This Nigerian founder got an offer from Elon Musk’s xAI after his AI startup went viral  

After Xara went viral, its Nigerian founder caught the attention of Elon Musk’s xAI. Built as a WhatsApp banking assistant, the startup now has 45,000 users and ₦8 billion ($5,000,000) in transactions.

When Sulaiman Adewale decided to build Xara, he was sure it would be a hit, but he did not expect it would lead to a job offer from xAI. According to him, it was an extra layer of validation for a product he initially built because he is short-sighted.

Xara, in a way, became his eyes. The AI-powered banking assistant could look through his phone’s camera, capture an account number, and send money to that account.

In the ten months since launch, the product has evolved into more than just an accessibility tool. It can now act as a personal financial analyst. Users can ask questions like: “Who did I send money to the most in the last one month?”

Using Xara on WhatsApp

They can also give it future instructions, such as: “Send ₦40,000 ($25) daily to my girlfriend’s account for four months.”

Adewale is proud of what he has built. He describes Xara as the first of its kind. While similar ideas exist globally, most stop at support. According to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the top three AI use cases for Nigerian financial institutions are fraud detection, customer support, and credit scoring.

Xara’s bet is more ambitious: turning the conversation itself into the banking interface.

However, the most interesting thing about Xara is not just what it can do or even the 45,000 users it has acquired in ten months, but Adewale himself and his unlikely journey into tech.

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