Chris Folayan is a renowned and multi-award-winning serial entrepreneur, author and founder, celebrated for his exceptional ability to start and scale multi-million-dollar global companies. With an illustrious career spanning decades, Chris has demonstrated an extraordinary talent for investing, raising substantial capital, and building thriving businesses from the ground up.
His entrepreneurial journey began at the tender age of seven and a half when he started a profitable recycling business, and since then, he has become an expert across various fields, founding and exiting several successful companies globally.
Born and raised in Africa, Chris's relentless pursuit of knowledge led him to California, where he attended San Jose State University in the heart of Silicon Valley. Graduating with a degree in marketing, he discovered his passion for software development and embarked on a self-taught journey in mastering several programming and development languages. This impressive feat caught the attention of several Silicon Valley tech giants, including Quantum. At the young age of 19, Chris was recruited by Quantum, a cutting-edge hard drive manufacturing company.
During his time at Quantum, Chris immersed himself in cutting-edge software engineering which led him to work with the due diligence group for mergers and acquisition division. White at Quantum he worked on the development of numerous technical patents. Remarkably, he accomplished all of this while simultaneously pursuing a full-time college education. Chris's expertise garnered widespread recognition, and companies across Silicon Valley eagerly sought his technical and market-oriented insights.
Eventually, he left Quantum and co-founded NTM, a pioneering digital music label platform, revolutionizing the industry with the world's first indie music recording-to-digital rights and sales platform. Collaborating with artists from around the globe ensuring artists' music was safe while being encrypted and sold online. Chris dedicated his time to developing the patent for the encryption technology he developed used by NTM used by global artists.
Having successfully exited NTM, Chris founded his first of many companies, OCFX Inc. As the founder and CEO, he built OCFX into a renowned Silicon Valley brand, collaborating with prestigious Fortune 100 and 500 companies such as SONY, Quantum, LSI Logic, Accenture, Adobe, Cisco, EMC, Merrill Lynch, Elo, CapitalOne, History Channel and many others. Under Chris's leadership, OCFX built a reputation for turning clients' imaginative ideas into exceptional revenue-generating software products. Additionally, Chris spearheaded the development of several spin-off companies within the OCFX ecosystem, offering valuable tools and solutions that companies could purchase and license. Chris sold and exited several of OCFX spin-off companies to major brands.
While OCFX was growing globally with over 350 employees he had an idea and developed one of Africa’s largest eCommerce platforms MallforAfrica and MallfortheWorld. An idea he started to help people in Africa and the world who were unbanked shop on top USA and UK retailers. Starting the company from scratch wasn’t easy but Chris ended up building a multimillion-dollar monthly revenue business. And quickly became one of Africa and the world's leading eCommerce experts in emerging markets.
Completing his 4th exit after selling MallforAfrica and Mallfortheworld to a UK based business Chris wrote a book titled “From Pitch To Close: What Founders and CEOs Need to Know and Do Before An Investor Meeting” which has won him several prestigious book awards. A book written to help entrepreneurs build companies at the highest valuation possible. Chris has also written other books about entrepreneurship and investments.
Today Chris helps companies expand globally, consults, mentors, lectures, serves on several boards, invests and is an exciting public speaker with amazing motivational stories and lessons to share. Chris has spoken in over 50 countries and has a reputation for thinking outside the box and getting everyone to master the entrepreneurial mindset with his concept well known acronym P.I.N.K (Passion - Innovation - Network - Knowledge).
Reading his books, hoping on a call or listening to Chris speak is a treat. His witty comedic yet inspirational insights into building a business with passion while thinking outside the box is a masterpiece. Over 25+ years of ownership Chris still owns OCFX as a legacy brand he works under.
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at Renaissance Executive Forums Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com.
Catch up on past Critical Mass Business Talk Show interviews...
YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gHKT2gmF
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/g2PzRhjQ
Podbean: https://lnkd.in/eWpNVRi
Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gRd_863w
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gruexU6m
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Critical Mass Business Talk Show: Ric Franzi Interviews David Cristofaro, Founder & CEO of Actionable Research (Episode 1454)
Critical Mass Business Talk Show: Ric Franzi Interviews Tom Snelling, President & General Manager of Food Systems Inc. (Episode 1453)
Critical Mass Business Talk Show: Ric Franzi Interviews Bill Carpou, CEO of Octane (Episode 1452)
Critical Mass Business Talk Show: Ric Franzi Interviews Brenda Rodriguez, Executive Director of Affordable Housing Clearinghouse (Episode 1451)
Critical Mass Business Talk Show: Ric Franzi Interviews Johnlery Cruz, Founder & CEO of Carbon Fiber Cabinets (Episode 1450)
Critical Mass Business Talk Show: Ric Franzi Interviews Braelyn Davis, Co-Founder & CEO of Planet Based Foods (Episode 1449)
Critical Mass Business Talk Show: Ric Franzi Interviews Sherri Snelling, Author of ’Me Time Monday – The Weekly Wellness Plan to Find Balance and Joy for a Busy Life’ (Episode 1448)
Critical Mass Business Talk Show: Ric Franzi Interviews Suzy Engwall, President & CEO of HealthTech Strategies, LLC (Episode 1447)
Critical Mass Business Talk Show: Ric Franzi Interviews Manuel Gómez, Founder & Producer of OC World (Episode 1446)
Critical Mass Business Talk Show: Ric Franzi Interviews Lori Torres, Founder & Former CEO of Parcel Pending (Episode 1445)
Critical Mass Business Talk Show: Ric Franzi Interviews Lynne Sebastian, Sebastian Wealth Management & UBS Financial Services Inc. (Episode 1444)
Critical Mass Business Talk Show: Ric Franzi Interviews Anton Komarow, Founder & CEO of B2Storefront (Episode 1443)
Critical Mass Business Talk Show: Ric Franzi Interviews Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey, Founders of Barefoot & Business Audio Theatre (Episode 1442)
Critical Mass Business Talk Show: Ric Franzi Interviews Reyhaneh (Rey) Blackman, Co-Founder of Product Pair (Episode 1441)
Critical Mass Business Talk Show: Ric Franzi Interviews Chris Boucher, CEO of Juicetiva (Episode 1440)
Critical Mass Business Talk Show: Ric Franzi Interviews Ralph Adamo, Author of Integrity @ Work (Episode 1439)
Critical Mass Business Talk Show: Ric Franzi Interviews Robert Hunt, Author of Nobody Cares (Until You Do) (Episode 1438)
Critical Mass Business Talk Show: Ric Franzi Interviews Sandeep Pandya, CEO of Everguard.ai (Episode 1437)
Critical Mass Business Talk Show: Ric Franzi Interviews Alec Torelli, Founder of Conscious Poker (Episode 1436)
Critical Mass Business Talk Show: Ric Franzi Interviews Erin Shaver, Founder & CEO, Taralumen Games (Episode 1435)
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