Elfried Samba is CEO of Butterfly 3ffect and Chief Community Officer at Ioconic Venture Studio. Samba immigrated from D.R. Congo to the UK at age 14 before rising to prominence in the Social media space through his work at global fitness brand, Gymshark. In 2012 Samba wrote a thesis on how small to medium-sized brands could leverage social media to dethrone larger competitors. At the time this disruptive concept was deemed farfetched because it did not align with traditional advertising values. Following a successful seven years as Global Head of Social Content and Community at Gymshark, Samba’s thesis was proved correct, growing the sports apparel brand’s social media community from 1 Million to 20 million followers. This played a critical role in helping the brand achieve its "unicorn" £1 billion valuation while challenging the likes of Nike, Puma, and Lululemon. Samba teamed up with Social Chain AG founding team member, Michael Heaven in the spring of 2023 to launch Butterfly 3ffect, a creative house for diverse creators and brands with a challenger mindset.