Kike Oniwinde
Kike Oniwinde | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1992 East London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, former athlete |
| Years active | 2005–2017 (athletics) |
| Known for | Co-founder of BYP Network |
Kike Oniwinde is a British ex-javelin athlete and co-founder of BYP Network, a platform designed to link Black professionals with peers and corporate entities.
Early life and education
Born in 1992, Oniwinde was raised in East London alongside her mother and two siblings. Demonstrating strong academic ability, she secured top grades in Economics and double Mathematics at A-level before obtaining a BSc in Economics with Upper Second Class Honours from the University of Nottingham in 2014. Benefiting from an athletics scholarship, she pursued an MSc in Management at the University of Florida.
Athletics career
Starting javelin competition in 2005, Oniwinde initially represented Havering Athletics Club before transferring to Enfield and Haringey Athletic Club in 2012. She competed for Great Britain at the 2011 European Junior Championships held in Tallinn. While at university, she earned three medals at the British University Championships despite managing a back injury. At the University of Florida, she ranked among the top twenty collegiate javelin throwers nationwide. Her sporting career extended until 2017.
Financial career
During her academic years, Oniwinde completed internships at Goldman Sachs and Citi Investment Bank, subsequently joining a fintech startup after graduation. In 2016, she launched the BYP Network App to foster connections among Black young professionals and between them and corporations. By 2019, the platform had grown to include 30,000 members spanning 65 countries. She also took part in the NEF Fast Track programme to enhance her entrepreneurial skills.
BYP Network
Known as 'the LinkedIn for black professionals,' BYP Network has expanded into an international platform serving tens of thousands of users. Dedicated to transforming the narrative surrounding Black professionals toward one of ambition and success, BYP provides social networking and career advancement tools focused on diversity and inclusion. Its app includes dedicated spaces for Black communities to engage, an integrated job board, live events, and additional features.
In 2019, BYP organized a Senior Leadership Conference attracting 900 participants with keynote speakers from Technology and Finance industries. During that summer, BYP initiated an equity crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs, raising £500,000 within five days from over 1,000 investors. By August of the same year, total funds raised surpassed £850,000 ($1.1 million), placing Oniwinde among only thirty-five female founders globally who have secured over $1 million in venture capital.
Awards
Oniwinde was honored with the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor award for her achievements in both MSc Management studies and athletics at the University of Florida.
In 2018, she was recognized as one of the Financial Times and Inclusive Board’s inaugural Top 100 UK BAME Leaders in Tech.
The following year, Oniwinde appeared on Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list for technology and was included in the Maserati 100—a compilation by Maserati and The Sunday Times highlighting impactful business leaders.
In December 2019, she received the Alumni Laureate Recent Graduate Award from the University of Nottingham.