Scoring Goals in the Franchise Ecosystem with Gregory Ugwi
Gregory Ugwi is back for his second year speaking at Street Fight LIVE. And what a year it’s been! The company he co-founded, Wefranch, has given both franchisors and prospective franchisees a tech-powered way to start and scale.
This year, Gregory Ugwi hosted a series of events to bring major brand franchises together with individuals looking to run their own businesses and choose the opportunities that best suit them. Here’s a little more about him before him.
What led you to found Wefranch?
“I grew up in the slums of Lagos, Nigeria and watched my mother struggle starting unsuccessful micro businesses all my childhood. Franchises can help determined operators like my mother build wealth with proven business models and I believe that can transform the lives of many people. I first studied wealth creation during my time as a strat at Goldman Sachs, and later as a founder of a VC-backed company, and realized the franchise model is the most reliable onramp for ‘poor’ but determined people to become wealthy.”
We understand you ran some amazing regional events this year to unite the franchise world. What exactly were they, and what was your biggest “surprise?”
“We have hosted 9 events this year on the topic of franchising, across 7 different cities. We bring franchisors to pitch in local communities. I will cheat here with two surprises. The first is I have been surprised by how beautiful America is. There are vast cultures, landscapes and communities within America that are simply stunning. The second is how little knowledge most business people have about franchise opportunities. The vast majority of people do not know the potential of the franchise space, or how to distinguish an exceptional franchise opportunity from a mediocre one.”
Do you have a compelling case study of someone who has worked with Wefranch to scale a franchise?
“See & Be Kitchen is building the first of its kind artisanal wholesale bakery. Founders Chrissy and Ben are doing $1M+ per unit and are scaling around the upstate New York area including Connecticut and New Jersey. They launched a frandowment program and are seeing hundreds of applicants.”
As a relatively young founder, what would you tell other people looking to launch and scale a business?
“I would suggest deeply listening to the market. Humans are inherently fallible, and the world is far more complicated than any one of us can understand – it is critical to view the creation of businesses from that lens. As founders, we try to find ideas that fill an existing need in the world, as opposed to imposing our will and making the world want whatever ideas come from our minds.”
Outside of work, what do you do?
“I play soccer on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Without soccer, I would go insane. When I am chasing a ball, there is just the ball, no clients to worry about, no payroll to run, just the ball. I find it is more effective than meditation and more affordable than therapy.”
We invite you to join us and meet Gregory Ugwi (as well as leaders from companies like Neighborly, Yelp, Scorpion, Massage Heights and Fat Brands) at Street Fight LIVE 2025 , September 30th in Los Angeles. “Ride” into the future with Rachel and an amazing line-up of visionary leaders!
