Ante Afahame was only 9 years old when he first realized he wanted to pursue a career in entrepreneurship. The Nigerian-American information technology professional is the co-founder of HPMA Solutions in Arlington, Virginia, a tech startup that helps companies modernize their IT services.

Afahame was born and raised in Nigeria, but didn’t move to the US until he was 19. Growing up in Lagos, Afahame said he was exposed to a culturally rich environment at home and in school, being surrounded by a community of over 250 dialects and subcultures.

Being surrounded by so much diversity and taking the plunge to move to the US gave Afahame the confidence to pursue dreams he didn't even know he had.

“I would say I was raised as an entrepreneur,” Afahame said in an email interview with Lifewire. “I say this because Nigerians are naturally entrepreneurial, and like most countries in the developing world, entrepreneurship is born out of necessity.”