Ibilola Bamgbelu studied Computer Science at Covenant University, but she was not exactly geek material. In 2013, after about three years of writing computer code and running them at several companies, she moved to Italy, to attend the Florence Design Academy and acquire a Master’s Degree in Interior Design, a field she described as her passion. I am passionate about the environment and how it influences people, she said but I have chosen to focus on interiors, where people spend 90 per cent of their time.
In 2014, Bamgbelu started her own interior design and furnishing company, Spazio Ideale. However, the remarkable turning point for her young company came in early 2016 when she was selected as one of 1,000 entrepreneurs to qualify for the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme, the flagship venture of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF). With a 100 million dollars commitment, TEF is committed to empowering up to 10,000 entrepreneurs across Africa over the next 10 years (starting 2015), offering funding and mentoring to drive economic and social development on the continent.