# Wemimo Abbey

> Wemimo Abbey is the Nigerian-born co-founder and co-CEO of Esusu, which helps renters establish and build credit through rental-payment reporting. His family’s difficulty borrowing after his move from Lagos to Minnesota inspired the business he built with Samir Goel. His earlier ventures include Clean Water for Everyone and Open Aid Initiative; he also serves on the SEC’s Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Esusu
- **Organizations:** Esusu, Clean Water for Everyone, Open Aid Initiative, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee, Ashoka Entrepreneur-to-Entrepreneur Network, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America
- **From:** Lagos, Nigeria
- **Nationality:** Nigerian
- **Education:** B.S. in Business Management, magna cum laude, University of Minnesota Crookston, Master of Public Administration, New York University, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, Queen’s Young Leaders Programme (leadership programme, not a degree), University of Cambridge, Institute of Continuing Education
- **Known for:** Co-founded Esusu, which announced a $1.2 billion valuation in December 2025., Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2020 and Fortune 40 Under 40 in 2022., Named to TIME100 Next in 2023 alongside Samir Goel.

## Career timeline

- **2009** — Moved from Lagos to Minnesota to attend college.
- **2013** — Graduated from the University of Minnesota Crookston; founded Clean Water for Everyone.
- **2014** — Open Aid Initiative, his data analytics venture, was acquired.
- **2015** — Earned an MPA at NYU; became the first recipient and namesake of Crookston’s young alumni award.
- **Before 2018** — Worked as a mergers and acquisitions consultant at PwC; also gained experience at Accenture, Goldman Sachs and the European Commission.
- **2018** — Co-founded Esusu with Samir Goel.
- **2020** — Recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
- **2022** — Esusu raised a $130 million Series B at a $1 billion valuation; testified before a U.S. House fintech task force on June 30.
- **2023** — Appointed to a four-year term on the SEC Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee; named to TIME100 Next with Samir Goel.
- **2024** — Joined Ashoka’s Entrepreneur-to-Entrepreneur Network.
- **2025** — Esusu announced a $50 million Series C at a $1.2 billion valuation on December 11.
- **2026** — Participated in SEC advisory committee meetings, including the April 28 discussion of IPO barriers.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Esusu, which announced a $1.2 billion valuation in December 2025.
- Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2020 and Fortune 40 Under 40 in 2022.
- Named to TIME100 Next in 2023 alongside Samir Goel.
- Recognized with EY Entrepreneur Of The Year in 2023.
- First recipient and namesake of the University of Minnesota Crookston Abbey [Promise] Award in 2015.
- Founded Clean Water for Everyone, reported in institutional biographies to have reached more than 250,000 people.
- Appointed to the SEC Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee in 2023.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Listed as a participating member in the SEC Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee’s August 6 meeting transcript.
- **2026-04** — Discussed the cost and time involved in going public during the SEC advisory committee’s April 28 meeting.
- **2026-03** — Appeared with Samir Goel in a March 5 interview published by Jacqueline Novogratz about financial identity and building Esusu.
- **2026-01** — Featured in the January 7 Small Business Unscripted episode on building Esusu and overcoming investor rejection.
- **2025-12** — Esusu announced $50 million in Series C funding at a $1.2 billion valuation, led by Westbound Equity Partners.
- **2025-11** — Esusu and Zillow announced the launch of CreditClimb for renters.

## Links

- Website: https://www.esusurent.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wemimoabbey/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Wemimo11

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/wemimo-abbey
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25