Three ‘Yorubas’ make forbes list of wealthiest black Americans

December 20, 2024

By Adedoja Adesoji

Three Nigerian nationals of Yoruba descent, Wemimo Abbey, Tope Awotona, and Adebayo Ogunlesi, have been featured on Forbes’ list of the most powerful, impactful, and wealthiest Black Americans in 2024.

Abbey, 32, is the Cofounder and Co-CEO of Esusu, a New York fintech startup. “More than 20,000 properties currently offer Esusu’s service and some 1.8 million Americans have used Esusu to record a rent payment,” according to Forbes.

Awotona, 43, is the Founder and CEO of Calendly, a scheduling software startup valued at $3 billion in 2021. After working as a salesman for several tech firms and launching a few failed startups, Awotona cashed in his 401(k) in 2013 to found Calendly.

“I was frustrated with the number of emails it required to schedule meetings,” he said.

Adebayo Ogunlesi, 70, is the Chairman and co-Founder of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a New York-based private equity firm. In October, GIP was acquired by BlackRock for $12.5 billion in cash and shares, with Ogunlesi remaining chairman and CEO of GIP. Today, Forbes estimates Ogunlesi has a net worth of $1.7 billion.

Other notable individuals on the list include Dr. Dre, Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Beyonce, Jay-Z, and Gary Linnen.