As an entrepreneur and designer, he has founded multiple successful businesses, earning various awards and distinctions. Notably, he was mentioned in the Forbes Africa 30 under 30 list in 2019.

Evans Akanno (photo) is a Nigerian entrepreneur and designer. He is the founder and CEO of Vzy, a platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automate the website creation process.

Evans Akanno studied electrical engineering at Imo State University, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 2009. Certified in 2018 by the Harvard Extension School in innovation and strategy, he also holds a master's degree in innovation and entrepreneurship (2022) from the University of California, Irvine.

Vzy was founded in 2021. Its flagship tool, suitable for everyone –even those with no coding skills– enables users to manage multiple websites from a single account. It also provides a mobile interface, allowing users to design and manage their websites right from their mobile devices. It offers Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to secure websites, a Content Delivery Network (CDN) for faster loading times, and Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud hosting to guarantee reliable performance.

On October 5, 2023, Vzy was selected, along with 10 other startups, to join the Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First program. It will receive up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits and access to Google's AI expertise and support.

Evans Akanno also works with incubators and accelerators to support startups and budding entrepreneurs. He is a mentor at Startup Grind Lagos and Startupbootcamp. Before Vzy, in 2015, he founded Cregital, a Nigeria-based company specializing in branding, UX/UI design, and web development. In 2019, he also co-founded Disha, an innovative tool that helps designers and freelancers receive international payments. The solution was acquired by Flutterwave in 2021.

Before entrepreneurship, the Nigerian entrepreneur worked as a brand marketing specialist for the e-commerce company Jumia from 2012 to 2013. In 2013, he joined Konga Online Shopping Ltd as a creative strategist. He worked there until 2014.

Throughout his career, he has received several awards for outstanding entrepreneurship. In October 2016, Cregital received the award for Best Website Development Company of the Year from the Nigeria Technology Awards. In 2019, Forbes Africa named Evans one of the 30 under 30 in the technology category. He was also listed among the 100 most influential young Nigerians by Avance Media.

Melchior Koba