Technology
Long a Target of Police Brutality, Nigerian Tech Fights Back
- Lagos startups at center of weeks of nationwide protests
- Twitter CEO Dorsey among those to have expressed support
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Last year, Aubrey Hruby took two Egyptian venture capitalists on a tour of Nigeria’s technology-startup scene. After five days of meetings with top entrepreneurs, she was convinced the expedition was a success.
Hruby, co-founder of Tofino Capital, a U.S. fund that specializes in tech firms in emerging markets, hired a driver to take the two visitors back to Lagos airport. Their car got pulled over by police, on grounds of turning without a signal. A second Uber ride was also stopped, and this time the officials accused the investors of being terrorists. Going through their suitcases, they found $1,000 in cash and refused to hand it back.