In 2020, Ifeoma Taylor faced a pivotal moment in her career. After nearly a decade in traditional finance roles, she transitioned into the fast-paced world of fintech by joining Lendha, a startup dedicated to solving financial inclusion challenges for Nigeria’s underserved small businesses.

Armed with her experience in financial control and operations, Ifeoma brought not only technical expertise but also a passion for creating solutions that empowered everyday entrepreneurs.

“Small businesses in Nigeria are the backbone of our economy, but many are excluded from the formal financial system,” she explains. “For me, fintech is about leveling the playing field, giving these businesses the tools they need to thrive.”

As an Associate Product Manager at Lendha, Ifeoma quickly became a driving force behind the company’s success, developing scalable solutions that bridged the gap between traditional banking and the realities of small business operations. Her story is a testament to the power of user-centric design and the impact of innovative leadership in emerging markets.

Ifeoma’s entry into fintech was far from accidental. After earning a first-class degree in Finance from the University of Lagos, she began her career at Heritage Bank, where she worked in financial control and operations. Over the years, she developed a reputation for her ability to streamline workflows and implement digital tools to improve efficiency. By 2018, she was part of the bank’s digital transformation team, helping to launch a cloud-based CRM system that reduced customer query resolution times by 25%.

But even with these successes, Ifeoma felt drawn to something more dynamic and impactful. “I wanted to move beyond optimizing internal processes. I wanted to build products that made a tangible difference in people’s lives,” she recalls.

This desire led her to Lendha, where she took on the challenge of building products that addressed systemic barriers to financial access. For Ifeoma, the role was an opportunity to combine her analytical skills with her passion for empowering underserved communities.
At Lendha, one of Ifeoma’s first tasks was to lead user research for the company’s loan application platform. She spent weeks conducting interviews with over 50 small business owners, uncovering the challenges they faced when trying to access credit.

“Many of our users were intimidated by the process,” she says. “The application forms were complex, the requirements felt irrelevant, and there was this underlying distrust of the system.”
These insights informed the development of Lendha’s first Minimum Viable Product (MVP): a streamlined loan application platform that simplified documentation requirements and introduced
a user-friendly interface. The results were remarkable. Within six months of launch, the platform saw a 30% increase in user retention, as small business owners began to embrace the tool.

“She has an incredible way of turning user feedback into actionable solutions,” says a colleague at Lendha. “It’s not just about building products for Ifeoma, it’s about building trust.”
Scaling solutions in a market like Nigeria requires navigating unique challenges, from infrastructure limitations to fluctuating user behavior. Ifeoma tackled these issues with a methodical approach, focusing on features that addressed immediate pain points while laying the groundwork for future growth.

One example was the introduction of a flexible repayment feature. Through data analysis and continued user feedback, Ifeoma discovered that rigid repayment schedules were a major pain point for borrowers, whose cash flows often fluctuated. The new feature allowed users to customize their repayment timelines, making the system far more adaptable.

“This feature wasn’t just about flexibility, it was about respecting the realities of our users’ lives,” Ifeoma says. “When you design with empathy, the results speak for themselves.”
And they did: the flexible repayment feature led to a 15% decrease in churn rates and significantly boosted customer satisfaction.

Beyond lending, Ifeoma also spearheaded the development of a savings product designed to help small businesses achieve their financial goals. Recognizing that many users needed incentives to build a savings habit, she introduced gamification elements such as milestone rewards and progress trackers.

This approach not only drove higher user engagement but also created a sense of community among Lendha’s users, who began sharing their savings milestones on social media.

“Ifeoma has a way of thinking about features not just as tools, but as experiences,” says one of Lendha’s co-founders. “That mindset is what makes her work so impactful.”

Reflecting on her time at Lendha, Ifeoma identifies several lessons that fintech leaders globally can learn from her experience:

• Put Users First: Products succeed when they solve real problems. Listening to users is the most important step in building something meaningful.

• Simplify Processes: Complexity is a barrier to adoption, especially in underserved markets. The simpler your solution, the greater its impact.

• Adapt to Context: Flexibility in design ensures that products remain relevant, even in unpredictable environments.

While these lessons emerged from her work in Nigeria, they resonate with challenges faced by fintech ecosystems worldwide. Ifeoma believes that the strategies she employed, like flexible features and gamification, can address similar challenges in other markets.