Oluwafemi Paul Olaleye

Hello, my name is Femi. Over the past decade I’ve worked at Apple in product quality and release governance – first as a software quality engineer and now as a product quality manager – helping ship features and devices used by millions of people worldwide. Alongside my career, I serve as a non-executive director on three nonprofit boards and as an advisory board member to two startups, where I support founders with governance, risk, fundraising readiness, and go-to-market strategy.

I’m interested in mentoring because I was shaped by people who gave me their time and honest guidance, and I want to do the same for founders building in places that are too often overlooked. Having been raised and educated in Nigeria before training in France and building my career in the US, I have a particular interest in African and emerging-market startups – I understand both the constraints founders face there and the global standards they’re competing against.

I’m most drawn to early-stage founders in their setup and early-growth phase, where clear thinking about product, risk, and decision-making makes the biggest difference. My focus areas are product and quality management, technology and software-driven ventures, startup governance and board readiness, and responsible and AI-enabled products. I’m also glad to help founders think through fundraising readiness and the operational discipline that earns investor trust.

I mentor first because I’ve benefited from people who gave me their time and honest feedback at key moments, and I want to pass that on to founders coming up, especially those building in markets I care about. I also genuinely enjoy learning: every founder I work with teaches me something about an industry, a market, or a problem I wouldn’t otherwise encounter, and that keeps my own thinking sharp. Finally, I’m open to deeper involvement where there’s a real fit. My background is in product quality, risk, and governance, and I already advise startups and serve on boards, so when a mentoring relationship grows into something more – an advisory role or a board seat – I’m glad to explore it and contribute at that level.