Kendall Ananyi’s Post

This week, Funke Opeke (FKO), the visionary founder of MainOne steps back after successfully integrating MainOne into Equinix It’s a bittersweet transition, but one that leaves a legacy few can match. She has built a mission-driven company that laid foundation for the tech ecosystem in Nigeria, transforming MainOne from a startup to an international leader in connectivity and digital infrastructure. My family had the privilege of dining with her last month, and my kids were fascinated by her story. They asked her a few thoughtful questions, with my daughters curious if she knew, at 13, that she would become a CEO, and what inspired her to start her business. My son, too, wanted to know if there was another name she might have chosen for MainOne FKO, with her characteristic warmth and wisdom, shared that she started as "Main Street Technologies," with a vision of bringing technology to the “Main Street.” That’s precisely what her company has done—her submarine cable brought the internet to millions, fulfilling that mission. In early 2020, when my wife Jane Ananyi joined Equinix’s HQ, I sent a note to her that maybe, Equinix might just acquire MainOne some day. Little did we know that later in 2021, this would become a reality, with Equinix acquiring MainOne for $320 million. She is one of the brightest minds I have had the fortune to meet, and I’ve been incredibly privileged to learn from her. Her journey is inspiring. She studied Electrical Engineering in Nigeria, earned her master’s at Columbia, became a Director at Verizon, then CTO at MTN, before founding MainOne. Her achievements are even more remarkable giving that she built her company with foreign exchange debt, she led MainOne through three major currency devaluations—from ₦160 to ₦177, then ₦200, then ₦360 and finally from ₦400 to ₦1,600 during the integration. FKO is truly “1-of-1”. I’m grateful to OLUWASAYO OSHADAMI, an early customer for introducing us when we were a bootstrapped startup. MainOne has been an incredible partner to TIZETI and she has redefined my understanding of partnership as "shared success through both good and difficult times." Her leadership helped build a strong and talented team that always went the extra mile. In the early days, I would leave ExxonMobil office to sit in the MainOne office which was close by, soaking up insights from her team, who tirelessly engineered the best, most cost-effective solutions for our needs. As Tizeti scaled, Dolly Onah worked hand-in-hand to ensure we could continue providing affordable unlimited internet sustainably. As she steps back, we welcome and congratulate Wole Abu as he takes on the role of leading the company into its next chapter, building on the strong foundation she created. We wish her the very best in her next endeavors and look forward to seeing her continued impact on the global tech ecosystem. Her influence and mentorship will continue to inspire and drive us forward.