Ola Daramola, founder of Bluebulb, has had an interesting academic and professional trajectory. From acquiring a first-class engineering degree to years spent on large infrastructure projects to an entrepreneurial interest in solving problems.
His latest ambition is to build financial infrastructure that gives African businesses more control over their finances.
Daramola transitioned from engineering to financial services. But he does not regard it as an abandonment of his original discipline. Instead, he views it as an opportunity to apply the same approach to a different problem.
He began his engineering career at Peritus International, where he worked as a pipeline engineer between 2014 and 2016. He then joined Dangote Industries, a job that exposed him to the demands of large-scale industrial development.
It was in 2016 that Daramola, through a personal experience, began to recognise a cross-border payments problem that sat outside his immediate professional discipline.
African businesses could have viable projects, international suppliers and the resources to execute their plans, but would encounter hurdles moving money across borders. Foreign exchange access, payment delays and fragmented financial systems could complicate transactions that were essential to their operations.
That personal experience influenced his transition to fintech.
An entrepreneur before Bluebulb
Bluebulb was not Daramola’s first attempt at building a tech business. In 2021, he co-founded BuyLetLive, a property tech venture focused on improving how Nigerians, particularly those in the diaspora, find and acquire property in Nigeria.
The business aimed to address a familiar problem where buyers navigate complex and unreliable property listings, inadequate documentation, uncertainty about agents and difficulties verifying the legitimacy of properties from a distance.
BuyLetLive built a digital platform that connected property seekers with agents, developers and homeowners, centring on verified listings and transparency in property transactions.
Then, in 2022, Daramola co-founded Bluebulb Financials, which began with a focus on cross-border payments and foreign exchange solutions for businesses.
The opportunity was particularly relevant to businesses whose operations had scaled beyond their home markets. An importer, a construction company or manufacturer could now access dependable transactions.
The company’s subsequent development has involved expanding its international operations and the range of financial services it offers. Bluebulb identifies businesses across sectors, including gas, renewable energy, manufacturing, aviation, construction, telecoms, and financial services, among its target clientele.
The objective is to support companies whose commercial activities depend on reliable international financial operations.
From payments to treasury infrastructure
Bluebulb wants to combine payment services with treasury advisory and technology and describes the approach as enterprise treasury solutions for global businesses.
International payments solve a specific problem. Treasury management addresses a wider set of responsibilities, including how businesses monitor cash positions, manage foreign exchange exposure, plan liquidity and meet financial obligations across different markets.
So, a business might receive revenue in one currency, hold funds in another and have supplier obligations in several more. Without a consolidated view of its finances, complications may set in. This is why Orbita, an enterprise treasury platform, now exists.
Orbita, which was showcased at Moonshot in October 2026 and promoted at the 56th ICAN Annual Conference, is designed to bring treasury activities into a single operating environment, giving finance teams visibility over liquidity, cash positions, FX exposure and international payments.
The founder and the institution he wants to leave behind
Daramola’s understanding of entrepreneurship appears to have evolved alongside the business.
In August 2025, he published a piece on Condia, 10 brutal phases of building a startup: What I wish I knew earlier as a founder. In that story, he described the pressures that accompany each stage of building a company.
He also wrote about the difficulties of raising capital, recruiting capable employees, finding product-market fit and reaching profitability.
One of his observations is that capital does not automatically solve operational problems. As he put it, “Capital does not solve problems; it only amplifies cracks.”
Going further, he addressed the personal cost of building a business. Daramola reflected on the danger of allowing commercial ambition to consume relationships, health and the personal purpose that initially motivated the founder.
He argues that the value of a business should extend beyond its financial performance. Separately, he has described the transition from building a successful company to developing an institution capable of operating beyond its founders. This is where he discussed the importance of governance, delegation, internal controls and a leadership structure that does not depend on one person’s decisions.
A company can grow its customer base and enter new markets without necessarily developing the structures required that sustain that growth. Building an institution requires establishing processes, developing leaders, strengthening compliance and creating a culture that can survive changes in management.
The challenge ahead for Ola Daramola is to turn the company’s growing ambitions into a dependable platform that businesses can incorporate in their daily financial operations.
Last updated: November 5, 2026
