With nearly $1 billion delivered to people in poverty, GiveDirectly is entering a bold new phase: scaling our programs while innovating faster to meet our goal of delivering $5 billion by 2035. At this inflection point, we’re proud to welcome Oyin Solebo to GiveDirectly’s Board of Directors.
Solebo brings unmatched experience at the intersection of entrepreneurship, investment, and innovation. She is currently Partner at Cone Ventures Studio and Operating Partner at Cascador.org. Previously, as Managing Director at Techstars she launched and ran their Lagos accelerator, investing in 24 African startups spanning fintech, ecommerce, healthtech, cleantech, and logistics – half led by women co-founders. Previously, she co-founded MoveMeBack, a Google-funded platform connecting global talent to African opportunities. She began her career at Goldman Sachs advising family offices, before moving to strategy consulting firm Roland Berger to support its entry into Africa.
“Seeing families who had received cash just six months earlier already investing in livestock and expanding their businesses shows the incredible ripple effects of direct cash transfers on entire communities,” Oyin Solebo shared about her recent visit to Rwanda. “I’m excited to support an organization that’s not just delivering aid, but building sustainable systems that can eventually operate independently. GiveDirectly’s commitment to understanding local contexts and adapting accordingly is exactly what’s needed to scale impact responsibly. I’m excited to help guide this next phase of growth as we work toward delivering $5 billion by 2035.”
Solebo has worked with organizations at every stage of scaling, helping ventures across Africa align goals, scale talent, and deploy capital effectively. This depth will be a major asset as GiveDirectly takes on more complex cash delivery challenges and scales across more geographies. She’s supported our work behind the scenes since 2021, understanding our unique culture and commitment to first-principles thinking, sharing our belief in bringing agile, tech-forward approaches to bear on some of the world’s hardest problems.
“Oyin’s experiences — backing path-breaking founders, and matching talent to important problems — make her a powerful addition to our board,” said GiveDirectly co-founder and board member Paul Niehaus. “She will ask hard questions, challenge assumptions, and stay anchored in values. In fact, she already has. We’re excited to have her alongside.”GiveDirectly President Nick Allardice shared: “This is an exciting moment for GiveDirectly. We’re scaling programs in more places, with more ambition, and deeper partnerships. Oyin brings the operational experience, sharp intellect, and aligned values we need on our board as we pursue this new chapter. We’re lucky to have her.”
