the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust alumnus
He serves on multiple boards, including as Independent Non-Executive Director of Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Limited, offering governance oversight and strategic guidance.
Idris splits his time between major innovation hubs in Lagos, Houston, Cairo, and elsewhere, representing a truly transcontinental footprint that informs his investment philosophy and impact work.
His work is deeply driven by a mission to empower underserved communities, particularly through enabling access to technology, capital, education, and healthcare solutions in Africa.
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