WOMEN IN POLO
Empowering African
entrepreneurs through tech
WHY POLO?
‘I fell in love with it because it’s the
one sport that you are able to have
such a strong connection with the
horses and it feels like they are part
of your team. I also love how you have
to get to know more than one horse
as you have to plan your strategy and
your chukkas for which horse will suit
what play best. Being able to explore
your relationship with the horses,
that’s part of the excitement of
being a polo player.’
FAVOURITE HORSE?
Deciding it was time to settle down and
not have to pack her bags every few
months, Neku has moved her focus to
her other passion, the world of tech. (Her
sister heads up Uber West Africa, who
Neku attributes as her inspiration.) With
the knowledge that for SMEs, access to
finances in sub-Saharan Africa is poor and
support infrastructure is severely lacking,
she founded Malaik, an impact-focused
equity crowdfunding platform which
raises money for entrepreneurs, the
first of its kind in Africa.
A synergy between
business and polo
Through this venture, she realised it’s
the people that are her real passion.
Wanting to teach the values she learnt
through polo to the entrepreneurs
themselves, Neku has recently taken on
the challenging role of heading up and
launching the Meltwater foundation in
Nigeria, which invests and trains African
tech entrepreneurs. ‘I’m inspired by the
impact that Meltwater will create by now
expanding its work into Nigeria. Lagos is
referred to as the “Silicon Valley of Africa”,
and the tech ecosystem is growing
exponentially. Experiencing this growth
first hand and being part of its pulse, is
definitely giving me that exciting buzz,
quite similar to the rush of playing polo.
‘I’m fascinated by the intricate
correlations to sport that successful
companies emulate, in particular, polo:
strong individual players who work in
synergy as a team, extensive supportive
back-ends, and that fighting spirit in you
always to get up when you fall, or you have
to buy everyone a beer!’ Meltwater will also
be launching in South Africa later this year.
Getting off the horse
Earlier this year Neku was instrumental in
opening the first permanent beach arena
for polo in the world. To launch the arena,
which is situated in Lagos, an Africa Beach
Polo tournament was held and, in a first in
Africa, was aired across the continent on
SuperSport. ‘Having the event televised was
groundbreaking. We need to put polo in front
of the masses for it to survive and grow.
Every sport, even so called “elitist” ones like
golf, F1 and sailing, have the interest of the
masses fuelling their growth, even though
they don’t take part themselves.
‘I’ve loved all my horses. I had a rather
close affinity to one bred by Memo
(Guillermo Gracida Jr., aka “Memo
Gracida” – the famous Mexican
10-goaler) which was named after
his ex-wife Mimi. She had such a soft
mouth, and turned on a sixpence
on her back legs. It was always
a pleasure to play on her because
she knew where the ball would
go before the game turned.
‘She played medium goal
with me and, though sometimes
crazy, I trusted her.’
GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?
‘Every idea that has popped into my
head and turned into reality. Honestly,
I can’t think of a specific one. I have
a very polo mind. Life is lived in
seven minutes. And so as soon as
you achieve one goal, you’re looking
for the next one.’
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BMW INTERNATIONAL POLO
‘Experiencing Africa’s tech growth story first hand,
and being part of its pulse, is definitely giving me that
exciting buzz, quite similar to the rush of playing polo.’
CONTENTS PAGE PHOTOGRAPH: LARETTA HOUSTON PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTOGRAPHS: TOYIN AIYEGBO PHOTOGRAPHY, SUPPLIED
Continuing in her efforts to change
perceptions of polo being an elitist sport,
Neku founded the Ride to Shine charity
in 2012. Ride to Shine is a nonprofit
organisation that teaches orphans to ride
and play polo. The charity doesn’t accept
donations but rather asks donors to give
of their time and knowledge, which in
turn creates opportunities to further the
children’s education.