Ayoola Dominic
Ayoola Dominic | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lagos, Nigeria |
| Citizenship | French |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | CEO at Koolboks |
| Years active | 2018- present |
| Title | co-founder at Koolboks |
| Website | https://koolboks.com/ |
Ayoola Dominic is a Nigerian pharmacist and entrepreneur. He is the President and co-founder of Koolboks, a French-based clean-technology company that offers solar-powered refrigeration solutions for underserved and off-grid communities across Africa, founded in 2018.[1] Trained as a pharmacist, Dominic earned a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Obafemi Awolowo University in 2005 and later obtained a Masters in Entrepreneurship from EDHEC Business School in 2011.[2] Prior to Koolboks, Dominic held roles at multinational companies including AstraZeneca, L'Oréal, Robert Walters, and Servier.[3]
Education
[edit]Dominic obtained a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria in 2005. He later earned a Master of Science (MSc) in Entrepreneurship and Business Development from EDHEC Business School in France in 2011.[4]
Career
[edit]Dominic worked at AstraZeneca in Nigeria in 2007 as a Medical Representative. He later became Territory Sales Manager, where he led product relaunch initiatives and commercial growth strategies until 2010.[5]
In 2011, he joined L'Oréal in France as a Marketing Intelligence Officer, focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa. From 2012 to 2014, he worked at Robert Walters as a Talent Management Consultant on African markets.[6]
In 2014, Dominic joined Servier as Deputy Regional Operations Manager for the Middle East and Africa Division. He was later appointed Director of Operations (MEA Division) in 2017.[7][6]
Business career
[edit]In 2018, Dominic co-founded Koolboks with Deborah Gaël. The company initially explored solar-powered cooling solutions for recreational markets later pivoted its focus on off-grid refrigeration systems for underserved communities in Africa.[8] Koolboks is a French-based company that provide the solar-powered refrigerators and freezers on the African markets.[9]
Under Dominic's leadership, it started in Nigeria and expanded operations across African markets, adopting a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) financing model.[10] In 2024, Koolboks launched Koolbuy, a payment platform that allows customers to lease or purchase cooling appliances through installments.[11] It also launched Scrap4New, a circular economy initiative that enables customers to exchange high-emission appliances for environmentally friendly solar-ready alternatives.[12]
In 2022, Koolboks secured a $2.5 million seed round to scale its operations in Nigeria and Kenya. In 2023, the company partnered with Orange Energie, a division of Orange, to deploy solar-powered freezers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[13] In 2025, Koolboks raised $11 million to accelerate expansion across Africa and Dominic appeared on the list of Top 10 Most-Funded African Startup Founders in 2025 by Business Elites Africa magazine.[6]
Recognition
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Jackson, Tom (28 February 2025). "How Nigeria's Koolboks is empowering communities, SMEs with solar-powered cooling solutions". Disrupt Africa. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ↑ Team, Research (1 February 2026). "Nigeria's top 10 startup founders by funding raised in 2025". Nairametrics. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ↑ "Co-Founder and CEO, Koolboks | Aspen Ideas". Aspen Ideas Festival. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ↑ "TEDxUI". www.ted.com. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ↑ "Ayoola Dominic - President and Co-Founder at Koolboks". THE ORG. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 Johnson, Pelumi (3 February 2026). "Top 10 Most-Funded Startup Founders in 2025 and Why Investors Backed Them". Business Elites Africa. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ↑ "FBNInsurance enter into a Strategic Collaboration". Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ↑ Oboh (31 May 2025). "From ₦1,500 a day: Koolboks delivers affordable cooling to underserved communities". Vanguard. Lagos, Nigeria. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ↑ Nigeria, Guardian (17 September 2020). "Firm moves to change cooling system narrative In Nigeria". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ↑ Yusuf, Zia (27 September 2025). "Koolboks wants to be more than a freezer: Day 1-1000 of Koolboks". TechCabal. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ↑ Okoroafor, Chinyere (5 June 2025). "'Koolbuy is our response to lack of cooling systems in homes'". The Nation. Lagos, Nigeria. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ↑ Nwafor, Arinze (5 June 2025). "Firm unveils cooling platform". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ↑ redaction. "Orange, Koolboks introduce solar freezers in DR Congo, target 11 other markets". www.wearetech.africa (in French). Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ↑ "Africa's Business Heroes". Africa's Business Heroes. Retrieved 19 March 2026.