Years ago circa 2015, I found myself standing among hundreds of brilliant young innovators in Philadelphia at the Forbes Under 30 Summit . It was surreal, not just because I was one of only two Africans selected for sponsored participation, but because the path that got me there had been anything but predictable. It began with a problem I saw every day in Nigeria: the gap between students who needed help and those who could offer it . The Birth of NearTutors After graduation and constantly inundated with requests for special tutoring, I cofounded Neartutors , an online platform that connected students with verified tutors for personalized learning and exam preparation. We built it from scratch; with no funding, no high-profile mentors, just an audacious belief that education access could be more efficient, more personal, and more empowering . Over time, we grew the platform to serve over 6,000 users and maintained a 4.8/5 star average review rat...