Emmanuel Udotong
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Emmanuel Udotong

Co-founder and CEO of Shield

Banking, payments and business credit for importers, exporters, wholesalers and resellers.

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Emmanuel Udotong

Origin

I was born in the US to Nigerian immigrants, the middle of five brothers. After graduating from Princeton, I moved to Nigeria to run our factory with my own hands. Goods moved, but money had a tendency to stall. A supplier payment would vanish for days, then bounce with no reason.

Later, I co-founded Shield. We started in Ecuador, went through a16z's accelerator in LA, and moved to Miami, the center of US and LatAm trade.

$600M+in total transaction volume

  • Backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Giant Ventures, Kraken, and MoonPay
  • Princeton University Alumnus
  • Previously McKinsey & Company
Shield's three co-founders at a window overlooking the Port of Miami

Shield founding team, Miami

Shield

We serve importers, exporters and wholesalers who need to pay suppliers and get paid. Many are new to stablecoins, and they should never have to think about them.

Shield gives them a US-dollar account, cross-border payments and business credit in one place. Behind the scenes, payments settle on USDT and USDC stablecoins.

Two Shield billboards in Times Square, New York, from Brex's Customer Spotlight
Times Square, New York · 2026

Speaking

Selected talks

  1. How Stablecoins Create Revenue Opportunities for Banks, Fintechs, and Commerce CompaniesPanel · Token Americas, University of Miami · 2026
  2. How Stablecoins Can Bridge Global TradeRon Brown Scholar Program · 2025
  3. Interview at Expo Mobile LATAM (Spanish)Expo Mobile LATAM · 2025
Emmanuel Udotong speaking on a panel at Token Americas at the University of Miami
Token Americas · University of Miami · 2026

Background

  1. ShieldCo-founder and CEOMiami
  2. McKinsey & CompanyBusiness consultant, developed risk management engine for a $200B bankSan Francisco & Lagos
  3. ReleafFounding team, Y Combinator-backed supply chain and manufacturingNigeria
  4. Princeton UniversityClass of 2019, 25 Under 25 Innovation AwardPrinceton, NJ

Press

Get in touch

If you're building in trade, payments or credit, I'm glad to compare notes, especially on getting to first revenue, raising an institutional round, or running a US business from outside the US. Email me with what you're working on.