Reni Odetoyinbo

YouTube recently announced the 135 creators who will take part in this year’s $100 million #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund.  The list of inductees,  comprised of tech experts, comedians, business owners and more, includes Reni Odetoyinbo (BBA ’18).

Odetoyinbo began sharing resources on personal finance and career development through her YouTube channel, xoReni, during the pandemic. As one of the only Black Canadian women in the personal finance space on YouTube, Odetoyinbo plans on leveraging #YouTubeBlack’s funding and mentorship to grow her unique voice and reach more viewers in 2022.

“Being the first in this space can be scary because there is no point of reference or anyone in the space who looks like me who can mentor me,” said Odetoyinbo.  “On the other hand, it is incredibly exciting because I am filling a huge gap in the market. People often tell me that they were waiting for a Black person in this space.”

Odetoyinbo credits the skills she developed at Schulich for kickstarting her content strategy journey.

“My experience at Schulich shaped me in a number of ways,” said Odetoyinbo. “First, taking marketing courses allowed me to see that there was a way to combine my creative side with my business side. Also, because we had to take so many courses that required presentations, I definitely became a better public speaker as a result – now I speak for a living!”

Odetoyinbo recently left her marketing manager role at BMO to pursue her content strategy and speaking dreams full-time.