Global Technology Entrepreneur & Inventor; Founder of MallforAfrica & Link Commerce; Author of "From Pitch to Close"

San Francisco, CA, USA

Chris Folayan Biography

Chris Folayan is an entrepreneur, inventor, investor, and author with a career spanning more than two decades in building and scaling multi-million-dollar technology companies worldwide. Folayan began his entrepreneurial journey at age 7 with a recycling business and has since founded and exited several companies across diverse industries.

After earning a marketing degree from San Jose State University, Folayan developed a passion for software development, teaching himself multiple programming languages. At 19, he joined Quantum, a hard drive manufacturing company, where he worked in software engineering and participated in mergers and acquisitions due diligence.

Following his tenure at Quantum, Folayan co-founded NTM, a digital music platform recognized as the first indie music recording-to-digital rights and sales platform. After exiting NTM, he transformed OCFX Inc. into a Silicon Valley brand, collaborating with companies such as SONY, Quantum, LSI Logic, Accenture, Adobe, Cisco, EMC, Merrill Lynch, and CapitalOne, focusing on software product development and digital transformation.

Folayan later launched MallforAfrica, which became Africa's largest e-commerce platform, enabling consumers to purchase products from over 250 US and UK retailers. Responding to global demand, MallforAfrica evolved into Link Commerce, a SaaS platform that expanded to 75 countries, licensing its technology to fintech, shipping, and global partners and facilitating the sale of billions of products to millions of customers.

After his fourth business exit, Folayan authored "From Pitch To Close: What Founders and CEOs Need to Know and Do Before An Investor Meeting," a book designed to guide entrepreneurs in building high-valuation companies. He has also written "A Guide to Raising a CEO and Entrepreneur" and the e-book series "Investor Pitch Practice Questions." Folayan created the card game "Ready Set CEO," used by companies, incubators, accelerators, and educational institutions to help CEOs develop leadership skills.

Folayan is a public speaker and mentor, having spoken in more than 25 countries at events including the United Nations, World Trade Organization, London Stock Exchange, and Global Business Forum. He has mentored students and startup founders at universities such as Stanford, UC Berkeley, Harvard, and UCLA. Folayan shares his "P.I.N.K." philosophy—Passion, Innovation, Network, Knowledge—to support entrepreneurs in business development and global expansion.

His work has been featured in books including "The Next Africa" and "The New Leadership Literacies," and he has appeared in The New York Times, Bloomberg, CNBC, USA Today, and TechCrunch. Folayan is the founder of FounderCentered.com, a platform connecting founders, entrepreneurs, and CEOs with resources to support global business growth.

BOOK Chris Folayan

Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 06/02/2026.

Chris Folayan Speaking Topics

  • Building Successful Startups

    I speak about building successful startups from the ground up, developing a successful mindset, pivot strategies, raising money for seed to mid-stage companies and global eCommerce. The audience I normally speak to are business founders, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and MBA students.

    • How pivots can save your company and increase your market share
    • How I built Africa’s largest eCommerce platform
    • The Art of Attracting Investors: What Founders, CEOs need to get great investors.
    • Unleash Your Startup's Potential: Secrets to Building a Thriving Company

Chris Folayan Videos

CHRIS FOLAYAN SPEAKER REEL

CHRIS FOLAYAN SPEAKER REEL

Chris Folayan is a public speaker renowned and award-winning serial entrepreneur, author and founder, celebrated for his exceptional ability to start...

  • How do I book Chris Folayan to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Chris Folayan for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Chris Folayan, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Chris Folayan or any other speaker of your choice.
  • What are the speaker fees for Chris Folayan

    Speaking fees for Chris Folayan, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Chris Folayan are $20,000 - $30,000 for live events and $10,000 - $20,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Chris Folayan, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Chris Folayan speak about?

    Chris Folayan is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Author, Business Authors, Business Consulting, Business Growth, Business Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Executive Leadership, Finance, Leadership
  • Where does Chris Folayan travel from?

    Chris Folayan generally travels from San Francisco, CA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
  • Who is Chris Folayan’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Chris Folayan for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Chris Folayan for your next private or corporate function.
  • What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Chris Folayan or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
  • Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

    If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.

Chris Folayan is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Building Successful Startups. The estimated speaking fee range to book Chris Folayan for your event is $20,000 - $30,000. Chris Folayan generally travels from San Francisco, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Daymond John, Josh Linkner, Gary Laney, Chieh Huang and Erica Dhawan. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Chris Folayan for an upcoming live or virtual event.

Tell us about your event!

During normal business hours, we respond to most inquiries within 4 hours.
Please Select Event Budget
Please enter your message
Please Enter Your Name
Please Enter Your Email
  • Customized Service

    Our agents find the right fit for your event

  • Unparalleled Database

    Full access to all speakers & celebrities

  • One Stop Shopping

    A reliable and unbiased point of contact

  • Logistics Management

    Your personal Logistics Manager who takes care of all event details

This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.

All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.

If you are the talent and wish to request a profile update or removal from our online directory, please submit a profile request form.

TOP