Emmanuel Udotong
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Emmanuel Udotong

Banking and business credit for companies that trade across borders.

Co-founder and CEO of Shield, serving importers, exporters, wholesalers and resellers.

Email meVisit Shield →
Emmanuel Udotong
  • $600M+ processed
  • Backed by a16z crypto
  • Princeton
  • Previously McKinsey

Origin

I was born in the US to Nigerian immigrants, the middle of five brothers. After Princeton I moved to Nigeria to run our factory with my own hands. Goods moved, but money had a tendency to stall. A supplier payment would vanish for days, then bounce with no reason.

I built Shield with my brother Isaiah and my Princeton roommate, Luis Carchi. We started in Ecuador, went through a16z's accelerator in LA, and moved to Miami, the center of US and LatAm trade.

About

Before Shield, I was on the founding team of Releaf, a Y Combinator-backed trade business, and ran its agricultural processing factory in rural Nigeria. I then spent a year at McKinsey in Lagos building a risk and controls program for a $200B bank. I graduated from Princeton in 2019.

Our customers are importers, exporters and wholesalers. Many are new to stablecoins, and they should never have to think about them. They just want to pay suppliers and get paid.

I build a lot of our internal systems myself. Before I automate anything, I ask one question: can I undo it if it's wrong?

Shield

Shield gives trade businesses a US-dollar account, cross-border payments and business credit in one place. Our customers are importers, exporters, wholesalers and resellers who need to pay suppliers and get paid internationally. Shield is a registered MSB in the US and has processed $600M+ over the past 2 years.

Visit Shield →

Background

Before Shield, I was on the founding team of Releaf, a Y Combinator-backed trade business, and ran its agricultural processing factory in rural Nigeria. I then spent a year at McKinsey in Lagos building a risk and controls program for a $200B bank. I graduated from Princeton in 2019.

Press

Get in touch

If you're building in trade, payments or credit, I'm glad to compare notes, especially on getting to first revenue, raising an institutional round, or running a US business from outside the US. Email me with what you're working on.