Mallick Bolakale’s journey into fintech began with a costly lesson in cross-border payments. Back in the early 2010s, buying from eBay in Nigeria meant navigating complex workarounds involving VPNs and brokers—a system he himself used to source electronics while studying law.
But one transaction went wrong when a friend accidentally refreshed an eBay page without a VPN, triggering a security flag that cancelled the order and left Bolakale unable to recover his $3,000 investment. “That’s how I lost my law school fees,” he recalled with a laugh.
More than a decade later, this experience inspired him to co-found Startbutton Africa—a merchant of records (MOR) solution that simplifies cross-border expansion for businesses in Africa. The startup helps companies navigate local payment infrastructure, compliance requirements, and tax regulations without needing to establish full operations in each new market.
Startbutton now operates across 15 African markets, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, and Uganda, assisting with both payment processing and tax compliance.
The idea for Startbutton emerged organically when Bolakale began helping companies access restricted payment channels while working in fintech. He recalled one instance where he used Airbnb payouts to settle transactions while collecting naira locally—essentially recreating the broker system he once relied on as a student, but this time under his direct control.
“I didn’t really see it as something that was going to be a business,” Bolakale admitted. “I just felt like it was something I was doing to help businesses.” But after receiving validation from early customers—including Bible Buddy, a faith-based AI startup that became Startbutton’s first client—he realized he had built something valuable.
As Startbutton grows, the company aims to become the de facto platform for businesses seeking seamless expansion across Africa, addressing the fragmentation and complexity that continue to hinder regional trade and investment.