Son Turns Parents' Property Loss Into $75M Fintech Solution

When Shalom Osiadi's parents watched their Nigerian real estate lose value in 2022, nothing about the properties had changed. The naira had simply collapsed against the dollar, turning their investment into a painful lesson about currency risk.

For Osiadi, the personal loss became a business opportunity. He noticed a pattern affecting thousands of African businesses: they earned money in currencies that lost value faster than they could spend it.

In 2023, he launched Esca Finance to solve that problem. The platform lets businesses in volatile markets convert local currency into stable dollars, euros, or digital assets before devaluation eats their profits.

The company stumbled onto its business model by accident. Osiadi originally built Esca Menu, a food delivery app that rewarded restaurants with cryptocurrency cashback instead of local currency.

When the team analyzed their data, they found something odd. Restaurants kept signing up and placing orders, but very few meals were actually delivered.

The restaurants weren't there for the food. They were using the app as a makeshift currency hedge, earning digital dollars they trusted more than the naira in their bank accounts.

Osiadi shut down the food business in December 2022 and rebuilt the company as a pure currency management service. Within months, Esca Finance was processing real volume for businesses desperate to protect their earnings.

The math is simple. A Nigerian restaurant that keeps all profits in naira pays more for rice every time the currency drops. If it converts some earnings to dollars through Esca, it can exchange them back later for more naira, cushioning the blow of inflation.

The Ripple Effect

Esca Finance now serves businesses across emerging markets where currency swings can wipe out months of profit overnight. The platform processes between $75 million and $120 million in monthly transactions, helping companies operate without constantly watching exchange rates.

The company earned $1.4 million in revenue in 2025 and is targeting $6 million this year. For Osiadi, the growth proves that businesses in volatile economies don't need complex financial tools—they just need access to the same currency stability that companies in developed markets take for granted.

What started as a family frustration in Ireland now helps businesses across Africa plan, invest, and grow without losing ground to forces beyond their control.