Lanre Ajakaiye

Lanre” Ajakaiye is a Providence native, real estate developer, and social entrepreneur whose work is deeply rooted in the Olneyville community. His connection to the neighborhood began early—he attended kindergarten at Nickerson House, just steps from where One Neighborhood Builders operates today, and spent his childhood playing baseball in Silver Lake.

Lanre’s story is deeply influenced by his parents, immigrants from West Africa who began their journey in Providence working at the Imperial Knife Factory and Snow & Starr Company in Olneyville. Through perseverance and determination, they went on to earn their college degrees, start businesses, and purchase their first home in the Elmwood—instilling in Lanre the values of hard work, ownership, and community advancement.

Those early experiences shaped his lifelong commitment to community development and opportunity creation. Today, he is the Co-Founder and CEO of Newsly. Global, an AI, automation, marketing, and training firm focused on helping individuals and organizations navigate and succeed in a rapidly evolving digital economy. He is also leading the 25 Bough Street Development, a transformative project centered on building a vibrant community hub that integrates housing, innovation, culture, and economic opportunity.

Lanre began his real estate journey at the age of 24 with his first investment property, laying the foundation for a career built on ownership, development, and long-term value creation. He later became a broker in New York, where he helped scale a firm from 23 agents to 244 agents before its successful sale to The Corcoran Group.

In addition to his work in real estate, Lanre has held executive leadership roles across Fortune 50 companies and high-growth startups, leading teams of up to 2,500 people. While he has also contributed to the nonprofit sector, the majority of his experience has been concentrated in Fortune 50 environments and startup ecosystems—where he has focused on growth, operations, and building scalable systems that deliver measurable results.

He is also a pioneer in real estate finance, becoming one of the first developers in New England to receive U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approval to crowdfund a real estate project—opening new pathways for community-based investment. Complementing his development work, Lanre holds eight certifications in artificial intelligence and brings a forward-looking approach to integrating technology with real-world impact.

Lanre completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Rhode Island and earned his MBA from Boston University. He is a proud graduate of Classical High School, where he was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2022. In that same year, he was also recognized in the City of Providence Hall of Fame for Community Service and Leadership. In 2017, he was selected as Class Speaker for Leadership Rhode Island’s NuII program.

For Lanre, the work happening today in Olneyville is deeply personal. It represents both a full-circle moment and a forward-looking commitment to ensure that the same neighborhood that shaped him continues to be a place of opportunity for generations to come.