Flutterwave makes TIME 100 Most Influential Companies list

Unicorn fintech startup, Flutterwave was yesterday listed as a “Pioneer” in the latest TIME’s 100 Most Influential companies making an extraordinary impact around the world.

This feat is a significant one for the company as it is one of the two  African companies to be listed in this year’s lineup that includes behemoths like Apple, Twitter, and Stripe. The other African company that made the list is Gro Intelligence, an analytics startup deploying artificial intelligence systems for food security and climate stability solutions in Africa.

According to TIME, the Nigerian company was selected for “powering retailers” after the pandemic restricted movements in the region.

Its co-founder and CEO, Olugbenga Agboola, explained that when the pandemic lockdowns hit brick-and-mortar businesses, the digital payment service started a free campaign tagged “keeping the lights on.” This campaign, according to him, was able to rapidly set up digital storefronts for 20,000 customers, throwing them a lifeline.

Flutterwave came to the limelight after achieving tech-unicorn status in March. The company raised about $170 million in Series C funding from global investors, valuing the company at more than $1 billion.

The list for this year was divided into 5 categories; Pioneers, Leaders, innovators Disruptors, and Titans.

According to TIME, the list was curated through nominations from its global network of editors and correspondents and industry experts.

The sectors represented include health care, entertainment, transportation, technology, and more. Each company was then evaluated on key factors including relevance, impact, innovation, leadership, ambition, and success.

The list contains a diverse array of institutions, from the tech startups pioneering new ways of interaction to big pharma companies creating vaccines that will heal the world.

The full list can be accessed here.