Nigerian music heavyweight Oluwatosin “Mr Eazi” Ajibade has masterfully parlayed his fame into a formidable portfolio, transforming from a singer of laid-back hits to a venture capitalist with significant stakes across the continent. Through his investment firm, Zagadat Capital, and his diverse network of companies, he has built a business conglomerate spanning at least 18 African countries, focusing on everything from music technology and gaming to fintech, real estate, and talent development.
The musician’s strategy blends his celebrity influence and intellectual property (IP) with strategic investments, effectively turning royalty streams and brand recognition into investable assets.
Key Pillars of Mr. Eazi’s Business Ecosystem
The star’s empire is structured around core areas: Music, Investment, Tech & Finance, and Lifestyle/Real Assets.
1. Music & Entertainment Core
| Entity | Role & Focus |
| emPawa Africa / emPawa Music | The heart of his music business. It functions as an incubator, label, and service company, providing advances, mentorship, marketing, and distribution to emerging African artists. |
| Banku Music | The original brand identity and imprint that anchors his personal catalogue and touring business. |
| Africa Music Fund (AMF) | Unveiled in 2020, this fund aims to raise around $20 million to finance artists across the continent. It innovatively uses streaming and data analytics to underwrite advances, turning royalty flows into an investable asset class. |
| Detty Rave / Detty December IP | A strong events brand IP that originated as a December concert in Accra. It draws diaspora fans and generates revenue through tickets, sponsorships, and hospitality tie-ins under the emPawa umbrella. |
| Shoobs | An investment in a ticketing platform used for his own Detty Rave festival, creating a direct synergy between his shows and his equity participation. |
| Vydia (Exited) | Zagadat Capital’s first notable exit. Vydia was a U.S.-based music-distribution platform acquired in a billion-dollar transaction, validating his early-stage tech bets. |
2. Investment & Dealmaking Vehicle
Zagadat Capital serves as the formal investment firm for Mr. Eazi, acting as the main vehicle for backing “African-founded, category-defining companies.” Its portfolio is highly diverse, including emPawa, betPawa, PawaPay, Eden Life, and Ruka Hair.
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Paisa: An example of capital following global opportunity, this investment targets a Mexican fintech focused on lending and cross-border financial services in a market with similar financial-inclusion dynamics to Africa.
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Apata: An investment in an Irish fraud-prevention and risk-tech startup, representing a “picks-and-shovels” bet on the essential infrastructure needed as payment volumes and mobile money scale in emerging markets.
3. Technology, Gaming & Consumer Services
Mr. Eazi has made strategic plays in high-growth digital and consumer service sectors:
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PawaPay: Arguably his most critical pure-play tech bet. He is cited as a co-founder and investor in this UK-based mobile-money payments company operating across over 15 African markets. It has crossed one billion transactions and acts as a vital mobile money backbone.
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Choplife Gaming & betPawa: A strategic entry into the tightly regulated, high-margin sports-betting and gaming industry. He is an investor/shareholder in betPawa’s parent structure and his company, Choplife Gaming, licenses and operates the brand in Nigeria and other markets.
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Eden Life: An investment via Zagadat Capital in this Nigerian startup that offers subscription bundles for domestic services (meals, laundry, cleaning), targeting urban middle-class professionals.
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Ruka Hair: A consumer-facing bet in the fast-growing beauty segment. This UK–Nigeria company focuses on high-quality Afro-textured hair products and extensions.
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Decagon: An investment in a Nigerian engineering-talent startup that trains and places software developers. This is a crucial human-capital play that supports his other tech investments by feeding the talent pipeline.
4. Real Assets and Sports
Mr. Eazi is also diversifying into tangible, income-generating assets:
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Cape Town Tigers: He holds shares in this South African professional basketball club that competes in the Basketball Africa League (BAL), tying his brand into the continent’s developing sports ecosystem.
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ADHI Rwanda & Kigali Housing Estate: He is involved at the board and investor level with ADHI, a housing-development company in Rwanda, and is credited with developing a specific housing estate in Kigali, positioning his capital directly into bricks-and-mortar real estate.
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Choplife Company / Choplife Limited: This growing group provides the corporate spine for his gaming, betting, hospitality, and lifestyle experiences, acting as a holding entity for the broader Choplife ecosystem.
