Afropolitan

Shaping the Future of African Commerce Through Vertical Integration With Daniel Yu (Founder & CEO of Wasoko)

Wed, 17 May 2023 13:28:07 GMT

Quote - “The spirit of Afropolitan, and why I'm so excited about the
community that's being built, is to connect one of the most powerful
forces in the world, which is human communities, to the fastest
growing place in the world, which is the African continent.”

The Afropolitan Podcast highlights Afropolitans who embrace the
unknown and walk with purpose. Through this podcast, we aim to empower
Africans in the Diaspora to maximize their potential and contribute to
the development of a vibrant and progressive black community.
In this episode, we chat with Daniel Yu, Founder & CEO of Wasoko, a
technology company that is transforming the $600 billion market for
essential goods sold through mom-and-pop stores in Africa. Wasoko
provides on-demand ordering, delivery, and financing services to these
small retailers. Wasoko's platform enables shop owners to place orders
at any time via SMS or a mobile app, and offers free same-day delivery
of goods directly to their stores. Additionally, Wasoko provides "Pay
Later" financing options to support the growth of these shops. The
company operates in several African countries, including Kenya,
Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Côte d'Ivoire, and Senegal, and collaborates
with major companies such as Unilever and Procter & Gamble. Wasoko has
raised over $145 million in equity financing from investors like Tiger
Global and Avenir Growth Capital, making it one of the largest tech
companies in Africa.
Daniel Yu is an entrepreneur and software developer with extensive
experience working and traveling in over 65 countries, primarily in
emerging economies such as Africa, the Middle East, Central America,
Brazil, Southeast Asia, and China. He is skilled at exploring markets
and building networks to effectively launch technology-driven
businesses. Daniel is conversational or fluent in eight languages:
English (native), Mandarin, Swahili, Arabic, Spanish, Cantonese,
Portuguese, and French.
Daniel is passionate about leveraging technology and innovation to
transform the retail landscape in emerging economies, empowering small
businesses, and making a positive social impact across Africa. Join us
as Daniel discusses his journey with Wasoko and the importance of
digital technology and services to solve Africa’s supply chain
problems.

Daniel’s Reading List:
1. Doing Good Better: How Effective Altruism Can Help You Help Others,
Do Work that Matters, and Make Smarter Choices about Giving Back by
William MacAskill - https://amzn.to/41EnFJj
2. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - https://amzn.to/3IkPMq2
3. Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder - https://amzn.to/455COGn
Show Notes
2:00 Daniel breaks down his background and what led him to Africa as
an entrepreneur
3:27 Daniel, as the founder and CEO of Wasako, has been working to
transform commerce in Africa and tells us the problem it aims to solve
4:49 Daniel details the monetization model of Wasoko
5:16 Daniel talks about some of the assumptions he had of this
commerce model and what challenges he faced going to market
6:54 Daniel talks about the importance of startups to vertical
integrate in Africa to ensure successful delivery of their chosen
offerings and how the process of building in Africa differs from being
in California, where certain aspects are already taken care of, and
the focus is primarily on software development
8:20 Daniel explains why he started in certain African countries
compared to others and the cultural differences experienced in each
country
10:09 Daniel paints the customer onboarding process early on
11:16 Daniel details the early stages of a startup and the struggles
you have to go through
12:37 Daniel talks about his educational background and how It
informed the work he does today
13:22 Daniel explains how he learnt to be a programmer without
completing formal education
14:01 Daniel gives his view on the future of commerce and supply
chains evolving in Africa and the role Wasoko will play in the future
16:11 Daniel clarifies the customer acquisition of Wasoko
16:40 Daniel talks about his approach to risk taking and decision
making especially in uncertain or rapidly changing environments and
the most important qualities or skills that an entrepreneur should
possess in order to succeed in today's competitive business landscape,
especially in Africa
17:50 Books that have profoundly impacted Daniel’s life
20:17 Daniel gives advice to entrepreneurs hiring talent, especially
in markets like Africa where talent may not be highly skilled as
places like California and how he addressed these challenges
23:08 Daniel has worked in different industries, including finance,
healthcare and technology and breaks down his approach to the process
of identifying new opportunities and deciding which ventures to
proceed or invest in
24:28 Hypothetical title of a book about Daniel’s life
25:35 Daniel’s perspective on what it means to be Afropolitan

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.
Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or
wherever you get your podcasts.

Connect with Afropolitan:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan
Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

Scaling Impact with Obinna Ukwuani (Chief Digital Officer, Bank of Kigali Plc)

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 11:54:19 GMT

Quote: "Don't approach entrepreneurship from a position of
desperation; instead, build and have leverage."

The Afropolitan Podcast highlights Afropolitans who embrace the
unknown and walk with purpose. Through this podcast, we aim to empower
Africans in the Diaspora to maximize their potential and contribute to
the development of a vibrant and progressive black community.

In this episode, we chat with Obinna Ukwuani, Chief Digital Officer at
the Bank of Kigali Plc, where he drives digital product development to
achieve digital financial services objectives. Obinna, born in America
with Nigerian roots, studied Economics at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT). He founded and directed the Makers Robotics
Academy Rwanda and NESA by Makers, and now serves as the Founder and
Director of Bruk Oil Mills in Enugu. Obinna previously worked at
Paystack and shares his entrepreneurship insights in this episode.

Obinna is passionate about education, entrepreneurship, and the
transformative power of Web3/Blockchain technologies for people
worldwide. Join us as Obinna discusses his journey to the Bank of
Kigali and the importance of digital technology and services in
solving Africa's challenges.

Obinna's Reading List:
1. Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty by
Daron Acemoglu, James A. Robinson - https://amzn.to/3kD1fbO
2. The Biafra Story: The Making of an African Legend by Frederick
Forsyth - https://amzn.to/3Zt7vBN
3. The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis - https://amzn.to/3ICWJlD

Show Notes:
1:22 Introduction to the Afropolitan Podcast
1:42 Obinna's background and journey to MIT, earning a BSc in
Economics
7:28 Obinna's decision to return to Nigeria and his role in
nation-building and creating opportunities
12:09 Obinna's work with the Makers Robotics Academy Rwanda and its
impact on the local community
14:14 Obinna shares his first significant encounter with failure and
the lessons learned
20:46 Obinna discusses insights from working with Paystack and Bank of
Kigali on technology's potential for Africans
24:19 Obinna talks about his experience raising funds for startups and
offers advice for first-time founders navigating the fundraising
process
28:35 The importance of managing desperation and balance when
dealing with investors
31:20 Sam Altman's New Yorker profile and the need for Africa to
leapfrog - https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/10/sam-altmans-manifest-destiny
38:12 Obinna shares his thoughts on Web3 and Blockchain, addressing
skepticism and guiding principles
42:53 Books that have profoundly impacted Obinna's life
50:27 Hypothetical title of a book about Obinna's life
51:35 Obinna's perspective on what it means to be Afropolitan

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of
Afropolitan. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit,
or wherever you get your podcasts.

Connect with Afropolitan:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan
Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

Being A Conduit For Resources and Information With Kyle Maloney (Co-Founder of Tech Beach)

Wed, 22 Feb 2023 14:00:02 GMT

Quote - “Founders need to realise that investors love founders that
have failed before because it is in your failings, you learn the
most.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to
step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope
to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential
and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black
community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about
leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant
afterwards.

This episode features Kyle Maloney, Co-Founder of Tech Beach; a
startup with an active community designed to connect the Caribbean
with the Global Technology Ecosystem.

Klye studied Aerospace Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University and was exposed to entrepreneurship early on which
culminated in Co-founding Tech Beach to offer a much needed service in
the region.

He is passionate about empowering people and companies in the
Caribbean through technology to scale and solve pertinent issues.

Listen and enjoy as Kyle talks to us about his journey with Tech
Beach, his background and plans for the future.

Kyle’s Reading List

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, Arthur R. Pell
https://amzn.to/3XzOzzZ

The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary
Results by Gary Keller, Jay Papasan
https://amzn.to/3lFdS6a

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad
Ones by James Clear
https://amzn.to/2P8LAvI

Show Notes
2:30 Impact of covid and background of Tech Beach
5:58 Context of the Caribbean for startups
7:52 Expansion in the Caribbean compared to Africa
9:07 Fundraising process, challenges and advice
11:32 Recruiting and retaining talent
13:31 Kyle’s background and influences
19:49 Lessons from failure
24:00 Process to find the right mentor within the ecosystem
28:15 Title of the book about your life
30:53 Reading list
32:44 Being Afropolitan
35:03 Future plans

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.
Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or
wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan
Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

Breaking Boundaries Beyond Africa With Hanu Agbodje (Founder & CEO of PATRICIA)

Wed, 15 Feb 2023 14:00:02 GMT

Quote - “There is no joy to be found in playing small and dimming your lights.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to
step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope
to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential
and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black
community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about
leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant
afterwards.

This episode features Hanu Agbodje, Founder & CEO of PATRICIA; a
fintech company founded in 2017 using Blockchain technology to process
cryptocurrency transactions in Africa and beyond.

Hanu holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Statistics from
University of Port Harcourt and founded PATRICIA after 13 other
unsuccessful businesses.

He is passionate about crypto and how the technology can solve
Africa’s biggest problems and synergise payments.

Listen and enjoy as Hanu talks to us about his journey with PATRICIA
and ambition to transform alternative payments solutions in Africa.

Hanu’s Reading List

The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason

https://amzn.to/3E3l8iW

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter
Thiel and Blake Masters

https://amzn.to/3lt34Iq

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell

https://amzn.to/2VzobXM

Show Notes

1:23 Patricia's mission and vision for the world

1:58 Recruiting and retaining talent

3:30 The journey to Patricia

9:39 African founders competing anywhere in the world

12:25 What promise cryptocurrency holds for Africa?

15:02 Advice for founders dealing with government regulation

16:25 Dealing with failure and lessons learnt

19:23 Balance between creativity and objectives

20:38 Title of the book about your life

22:07 Other passions aside from Patricia

24:08 Self-care and avoiding burnout

25:07 Reading list

30:41 Being Afropolitan

32:38 Future of Patricia

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.

Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or
wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan

Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

Changing Lives Through Chess With Tunde Onakoya (Founder of Chess In Slums Africa)

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 14:20:27 GMT

Quote - “This frail body will house the greatest spirit humanity will
ever know.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to
step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope
to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential
and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black
community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about
leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant
afterwards.

This episode features Tunde Onakoya, Founder of Chess In Slums Africa;
a non-profit organisation that utilises the game of chess to educate
and empower underprivileged children to achieve far more than their
circumstances.

Tunde holds a National Diploma in Computer Science from Yaba College
of Technology and created Chess in Slums Africa to use chess as a tool
to educate and propel the destiny of children out of poverty.

He is passionate about equaling the playing field and has a goal to
educate 1 million children in slum communities in 5 years.

Listen and enjoy as Tunde talks to us about his journey with Chess In
Slums Africa and redressing the imbalance in society.

Tunde’s Reading List

Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations: Ancient Philosophy
for Modern Problems by Jules Evans
https://amzn.to/3DMbVLF

The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Poverty
by Clayton M. Christensen, Efosa Ojomo, Karen Dillon
https://amzn.to/3DNoFBO

Self-Discipline through Ikigai and Kaizen (Longevity and Happiness at
Hand) by Mark Morimoto
https://amzn.to/3lnLVQb

Manifesto for a Moral Revolution Paperback – May 4, 2021 by Jacqueline Novogratz
https://amzn.to/3RGYd2i

Show Notes
1:29 Background and discovery of chess
4:31 Creation and mission of Chess In Slums Africa
9:07 Impact on children/slums
11:28 Ferdinand with cerebral palsy winning the chess tournament in Makoko
14:17 Partnership with chess.com
16:10 Finding purpose with Chess In Slums Africa
19:42 Fulfilling potential linked to mission of Chess In Slums Africa
22:43 Reading list
25:24 Future plans and how to get involved/support
27:28 Title of the book about your life
28:13 What does being Afropolitan mean to you

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.
Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or
wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan
Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

Venture Capitalist Investing Insights With Yida Gao (Managing General Partner of Shima Capital)

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 12:51:41 GMT

Yida Gao
Quote - “Talent is everything for an early stage company and the
people they hire early on define the trajectory of the company.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to
step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope
to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential
and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black
community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about
leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant
afterwards.

This episode features Yida Gao, Managing General Partner of Shima
Capital; an early stage crypto and Web3 investment firm.

Yida holds a BSc in Mathematics and Computer Science from
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He previously worked in Wall
Street for Morgan Stanley in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group.

He is passionate about investing in crypto and Web3 companies that
chart new territory.

Listen and enjoy as Yida Gao talks to us about his journey with Shima
Capital and insights on the venture capitalist environment.

Yida’s Reading List

Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers, and Innovators Create and Dominate
Markets by Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lochhead, Kevin
Maney

https://amzn.to/3jfIPx0

Show Notes

2:02 Journey into crypto

4:10 Shima’s investment thesis and approach to funding startups

6:09 Main criteria to invest in a founder

8:34 Fundraising process for Shima Capital

10:50 Misconceptions about venture capitalists

12:13 VCs inspired by

13:09 Recruiting and retaining talent

14:48 Navigating the fundraising environment

17:25 Process of capital calls

20:20 Best guidance that Shima offers for portfolio companies

23:47 First encounter with failure and lesson learnt

26:25 Reading list

28:14 Title of the book about your life

29:28 What does being Afropolitan mean to you

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.

Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or
wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan

Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

Delivering Data-Driven Insights On Africa With Fadekemi Abiru (Head Of Insights at Stears)

Thu, 24 Nov 2022 21:34:00 GMT

Fadekemi Abiru

Quote - “Afropolitan is daring to be yourself in a rapidly changing
world and not having to ask for permission.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to
step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope
to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential
and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black
community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about
leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant
afterwards.

This episode features Fadekemi Abiru, Head Of Insights at Stears; a
financial data/intelligence company providing subscription-based
data/insight to professionals/businesses.

Fadekemi holds a BSc in Economics from the University of Bristol and
an MSc in African Development from the London School of Economics. She
previously worked as an economist for the UK government and provided
analysis on various projects.

She is passionate about ensuring that decisions whether in business or
government in Africa are driven by real time data and insights to
drive critical economic developments.

Listen and enjoy as Fadekemi Abiru talks to us about her journey with
Stears and the importance of data-driven insights on Africa.

Fadekemi’s Reading List

All About Love: New Visions by Bell Hooks

https://amzn.to/3EiIoZj

Harry Potter Paperback Box Set (Books 1-7) by J. K. Rowling

https://amzn.to/3OlqtG7

Economics Rules by Dani Rodrik

https://amzn.to/3As5j3w

Show Notes

1:55 Founding of Stears and its mission

3:10 Plans to cover the 2023 Nigerian elections

8:03 Data-driven insights/expectations on the Nigeria 2023 elections

10:22 How has technology enabled the Stears Elections product

11:12 Significance and likely impact of the Nigerian Electoral Act
2022 on the upcoming elections

12:29 Conducting polls in the future

14:08 Data trends that make this upcoming election different from the
last election

15:58 First encounter with failure and lesson learnt

16:02 Title of the book about your life

18:45 Reading list

21:09 What does being Afropolitan mean to you

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.

Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or
wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan

Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

Improving Financial Literacy in Africa With Arese Ugwu (Founder of Smart Money Africa)

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 21:29:21 GMT

Arese Ugwu

Quote - “Afropolitan means showcasing the brilliance of Africa on a
global stage.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to
step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope
to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential
and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black
community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about
leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant
afterwards.

This episode features Arese Ugwu, Founder of Smart Money Africa; an
edutainment platform providing financial literacy and education for
the African millennial.

Arese is a graduate from Aston Business School and University College
London and has previous experience with leading African financial
services brands before transitioning to Smart Money Africa.

She is passionate about creating content and avenues that break down
financial barriers for African youths especially women.

Listen and enjoy as Arese Ugwu talks to us about Smart Money tribe and
her thoughts on financial literacy for the African millennial.

Arese’s Reading List

The Smart Money Woman: An African girl's journey to financial freedom
by Arese Ugwu

https://amzn.to/3UAVTdJ

The Rich Are Different: A Priceless Treasury of Quotations and
Anecdotes About the Affluent, the Posh, and the Just Plain Loaded by
Jon Winokur

https://amzn.to/3AbZSpd

Sex and Vanity: A Novel by Kevin Kwan

https://amzn.to/3trG6lD

Show Notes

1:30 Upbringing and background

2:59 Start of Smart Money Africa

6:35 Challenges/process of self-publishing a book

12:24 Netflix picking up the The Smart Money Woman series

16:26 Balancing multiple roles professionally and personally

17:50 Financial advice for young people

19:11 Season Two of The Smart Money Woman

19:57 First encounter with failure and lesson learnt

20:45 Title of the book about your life

21:45 Reading list

23:20 What does being Afropolitan mean to you

24:00 Beauty of South Africa

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.

Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or
wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan

Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

Transforming Home Management With Nadayar Enegesi (CEO and Co-Founder of Eden Life Inc.)

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 17:33:36 GMT

Quote - “What I like the most about building in Africa and building
for Africa is that everything is so greenfield.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to
step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope
to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential
and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black
community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about
leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant
afterwards.

This episode features Nadayar Enegesi, CEO and Co-Founder of Eden Life
Inc.; a tech-driven home management platform in Africa providing
services such as food, laundry and cleaning.

Nadayar is a graduate from University of Waterloo in Canada and has
previous experience at Fora Inc. and Andela before transitioning to
Eden Life Inc..

He is passionate about upgrading the home lifestyle and bridging the
gap between service providers and service demanders through tech.

Listen and enjoy as Nadayar Enegesi talks to us about
entrepreneurship, Eden Life Inc. and his guiding life principles.

Nadayar’s Reading List

Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired
by the Next Stage in Human Consciousness by Frederic Laloux

https://amzn.to/2Jb3qME

Bushido: The Way of the Samurai by Tsunetomo Yamamoto

https://amzn.to/3FSr4gg

Show Notes

1:32 Journey as an entrepreneur

4:56 Time at Andela

6:49 Transition into the role as CEO and Co-Founder of Eden life Inc.

10:35 Process of assembling the founding team

15:48 Fundraising process and advice

19:03 Founders who have influenced you in the tech space

21:42 Reading list

25:12 Recruiting and maintaining talent

30:27 Title of the book about your life

32:49 What does being Afropolitan mean to you

34:38 Impact of Covid-19

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.

Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or
wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan

Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

Changing The Fashion Industry Through Tech With Ibi Cookey (Co-Founder of Fitted)

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 14:50:01 GMT

Quote - “Afropolitan means remembering who we were in the last
thousand years at scale”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to
step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope
to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential
and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black
community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about
leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant
afterwards.

This episode features Ibi Cookey, Co-Founder of Fitted; a fashion-tech
company revolutionising scalable custom fashion.

Ibi is an international business management graduate and a former
investment banker. He is passionate about simplifying the custom
fashion supply chain for all stakeholders.

Listen and enjoy as Ibi Cookey talks to us about entrepreneurship,
Fitted and transitioning from investment banking to tech.

Show Notes

1:10 Background and transition from investment banking to tech

3:33 Insights gained from private equity

4:46 Transition to Fitted

6:22 What does Fitted solve

8:18 Utilising data from Fitted to solve international measurement
challenges at scale

11:11 Fitted’s role in the supply chain ecosystem

13:47 Fundraising challenges and insights

18:11 First encounter with failure and experience learnt

19:56 Title of the book about your life

21:53 What does being Afropolitan mean to you

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.

Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or
wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan

Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

Building a Media Empire With Morgan DeBaun (Founder/CEO of Blavity Inc.)

Wed, 26 Oct 2022 14:30:02 GMT

Quote - “As a founder of a startup, we have to get to the end goal -
to liquidity and huge wealth gains for ourselves, employees and early
investors.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to
step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope
to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential
and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black
community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about
leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant
afterwards.

This episode features Morgan DeBaun, Founder/CEO of Blavity Inc.; a
leading digital media company for Black culture and millennials with
over 100 million readers per month.

Morgan is a serial entrepreneur, executive, corporate advisor, and
angel investor. She is passionate about building companies and
communities.

Listen and enjoy as Morgan DeBaun talks to us about entrepreneurship
and Blavity’s incredible journey.

Morgan’s Website

https://bit.ly/3Tj1TaH

Morgan’s Reading List

Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the
Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T. Kiyosaki

https://amzn.to/2NIasgG

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will
Follow You by John C. Maxwell

https://amzn.to/3VICqJb

The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation
to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries

https://amzn.to/3CQouV0

Show Notes

1:17 Investing in the stock market at 13 years old

2:27 Misconceptions of being a founder

4:16 Advice/strategies for founders in recruiting/retaining talent

7:16 Fundraising as a black woman founder

10:08 Managing boundaries

12:56 Impact of the pandemic professionally/personally

17:40 Remote work vs office work

21:25 Dealing with letting people go

26:56 First encounter with failure and experience learnt

30:42 Reading list

31:57 Title of the book about your life

33:29 Transition from Intuit to Blavity

35:16 What does being Afropolitan mean to you

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.

Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or
wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan

Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

Angel Investing in Africa With Biola Alabi (Co-Founder of Atika Ventures)

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 21:46:50 GMT

Quote - “Technology is bringing us back all together.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to
step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope
to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential
and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black
community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about
leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant
afterwards.

This episode features Biola Alabi, Co-Founder of Atika Ventures; a
women-led venture fund providing early-stage capital to consumer
technology start-ups in West and East Africa.

Biola is a Non-Executive Director at Unilever Nig. Plc. and Monty
Mobile, an Angel Investor at Lagos Angel Network and the Executive
Producer at Biola Alabi Media and Entertainment. She is passionate
about investing in startups that will solve real problems at scale.

Listen and enjoy as Biola Alabi talks to us about investing in
startups and how the investment landscape has changed over the last
decade.

Biola’s Reading List

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

https://amzn.to/3EXXWDE

Basic Black: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work (and in
Life) by Cathie Black

https://amzn.to/3Sclh7L

True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership by Bill George

https://amzn.to/2AkWI67

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

https://amzn.to/3MH5tst

Show Notes

1:37 Lagos Angel Network

2:43 Changes/challenges in the investment landscape over the last 10 years

3:59 Advice to startups in the current regulatory environment

5:37 What do you look for in investing in startups

7:20 Advice/strategies for founders in recruiting/retaining talent

8:54 Managing expectations of Limited Partner (LPs)

11:22 First angel investment

12:50 First encounter with failure and experience learnt

15:44 Transparency as a founder

18:09 Background and upbringing

23:19 Reading list

27:26 Title of the book about your life

28:59 What does being Afropolitan mean to you

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.

Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or
wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan

Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

Navigating the Crypto Space With Zeneca (Founder/CEO of ZenAcademy)

Wed, 12 Oct 2022 14:30:01 GMT

Quote - “Think of all unfortunate experiences as learning experiences.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to
step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope
to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential
and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black
community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about
leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant
afterwards.

This episode features Zeneca, Founder/CEO of ZenAcademy; who was a

professional poker player for 15 years and has transitioned to being a
well respected NFT influencer. He created ZenAcademy to build a
community and space to educate and help others understand the crypto
and NFT space.

Listen and enjoy as Zeneca talks to us about burnout in the tech
ecosystem and offers advice on trading crypto and NFTs.

Roy’s Reading List

Letters from a Stoic by Lucius Annaeus Seneca

https://amzn.to/3VkqdKA

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

https://amzn.to/2XsyOQl

Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker

https://amzn.to/3CP6tHB

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

https://amzn.to/3g2BIpF

Show Notes

1:18 Transition from a professional poker player for 15 years to Crypto

2:31 Burnout and self-care

5:55 Distinction between NFTs and crypto

9:01 NFT trading - highs and lows

11:47 How to evaluate projects

15:10 Meaning of Zeneca

17:08 Favorite philosophers

18:21 Reading list

20:09 Start of ZenAcademy

26:45 Future of online platforms in growing online communities

30:23 Encounter with failure and lessons learned

36:43 Navigating the crypto space and dealing with loss

41:34 Title of the book about your life

43:24 What does being Afropolitan mean to you

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.

Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or
wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan

Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

Transparency and Entrepreneurship With Ngozi Dozie (Co-Founder of Carbon)

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 15:03:02 GMT

Quote - “If you want something really badly, the whole universe
conspires to help you get it.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to
step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope
to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential
and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black
community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about
leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant
afterwards.

This episode features Ngozi Dozie, Co-Founder of Carbon; a Pan African
digital bank based in Nigeria and a leading digital finance platform.
Carbon’s mission is to empower all people with the financial access
they need to pursue a life of dignity and prosperity. The Carbon app
was launched in April 2016 and the business has grown rapidly.

A CFA charter holder, Ngozi holds an MBA from Wharton School and has
worked as a financial analyst at Deloitte & Touche and an investment
banker at JPMorgan in New York.

Listen and enjoy as Ngozi talks to us about the importance of
transparency and access to loans in the Nigerian digital finance
ecosystem and shares tips for new founders to navigate the regulatory
landscape.

Ngozi’s Reading List

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

https://amzn.to/3BSXIMu

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

https://amzn.to/3CA05UO

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

https://amzn.to/3ycbiIf

Show Notes

1:27 Carbon’s vision and mission

6:34 Nigerian ecosystem - Type of loans and access to loans

5:36 Transparency and execution

8:54 Advice for founders navigating the regulatory landscape in the
tech ecosystem

11:50 Advice for founders fundraising

16:56 Impact of the pandemic on Carbon

22:15 Recruiting talent and retaining talent

25:08 First encounter with failure, dealing with it and lessons learnt

29:50 Reading list

35:01 Title of the book about your life

38:16 What does being Afropolitan mean to you

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.

Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or
wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan

Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

Creating Your Own Destiny Through Entrepreneurship With Fatima Dicko (Founder & CEO at Sugar)

Wed, 28 Sep 2022 15:11:47 GMT

Quote - “Great ideas happen when two old ideas meet for the first time.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant afterwards.

This episode features Fatima Dicko, Founder & CEO at Sugar; a community management platform for apartment building. Sugar has raised over $3.5M in VC funding from some of the leading investors in the property technology sector.

Fatima was on a product innovation team as a senior engineer at Procter & Gamble focused on bringing new ideas to market. She is passionate about building products people love and supporting youth to become future leaders in tech. Fatima was named as '18 Inspiring Women to Watch' by Inc and listed on the 2021 Forbes 'Next 1000' list.

Listen and enjoy as Fatima talks about the COVID 19 pandemic influence on her business and shares some of her fundraising challenges.

Fatima’s Reading List

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

https://amzn.to/3BSXIMu

The Founder's Dilemmas by Noam Wasserman

https://amzn.to/3Siw01f

The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

https://amzn.to/3raLhVW

Show Notes

1:36 Impact of Covid-19 pandemic professionally and personally

6:34 Fundraising challenges as a founder

9:56 Background and upbringing shaping the entrepreneurial mindset

17:19 Initial team recruiting process and retaining talent

21:17 Reading list

22:06 Breakdown of Web3

27:54 Title of the book about Fatima’s life

29:12 First significant encounter with failure and lessons learnt

31:31 Importance of culture

34:40 What does being Afropolitan mean to you

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.

Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan

Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

How To Conquer The Digital Artspace With Anthony Azekwoh (Digital Artist)

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 14:30:02 GMT

Quote- “Your environment directly impacts your health and your ability to succeed.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant afterwards.

This episode features Anthony Azekwoh, Nigerian-based digital artist and author; who has taken the NFT art scene by storm and whose art has been seen all around the world.

In 2020, his painting “The Red Man” was sold as an NFT online for $25,000 and he has since captured the imagination of the global art community.

He has also written five books and has worked with artists such as Adekunle Gold, Blaqbonez and many more international clients.

Listen and enjoy as Anthony talks about his journey into NFT's, offers advice to upcoming digital artists and shares the inspiration behind his “The Red Man” painting.

Anthony’s Artwork

https://www.anthonyazekwoh.com

Anthony’s Reading List

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

https://amzn.to/3BSXIMu

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

https://amzn.to/3qMrpZ5

Manuscript Found in Accra by Paulo Coelho

https://amzn.to/3Btlxc2

Show Notes

1:10 Discussing Afrobeats: The Backstory documentary and lessons learnt

6:23 Anthony on his work being mature

8:51 Anthony on his journey into the digital space

11:35 Influences in storytelling and art

14:20 Art ecosystem and relationship with his parents

26:17 Transition to NFT and crypto art

34:13 Advice to digital artists in Africa trying to find their feet

36:19 The internet enabling Africans to challenge limitations

42:27 Inspiration behind “The Red Man” painting

45:34 The difference between art and writing

49:57 Anthony’s reading list

50:46 What does being Afropolitan mean to you

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.

Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan

Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

Tapping Into DNA Science To Expand Access With Lyona Carter (Founder Of Clinical Data Geek)

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 14:30:02 GMT

Quote- “One of the things the CDC taught me back in the 90s was to collect data, understand the data, trend the data but also listen to the people.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant afterwards.

This episode features Lyona Carter, founder clinical data geek, a clinical data management startup.

Lyona assists biotech/pharmaceutical companies review their clinical data. One of her biggest influences is Henrietta Lacks. Henrietta’s cells have been used in over 11,000 patents including polio vaccination and covid treatments. Nicknamed HeLa cells, they have been used to study the effect of toxins, viruses on the growth of cancer cells without experimenting on humans.

Lyona is passionate about creating a framework of compensation for those who wish to benefit from the use of their DNA or vitals. She believes clinical participants or their families should get compensated should they want compensation.

Listen and enjoy as Lyona talks about her journey into clinical data management, some of her influences and barriers she faces being a woman in the biotech industry.

The Legacy Of Henrietta Lacks
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/henriettalacks/

Lyona’s reading list

Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson
https://www.amazon.com/Who-Moved-My-Cheese-Mazing/dp/0091816971/ref=sr_1_1?

On The Pulse Of Morning by Maya Angelou
https://www.amazon.com/Pulse-Morning-Inaugural-Poem/dp/0679748385

Show Notes
1:54 Journey into clinical data management
3:25 Henrietta Lacks contribution to present day clinical trial research
5:33 Compensation framework for clinical trial patients and their families
7:16 Journey into blockchain technology and web3
8:42 Influences growing up
13:47 Mental and professional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
16:27 Benefits of NFT
18:29 Childhood lessons that taught the hardest lessons
20:22 Barriers faced being a woman in the biotech industry.
23:07 Encounter with failure and lessons learned
25:13 Lyona’s reading list
27:00 what does being Afropolitan mean to you

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.
Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan
Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

How To Take Risks With Michael Ugwu (MD Of Freeme Digital)

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 14:44:41 GMT

Michael Ugwu

Quote- “I know a lot of people don't have the luxury of knowing their roots, but I know my roots and that was super important to me.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant afterwards.

This episode features Michael Ugwu, MD of Freeme Digital, an online digital music distribution network in Africa.

Michael is a crypto enthusiast who holds a degree in Economics. In 2019, he liquidated most of his real estate investments and other assets and threw it all into bitcoin. A risk that has paid off over the years.

Micheal was instrumental in helping sony music launch in the west African market. He led several projects from licensing catalogs to MTN, Jidenna tour to Nigeria, signing deals of major artists in Nigeria to Sony.

Listen and enjoy as Micheal talks about his journey running a distribution company in Nigeria and how NFT can revolutionize the music industry.

Michael reading list

Think And Grow Rich By Napoleon Hill
https://www.amazon.com/Think-Grow-Rich-Napoleon-Hill/dp/0785833528

De Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous
https://www.amazon.com/Bitcoin-Standaard-Decentrale-Alternatief-Bankieren/dp/9916951357

Snow Crash by Neal Stepheson
https://www.amazon.com/Snow-Crash-Neal-Stephenson/dp/0553380958/ref=sr_1_1?

Show Notes
2:09 Micheal’s journey into crypto.

7:40 Journey to freeme digital.

14:30 Challenges of being a founder in the African ecosystem.

16:27 Impact of the covid-19 pandemic on business and operational challenges experienced.

19:24 Michael’s first encounter with failure as an entrepreneur.

23:50 Lessons learnt at Iroking.

28:37 Approach navigating challenges with signed artists.

32:07 How NFT can revolutionize the music industry.

41:36 Michael’s reading list

45:17 What does being Afropolitan mean to you

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.
Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan
Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

How To Fund Startups with Elizabeth Yin (Co-founder And GP Of Hustle Fund)

Wed, 31 Aug 2022 14:40:50 GMT

“This world is small, the more you pitch, the more you'll get to those with a pool of money.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant afterwards.

This episode features Elizabeth Yin,co-founder and general partner at hustle fund, a venture firm that invests in early-stage startups.

Elizabeth Yin and her co-founders created the venture capital firm hustle fund to help level the playing field at the pre-seed funding stage.

After reviewing about 20,000 pitch decks while working as a partner at 500 startups, Elizabeth came up with the idea of an early stage fund to help founding teams that struggle to attract investors attention.

A two time founder, Elizabeth has always had a drive for business, technology and investing.

Listen and enjoy as Elizabeth talks to us about her journey to becoming a VC and advises startups entering the bear market.

Elizabeth’s reading list

The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898

Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross
https://www.amazon.com/Predictable-Revenue-Business-Practices-Salesforce-com/dp/0984380213

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
https://www.amazon.com/Shoe-Dog-Phil-Knight/dp/1508211809

Show Notes
1:33 Journey to becoming a partner at hustle fund.
4:04 Misconceptions about being a VC
5:57 Most successful exit.

7:29 Different fundraising process
10:26 Advice to founders on recruiting and retaining talent longterm
14:11 Advice to aspiring venture capitalists
16:47 Elizabeth’s fundraising experience
20:57 Thoughts on sky high valuations for startups
22:09 Advice to startups coming into the bear market and what the market potentially holds
23:57 Vc that has had a major impact on Elizabeth's growth
25:44 Most significant encounter with failure and lessons learned
30:09 Elizabeths’s introduction into crypto and web3
32:19 The hustle verse/ crypto shift initiative
34:13 Downside to web3
35:42 Elizabeths’s reading list
37:49 What does being Afropolitan mean to you?

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.
Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan
Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/
Afropolitan Community - https://linktr.ee/afropolitangroup

How To Create A Brand With Your Community: Denis Asamoah (Co-founder Of FORVR Mood)

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 14:30:02 GMT

Quote -“Trying to cater and impress social media is only going to lead to disappointments”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant afterwards.

This episode features Denis Asamoah,Co-founder of FORVR mood, a lifestyle brand focused on selfcare.

Denis Asamoah is an entrepreneur, brand development specialist, coach and former investment banker with Morgan Stanley.

In 2020 during the pandemic lockdown, Denis and his fiancee Jackie Aina co-founded and launched FORVR mood.They successfully self funded and scaled DTC to 7-digits within a few weeks.

Denis is passionate about the creator economy and is on a mission to empower more people of color to launch brands and flourish in their space.

Listen and enjoy as Denis talks to us about the creative economy and how he has successfully built a multimillion dollar business.

Denis’s reading list

The One Thing by Gary Keller
https://www.amazon.com/ONE-Thing-Surprisingly-Extraordinary-Results/dp/1885167776

The 4-hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss
https://www.amazon.com/4-Hour-Workweek-Escape-Live-Anywhere/dp/0307465357

Show Notes
2:07 Naming process for the owambe collection.
4:49 Was the owambe collection a PR stunt?
16:18 Cancel culture
22:40 Denis’s mental selfcare
26:57 Transition to the creators economy
33:36 Advice to creators.
38:25 How creators can leverage their relevance to diversify
38:40 Sephora partnership
43:13 How Denis deals with negative comments on social media.
48:47 Internal and external scorecards
51:19 Most significant encounter with failure
52:20 FORVR mood sales during the pandemic
54:33 How FORVR mood manages the shipping process
57:33 Denis’s reading list
1:01:11 What does being afropolitan mean to you?

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.
Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan
Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/
Afropolitan Community - https://linktr.ee/afropolitangroup

How Bitcoin Can Revolutionize Africa With Ray Youssef (CEO of Paxful)

Wed, 17 Aug 2022 15:54:45 GMT

Quote- “You don't have to raise funds to get validation. A lot of people will raise funds just for validation.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant afterwards.
This episode features Ray Youssef, CEO of ‘Paxful’ - a peer-to-peer bitcoin marketplace used by millions worldwide. As an immigrant from Egypt raised in New York, Ray has always been passionate about helping others.
Ray believes that education is important in creating equitable opportunities and through his non-profit organization, built with bitcoin he has been able to provide that for so many children in Africa.

He has always dreamed of a world where finance is accessible to everyone and that idea manifested as Paxful.
Listen and enjoy as Ray talks to us about the African crypto market and the exceptional human capital on the continent.

Ray’s reading list
King, Warrior, magician, lover : Rediscovering the Archetype of Mature Masculine by Robert Moore
https://www.amazon.com/King-Warrior-Magician-Lover-Rediscovering/dp/0062506064

The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous
https://www.amazon.com/Bitcoin-Standard-Decentralized-Alternative-Central/dp/1119473861

The fiat standard by Saifedean Ammous
https://www.amazon.com/Fiat-Standard-Slavery-Alternative-Civilization/dp/1544526474

History of Money by Jack Weatherford
https://www.amazon.com/History-Money-Jack-Weatherford/dp/0609801724

Show Notes

1:02 Mission and vision of Paxful.
5:19 African crypto market.
8:15 Advice to founders on navigating regulatory framework.
12:12 COVID-19 impact on Paxful.
13:35 Paxful approach to recruiting and retaining talent.
15:30 Advice to founders during fundraising process
18:02 The Mission of built with bitcoin.
22:51 Significant encounter with failure.
27:10 Ray’s reading list.
34:22 What does being Afropolitan mean to you?

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.
Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?
Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan
Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/
Afropolitan Community - https://linkt

How To Build A Decentralized Future with Adeniyi Abiodun (Co-founder and CPO, Mystenlabs)

Wed, 10 Aug 2022 14:30:02 GMT

Adeniyi Abiodun

Quote- “No one says you need to be an engineer or a PA for life. Nobody said you'll have one particular role for life but you can actually be capable of a lot more.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant afterwards.

This episode features Adeniyi Abiodun,co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Mysten labs. Mysten Labs is creating infrastructure and tools for the decentralized future.

Fedup by the red tape of Big Tech, Adeniyi together with three former facebook employees created mysten lab. A startup focused on web3 and block chain infrastructure.

They were instrumental in the development of the diem blockchain and move programming language. A cross-platform smart contract language that helps developers secure against exploits.

Adeniyi realized programming and writing applications was something he cared about and hasn't looked back ever since. His career cuts across finance, product and blockchain technology.

Adeniyi is passionate about leveraging deep tech to solve developer and consumer problems.
Listen and enjoy as Adeniyi talks to us about the newly launched Sui blockchain network and his experience fundraising for Mysten labs.

Adeniyi’s reading list

The Bible
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+holy+bible&adgrpid=84105609520&gclid=CjwKCAjwi8iXBhB
Radical Focus by Christina Wodtke
https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Focus-Achieving-Important-Objectives/dp/099600602
8
Inspired by Marty Cagan
https://www.amazon.com/INSPIRED-Create-Tech-Products-Customers/dp/1119387507

Show Notes
1:20 Journey to becoming CPO of mysten lab
4:19 Mysten lab’s vision
5:18 Sui’s role in the blockchain ecosystem
11:14 Decentralization VS Centralization
15:19 Advice to founders on recruiting and retaining talent
17:15 Gaming sector VS other sectors in the ecosystem
18:57 Advice to newcomers in the blockchain ecosystem
20:39 Most significant encounter with failure and lessons learned
23:50 Adeniyi’s reading list
25:36 Advice to founders on the fundraising process
The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.
Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?
Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan
Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/
Afropolitan Community - https://linktr.ee/afropolitangroup

Building A Legacy That Transcends with Naithan Jones (Former A16z Partner & Head Of Growth, Royal)

Wed, 03 Aug 2022 14:30:01 GMT

Naithan Jones

Quote - “There's a fundamental misunderstanding of how success actually happens, how success happens is, you pick something to work on, that you don't mind working on in the wee hours of the night, for 20 plus years”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant afterwards.

This episode features Naithan Jones, former partner at A16z and current Head of Growth at Royal. Royal enables anyone to own and earn royalties for their favorite songs.

In 2011, Naithan drove out to silicon valley in his 1994 Corolla with everything he owned and went on to build Ag local, an ecommerce startup that eventually folded up.He later joined Andreessen Horowitz(A16z) where he did amazing work for seven years.

Naithan is a tech executive with over 20 years background in market strategy with emphasis on entrepreneurship, startups and entertainment driven business.

Listen and enjoy as Naithan talks to us about the misconceptions about being a VC and royal’s mission to redistribute the ownership of digital property.

Naithan’s Twitter post
https://twitter.com/naithanjones/status/1550151720319303683?s=21

Naithan’s reading list

Hard Things About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=hard+thing+about+hard+things&adgrpid=82923967095&gclid=Cj

Cybernetics by Nobert Weiner
https://www.amazon.com/Cybernetics-Second-Control-Communication-Machine/dp/026273009X

The Human Use Of Human Beings by Nobert Weiner
https://www.amazon.com/Human-Use-Beings-Cybernetics-Society/dp/0306803208

Inner Engineering by Sadhguru
https://www.amazon.com/Inner-Engineering-Yogis-Guide-Joy/dp/0812997794

Man's Search For Meaning
https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/080701429X

The Black Jacobins by C.L.R James
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Jacobins-Toussaint-LOuverture-Revolution/dp/0679724672

Power vs Force by David Hawkins
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Force-David-Hawkins-M-D/dp/1401945074

Psychology Of Unconsciousness by C.G Jung
https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Unconscious-C-G-Jung/dp/0486424995

Show Notes
5:32 What inspired the mindset behind the tweet
11:25 How serving has changed Naithans’s perspective on life and humanity
17:11 Journey to Tech
24:43 Misconceptions about being a VC
33:15 Advice to founders
40:48 The role healing/therapy plays in dealing with past trauma
46:46 Royal’s mission
52:33 Naithan’s Reading list

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.
Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan
Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/
Afropolitan Community - https://linktr.ee/afropolitangroup

How Fintech Is Shaping The Future Of Banking With Tayo Oviosu (CEO OF Paga)

Wed, 27 Jul 2022 14:30:02 GMT

Tayo Oviosu

Quote- “A life of service is worth living.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant afterwards.

This episode features Tayo Oviosu, founder and group CEO Paga,a mobile payments company focused on digitizing cash in emerging economies.

The Stanford educated professional saw a huge opportunity in the financial service industry and came up with what is now paga.

With over 19 million users, paga is unrelenting in bringing financial services to the unbanked.

Listen and enjoy as Tayo talks to us about the impact of FinTech companies in Africa and how Paga aims to serve the unbanked.

Tayo’s reading list

True North by Bill George
https://www.amazon.com/True-North-Discover-Authentic-Leadership/dp/0787987514

My American Journey by Colin Powell
https://www.amazon.com/My-American-Journey-Colin-Powell/dp/0345466411

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
https://www.amazon.com/Shoe-Dog-Memoir-Creator-Nike-ebook/dp/B0176M1A44

Show Notes
1:33 Paga Mission
4:00 Has paga solved the pain point of carrying cash around in Nigeria
6:26 Unique challenges faced while starting paga
8:43 Fundraising challenges founders in Africa face
12:28 How paga has engaged regulatory bodies
15:58 Insights on agency banking model
22:01 How paga has been able to recruit and retain talent
25:52 Operational challenges paga faced during covid
30:01 leadership challenges
31:26 Books that have impacted Tayo’s life
36:05 First encounter with failure as an entrepreneur
42:46 Concept of product management in the tech ecosystem.

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.
Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan
Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/
Afropolitan Community - https://linktr.ee/afropolitangroup

Understanding NFTs with Deeze (Director of Vibes at Fractional)

Wed, 20 Jul 2022 14:30:02 GMT

Deeze's Quote

"Don't enjoy to the point where you're not doing hard work again and don't do hard work to the point where you don't take a moment to enjoy just a little bit."

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black community.

Today’s episode features Deeze, the Director of vibes at Fractional, a decentralized protocol that enables collective ownership and governance of one or more NFTs.

Deeze is most known for his outstanding work in supporting the NFT community, he hosts twitter spaces to spotlight up and coming artists with quality work in the scene.

Listen and enjoy as Deeze talks to us about everything from fractional and how he got started with NFTs.

Twitter thread
https://twitter.com/punk6529/status/1507787390114488322?

Deeze reading list

https://www.amazon.com/Million-Stuffed-Shark-Economics-Contemporary/dp/0230620590 The 12 Million Stuffed Shark by Don Thompson

https://www.amazon.com/Pre-Suasion-Robert-Cialdini-Ph-D-audiobook/dp/B01JAYK6HI/ref=sr_1_1? Pre-suasion by Robert Cialdini

https://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Robert-Cialdini/dp/006124189X Influence by Robert Cialdini

https://www.amazon.com/Lessons-History-Will-Durant/dp/143914995X/ref=sr_1_1? Lessons of history by Will and Ariel Durant

https://www.amazon.com/Tribe-Mentors-Short-Advice-World/dp/B082VM5VZN/ref=sr_1 _1? Tribe of Mentors by Will Ferriss

Show Notes
1:15 How did you get started with NFT
7:52 What are NFTs and what can be their use in the future
10:52 Journey to fractional
14:33 Owning a collectible with a group of strangers/ friends
17:21 Advice to newbies joining NFT projects
21:25 Pseudonymity within the NFT ecosystem
27:40 Thoughts on the Azuki scandal
34:50 Favorite books
39:03 Highs and lows of NFT
47:32 First encounter with failure and lessons learned.

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.
Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan
Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/
Afropolitan Community - https://linktr.ee/afropolitangroup

Investing with Empathy With Mercedes Bent (Partner at LightSpeed Ventures)

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 14:30:02 GMT

MERCEDES BENT

Quote - “one of the biggest, most profound realization I've had is there is no life path that can be planned or followed.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant afterwards.

This episode features Mercedes Bent, partner at Lightspeed, a venture capital firm based in the USA, with her focus on consumer investments in crypto.

Born in North Carolina and raised in California, Mercedes’ parents introduced her to web development at a young age and dinner table conversations were centered around the next invention. It’s no surprise Mercedes found herself working at startups in her early career as a Product Manager and later as a General Manager.

Mercedes’ path to VC is a true convergence of her life experiences, finance roles managing P&Ls at two consumer startups (including growing one from $2 to $100M in revenue), and her long-term goal of empowering communities she cares about.

A member of Lightspeed’s consumer and crypto investing team, Mercedes is primarily focused on investing in crypto, fintech, and other wealth-building and consumer products.

Listen and enjoy as Mercedes talks to us about venture capital.

Mercedes reading list
https://www.amazon.com/Anne-Green-Gables-Complete-8-Book/dp/0553609416 Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery.

https://www.amazon.com/Singularity-Nearer-Ray-Kurzweil-ebook/dp/B08Y6FYJVY The Singularity Is Nearer by Ray Kurzweil

Show Notes
6:59 Journey to Venture Capital and Lightspeed
8:41 Evaluating startups
11:00 Common misconceptions about VC
12:40 Why Lightspeed
15:01 Covid’s impact on deal flow and personally
17:41 How the barrier can be broken for women trying to raise capital
21:25 First encounter with failure and lessons learned.
24:17 Advice to founders struggling to recruit and retain talent
28:24 Advice to people trying to break into VC
29:51 If the only thing left in the world was to read a book about your life, what will the title be
33:41 What does being Afropolitan mean to you

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.
Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan
Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/
Afropolitan Community - https://linktr.ee/afropolitangroup

The Bet That Paid Off with Atsu Davoh (Founder of Bitsika)

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 14:30:03 GMT

Atsu Davoh

Quote- “Focus on the process, the destination will eventually come but the process is what gets you there.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black community.

Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant afterwards.

This episode features Atsu Davoh, the MD of Bitsika, a payment platform that helps people send money across countries.

With several startups under his belt, Atsu has always been determined to build his multi million dollar company and he seems to have achieved that with Bitsika. While in college in the United states Atsu realized school wasn't for him.

Atsu was more interested in building websites, working on small projects, learning HTML and CSS.He eventually dropped out and focused on entrepreneurship full time, a move that has eventually paid off.

Bitsika was a pioneer in afrobeats and fintech collaboration. In 2020, they signed renowned music giant Davido as an official brand ambassador. This partnership was a pivotal moment for the organization as it led to the acquisition of numerous customers.

Listen and enjoy as Atsu talks to us about building Bitsika and future plans.

Atsu reading list
AntiFragile by Nicholas Taleb
The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous
Inventing Bitcoin by Yan Pritzker

Show notes:
4:55 How Atsu scales ideas as a software engineer and technical founder.

8:25 How Bitsika plans to accommodate the central bank of Nigeria's regulation on crypto companies.

16:36 The process of engaging Davido as a brand ambassador and the results after the campaign was launched.

30:10 challenges with hiring and maintaining talent as a startup in Africa.

37:39 The promise of crypto and decentralization.

42:28 Atsu’s entrepreneurial mind set.

48:37 First experience with failure and lesson learnt.

1:02:03 What does being Afropolitan mean to Atsu

1:03:45 Mission behind the social tokens and what it represents in the crypto ecosystem.

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.
Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan
Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

Hard Work is King with Gossy Ukanwoke (Managing Director of Betking)

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 14:30:02 GMT

Gossy Ukanwoke

Quote
"Don't enjoy to the point where you're not doing hard work again and don't do hard work to the point where you don't take a moment to enjoy just a little bit."

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black community.

Today’s episode features Gossy Ukanwoke, the MD of KingMakers, owners of the BetKing brand.

With Gossy at the helm of affairs, the brand is evolving to encompass sports entertainment and gaming services. “It’s not just a roadside gambling company, it’s a proper technology business. It’s a product in gaming. It can easily be a fintech company tomorrow, given the spread across the continent, the number of users, the number of transactions. It can roll it out and it can be anything.”

Gossy started out reselling Internet services in his late teens to wealthy customers, at a time when wireless routers were not yet commonplace.

The Internet service provider caught on to what Gossy was doing and in no time, he found himself out of business. “You know when they say, cut you at the knees, day by day, my clients were just dropping off one by one.”

It was a steep learning curve for him, but the lessons he learned would serve him well in the future.

Listen and find out what those lessons are.

You can also fuel your mind with Gossy’s impactful reading list.

https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others/dp/0066620996 Good To Great by Jim Collins

https://www.amazon.com/Talent-Never-Enough-Discover-Choices/dp/0785214038 Talent is never Enough by John C Maxwell
https://www.amazon.com/Sprint-Solve-Problems-Test-Ideas/dp/1442397683 Sprint by Jake Knapp

Show Notes:
11:05 Gossy mentions one of the things people don’t really talk about in entrepreneurship?

14:55 Gossy talks about his boat business and building confidence in a low-trust environment.

19:42 First and best entrepreneurial experience ever as a reseller of Internet services and lessons learned.

31:21 How he created Beni American University. Building out a school that will address the issues of access, quality and relevance.

42:19 From bootstrapping to fundraising.

46:10: BetKing's growth and expansion.

50:50 What’s important when it comes to recruiting the right talent.

52:33 Gossy’s biggest leadership lessons in managing people

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.
Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan
Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

We Rise By Lifting Others With Eke Eleanya Urum (Founder And CEO Of Risevest)

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 13:35:14 GMT

Eke Eleanya Urum

Quote: “Start up is a Marathon. You want to make sure that the value you're creating, you're not just building for investors because you sold too much too early.”

The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black community.

Today’s episode features Eke Eleanya Urum, Founder and CEO of Rise Vest - a dollar denominated investment platform.

“I've always been passionate about finance, investments. It's what I studied in school, what I worked in, it’s what I did personally. And as a hobby, I just love it.”

Following the peak of the Shale revolution and the subsequent crash of oil prices, Eke published a blog post in November of 2014 advising people to find ways to move their money to dollar investments.

He went on to co-found BuyCoins with Timi Ajiboye. They later parted ways so that Eke could focus on building core investment products, and this eventually led to the start of Rise Vest.

Having to deal with regulatory challenges from the government taught Eke a thing or two about the rules of engagement when dealing with regulators.

Listen and enjoy as Eke takes us through the rise of Rise Vest

Eke’s reading list

The Bible
https://www.amazon.com/Alchemist-Paulo-Coelho-ebook/dp/B00U6SFUSS/ The Alchemist by Paul Coelho
https://www.amazon.com/Zero-One-Notes-Startups-Future-ebook/dp/B00J6YBOFQ/ Zero To One by Peter Thiel
Show Notes:
03:57 How 2021 Rise Vest’s year of ascent.
05:46 The idea that became Rise Vest.

07:09 Starting BuyCoins with Timi Ajiboye.

08:02 Parting ways with Timi and BuyCoins.

08:17 The beginning of Rise Vest.

10:18 Eke talks about recruiting tech talent even if you are a non-tech founder.

11:06 Partnerships that work. How Eke met his co-founder Bosun Olanrewaju.

11:49 Building the first products at Rise Vest

12:35 Building the team at Rise Vest

13:22 How equity works at Rise Vest.

14:24 The process of fundraising according to Eke

17:54 Dealing with regulators. The cases with CBN and EFCC.

23:25 The founders who inspire Eke.

26:24 Eke’s thoughts on running a company in Nigeria versus going abroad.

29:20 The future of Crypto in Africa and why it should be embraced

34:13 Eke’s multiple lens on failure.

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.
Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan
Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

The Power Of Connectivity With Adia Sowho (CMO Of MTN Nigeria)

Wed, 15 Jun 2022 14:35:45 GMT

Quote:
“I often say to people that you want to be careful how you challenge yourself. You don't want to change too many things at once when changing a job.”

Today’s episode features Adia Sowho, the CMO of MTN Nigeria, and also the first woman to occupy that position.

“I'm not a classic CMO, but interestingly, I think I'm the CMO the tech company needs. I hope to try to, from my role, reconnect MTN to that deeper purpose and start taking the conversation forward. What happens beyond connectivity? How do we make MTN a part of the next bunch of unicorn stories?”

Starting with her first degree in Electrical Engineering, Adia’s career has cut across technology, telecommunications, and finance.

Adia has been referred to as the Sheryl Sandberg of the startup ecosystem and later as the Olivia Pope of the Nigerian tech ecosystem.

Listen and learn how Adia built her track record of creating impactful work in her positions.

Adia’s Reading List
https://www.amazon.com/Sovereign-Individual-James-Dale-Davidson-ebook/dp/B00AK9IXXM-The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg
https://www.amazon.com/Formula-Universal-Laws-Success-ebook/dp/B07B863X6B/- The Formula by Albert-László Barabási

Show Notes:
03:42 Adia talks about her role as the CMO of MTN Nigeria?

07:03 Adia explains MTN’s position in the tech space.

12:02 How digital finance services help build legacy and trust.

16:32 On corporate companies versus startups.

21:44 Why founders need structure in their companies.

24:37 The turnaround process of Thrive Agric.

29:46 How to navigate intergenerational spaces.

35:56 Building synergy between fintechs, banks and telcos.

39:36 How managing her reputation and making relationship investments have paid off.

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.
Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan
Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/

Introducing Afropolitan: A Digital Nation With Eche Emole & Chika Uwazie.

Wed, 08 Jun 2022 14:46:30 GMT

Afropolitan is creating a digital nation to enable Africans and the diaspora to build abundant lives. Our history as Africans is one of abundance. Systemic oppression has limited our progress, and being Black is associated with scarcity. It is time to reclaim our abundance.

Our knowledge and history have been passed down in Africa through oral tradition. That oral tradition continues till this day, but today we call it podcasting. We seek to preserve our history, achievements, and knowledge for today and the future.

This episode features Eche Emole and Chika Uwazie, co-founders of Afropolitan, a digital nation that enables Africans and the diaspora to build abundant lives.

Eche is the co-founder of Afropolitan, a network comprising the best that Africa and the diaspora offer across art, finance, tech, and media. Eche is a former executive at Flutterwave Inc., a payment technology company focused on helping banks and businesses provide seamless and secure payment experiences for their customers in Africa and globally. Eche has 10 years of experience building communities across the African Diaspora.

Chika is co-founder of Afropolitan. A seasoned HR professional with multiple successful companies under her belt. Born and raised in America, Chika moved back to Nigeria to run Talentbase, a human resource and payroll software company. Chika is passionate about helping export exceptional African talent to the world.

The Afropolitan Manifesto: https://afropolitan.mirror.xyz
How to Start a Country by Balaji Srinivasan - https://1729.com/how-to-start-a-new-country

Eche’s reading list
Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The Almanack of Naval Ravikan by Eric Jorgenson
The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida
How to start a new country by Balaji Srinivasan

Chika’s reading list
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert kiyosaki
The Psychology of money by Morgan Housel
The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene

Show Notes
10:15 Introduction of co founders.
13:15 Birth and transition of Afropolitan.
18:09 Afropolitan mission and why it's personal.
36:00 How to execute the Afropolitan mission.
46:41 Experience with the fundraising process.
50:37 Advice to founders trying to raise capital.
55:47 Most significant encounter with failure and lessons learned.
1:14:48 What does being Afropolitan mean?
1:18:22 Last words.

The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.
Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to learn more about Afropolitan?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan
Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/
Afropolitan Community - https://linktr.ee/afropolitangroup

Introducing: Afropolitan Season 2

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 17:00:00 GMT

Hi I'm Eche, co-founder of Afropolitan and host of the Afropolitan Podcast, In this new season I’m excited to share what we’ve been up to.

Afropolitan is creating a digital nation to enable Africans and the diaspora to build abundant lives. Our history as Africans is one of abundance. Systemic oppression has limited our progress and being Black is associated with scarcity. It is time to reclaim our abundance.

In Africa, our knowledge and history has been passed down through oral tradition. That oral tradition continues till this day, but today we call it podcasting.

We seek to preserve our history, achievements and knowledge not just for today, but for the future.

Listen to season two of the Afropolitan podcast, where we extract the blueprints of fearlessness, innovation and progress from Afropolitan citizens who are building the future of a bold and progressive nation.

Join the network of abundance → https://linktr.ee/afropolitangroup
Afropolitan Website → https://www.afropolitan.io/

Folasanwo Olatunji - Building Curiosity In African Start Up

Sun, 28 Nov 2021 17:24:51 GMT

Today we chat with Fola Olatunji David, the co-founder of Kickoff Africa; a startup focused on investing in startups, enabling quick turnaround time with regards to decision making for startups and connecting experts to startups and also offers training in select fields needed to grow a startup.

In this episode, he shares his story about his foray into tech and how his experience and extensive knowledge of
Sports betting
Venture Capitalism and
Product Marketing has helped him to understand African users and become a better consultant for startups.

The Future of Trucking with Tobenna Arodiogbu of CloudTrucks

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 19:55:51 GMT

In this episode, our guest is Tobenna Arodiogbu. He is the Co-founder and CEO of CloudTrucks.

His interest in the trucking business led him to found Scotty Labs, a startup that allows users to remotely control autonomous vehicle. He currently runs CloudTrucks a startup that enables truckers get more revenue, better cash flow and reduces their cost of operation.

Listen to Tobenna as he shares his story about his formative days in the world of economics and how the knowledge helped him transition to the world of tech.

Sodiq Onifade - Finding your voice with Wurld

Fri, 29 Oct 2021 15:37:23 GMT

In this episode, our guest is Sadiq Onifade popularly known as Wurld.

He is a Nigerian singer and songwriter who has collaborated with artists such as Akon, Mario, Timbaland; award-winning producer Sarz and electronic dance music DJ Major Lazer.

Listen to Wurld as he shares his story of his early days as a singer and songwriter navigating the music industry in Atlanta and Africa; his favorite artist to record with and his plans for the future.

Odun Eweniyi - a Co-Founder To A Venture Capitalist

Fri, 22 Oct 2021 15:48:21 GMT

Episode 1 of the bonus episodes of the Afropolitan Podcast.

In this episode, our guest is Odun Ewenyi. She is the Co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of Piggyvest and the co-founder of Wine and Whine and Feminist Coalition.

Listen to Odun as she shares her story about her entrepreneurial journey into Fintech, the birth and sustenance of Piggyvest and the active role played during the October Protest.

Building an African Unicorn - Iyinoluwa Aboyeji

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 17:31:31 GMT

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji
Today, we chat with Iyinoluwa Samuel Aboyeji, a Nigerian entrepreneur. He is a co-founder of the tech companies, Andela and Flutterwave.
He is also the general partner and co-founder of Future Africa, a platform that provides capital, coaching, and community for mission-driven innovators.

In this episode, Iyin demystifies the process of building a start-up, knowing when to step back, and staying driven.

Affiong Williams - Driving agribusiness in Nigeria

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 15:17:46 GMT

Today, we chat with Affiong Williams also known as Affisuparstar, the CEO/ Founder of ReelFruit the largest fruit processing, packaging and marketing company in Nigeria. The company, founded in 2012, retails a range of dried fruit and nut snacks through a variety of channels including over 450 Supermarkets, Airlines, Schools, Hotels, and concluding export sales via Amazon.com ReelFruit is an award-winning brand, winning both an international Women In Business Competition in the Netherlands. She has also been recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the most promising ’30 under 30′ entrepreneurs in 2015. Affiong is passionate about agribusiness and looking at innovative, market-driven solutions to add value to local produce given Nigeria’s unique agricultural landscape.

In this episode, Affi tells us the story of her journey, her evolution and reinvention.

Now let’s head over to Affi.

Obi Asika - The Mogul

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 19:03:23 GMT

Today we chat with Obi Asika a Nigerian creative industries entrepreneur. He is known for his involvement in the growth of Nigeria’s music industry, as the founder and CEO of Storm 360 - an indigenous music label that spawned entertainers including Naeto C, Ikechukwu, Sasha P, General Pype, L.O.S., Ms. Jaie, Tosin Martins, and Yung 6ix.
He is a founding partner of Dragon Africa - a Strategic Communications Firm based in London, Lagos, and Accra, and is the Chairman of OutSource Media, a leading communications and content production company. Asika also sits on the board of the Collecting Society of Nigeria (COSON)., and is a prominent figure in laying the infrastructure for the growth and development of the media & entertainment industry.
In this episode, Obi tells us the story of his journey, his evolution, and his reinvention.
Now let’s head over to Obi.

Dayo Koleowo - Investing In Africa

Fri, 03 Sep 2021 14:14:22 GMT

Today, we chat with Dayo Koleowo, Managing Partner at Microtraction, a venture capital firm backing the most remarkable African tech founders at their earliest stage. He oversees Investments, Portfolio Management, and Investor Relations. He manages and supports a portfolio of companies solving important local problems on the continent. These companies have gone on to raise a combined total of $33m+ and have a combined valuation of approximately $147m+

In this episode, Dayo tells us the story of his journey, his evolution, and his reinvention.
Now let’s head over to Dayo.

Bizzle Osikoya - Plugging African Talent

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 14:26:40 GMT

Today we chat with Abiodun Osikoya, also known as Bizzle Osikoya. Bizzle is a man in constant demand. A&R, music executive, entrepreneur, renowned culture middleman, and social media influencer with his hand in many pies.
Bizzle Osikoya joined the Nigerian music industry from creating MySpace pages for artists.
Asa Asika & Bizzle both joined forces to create The Plug Entertainment.
Under his shared guidance with Asa Asika, The Plug Entertainment has expanded, booking tours across the world, consulting for international culture-affiliated companies.

In this episode, Bizzle tells us the story of his journey, his evolution and reinvention.
Now let’s head over to Bizzle.

Now let’s go chat with Bizzle

The Art of Reinvention with Mawuli Gavor

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 15:36:12 GMT

Today we chat with Mawuli Gavor a Ghanaian accountant turned actor, model, TV presenter, entrepreneur, and producer. Gavor was born in Ghana. He studied business and finance at Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.
Gavor started out in the entertainment industry as a model while in the US as an undergraduate of business management and finance. Upon returning to Ghana, he began his career as an accountant. He however became a brand ambassador to Martini in 2013 and changed his career path. He transitioned into acting in Nollywood movies and is known for the movie Obsession. He has gone on to act in multiple other productions.
In this episode, Mawuli tells us the story of his journey, his evolution, and his reinvention.
Now let’s head over to Mawuli.

Measure what matters with Preston Ideh

Fri, 13 Aug 2021 12:42:56 GMT

Today, we chat with Preston Ideh, the Co-founder and CEO of Stears, a digital information start-up based out of Lagos, Nigeria.
Stears’ mission is to make it possible for anyone, anywhere in the world, to access high-quality data on Africa. Stears publishes Stears Business, a subscription-driven business publication. In this episode, Preston Ideh tells us the story of his journey, his evolution and reinvention.

Preston is an entrepreneur who previously worked as a corporate finance lawyer at Linklaters, one of Europe’s elite Magic Circle law firms. He graduated from the London School of Economics before moving back to Nigeria to focus on building Stears, which is now tipped to become the Bloomberg of Africa.
Now let’s head over to Preston.

Disrupting The African Music Industry - Asa Asika

Fri, 06 Aug 2021 21:00:10 GMT

Today, we chat with Asa Asika, a Nigerian entertainment consultant. He is the manager of the popular Nigerian musician, Davido; Guinness World Record holder DJ Obi and co-founder of the artiste management company, The Plug.
He founded an artiste management company called Stargaze and managed talents like Ayojay, Bojonthemicrophone.
Asa Asika is the cousin of Naeto C and nephew of Nigerian Entertainment business mogul, Obi Asika. In this episode, Asa Asika tells us the story of his journey, his evolution and reinvention.
Now let's head over to Asa.

Building For The Future - Yele Bademosi

Fri, 30 Jul 2021 10:13:26 GMT

Today, we chat with Yele Bademosi, CEO at Bundle Africa, the Africa-focused social payments app for cash and crypto, aiming to drive crypto adoption in Africa and bringing more economic freedom and prosperity to all Africans. Yele is focused on developing the blockchain ecosystem in Africa, accelerating Africa’s transition into a sustainable and developed economy by leveraging capital, innovation, and policy.
He is a Founding Partner at Microtraction, which funds Africa’s most remarkable teams at early-stage startups across multiple sectors including finance and cryptocurrency... In this episode, Yele Bademosi tells us the story of his journey, his evolution, and reinvention.
Now let’s head over to Yele.

Afropolitan - The Journey Of Dénola Grey

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 02:36:13 GMT

Today, we chat with Adenola Adepetun, known as Dénola Grey. Denola is a fashion consultant, actor, writer and on-air multimedia personality.

In this episode, Denola tells us how he was able to move away from the black and white restrictions in the fashion industry and live as a successful creative in all the grey areas.

Now let’s head over to Denola

Afropolitan - The Evolution of M.I

Fri, 16 Jul 2021 09:28:44 GMT

Today, we chat with Jude Abaga better known as M.I, one of Africa’s greatest rappers.

In this episode, M.I. tells us the story of his journey, his evolution, and how he continues to remain center stage.

Now let’s go meet M.I.

Trailer

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 23:56:19 GMT