Boardroom Banter

Jasiel didn’t always know he would find himself in the startup world, but after an early career on Wall Street, he realized the need to rethink how we support and invest in Africa’s most exciting entrepreneurs. 

Hailing from Ghana, Jasiel is the Africa Investment Officer at Accion Venture Lab where he leads the growth of a dynamic portfolio of finance technology startups. In this episode, we uncover Jasiel’s unconventional journey into the venture capital industry, and his fascinating insights as to why more investors need to focus on women-led startups in particular. With a deep belief in the transformational power of entrepreneurship in Africa, Jasiel brings a refreshing and reflective perspective on how we should go about building and investing in companies that have world-changing potential! 

Join us for yet another exciting episode in The Boardroom this week!

In this week’s episode, we delve into the extraordinary journey of Nicole Glaros, a seasoned entrepreneur and dedicated business mentor. 

Nicole's unique perspective is profoundly shaped by her early childhood experiences, which instilled in her strong beliefs about independence, wealth creation, and the essence of entrepreneurship. Her remarkable journey began in college when she founded her first company. Despite her lack of a traditional business background, she achieved resounding success with her initial venture but also encountered failures in subsequent endeavors, which she recounts in our conversation.

Nicole’s background in sports psychology instilled in her a profound understanding of the parallels between athletes and entrepreneurs. Drawing on these parallels, she highlights the similarities and distinctions between entrepreneurship and athletics- underscoring the vital role of mental performance in both athletics and entrepreneurship in providing a competitive edge.

Nicole rounds off her insights by emphasizing the fundamental role of storytelling in human nature. She encourages entrepreneurs to craft a compelling narrative about their brand and to concentrate on offering genuine value to the people they serve.

Hop into this episode with yet another industry expert with a treasure trove of wisdom and perspective on achieving success through authenticity and a mental capacity for winning.

Armed with a heart for learning and development and an entrepreneurial spirit, Allie Danziger has been shaping the school-to-work transition for thousands of graduates across the USA. 

In this episode, we unpack how her unique upbringing and early work experience opened her eyes up to the challenges and opportunities facing young professionals globally and the incredible solutions that she birthed as a result. From scaling her skills training startup and getting acquired by the nation’s leading student loans and training provider, we explore Allie’s inspiring journey to date while unpacking key lessons learned along the way. 

Join us in the Boardroom to explore the skills, exposure, and experiences that could shape you into a successful early professional and entrepreneur, no matter your interests and aspirations!

Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Wendy Mubaiwa moved to the UK in her teens. 

After her studies, she embarked on an unconventional career path that eventually led to an exciting journey in the startup world. With entrepreneurial parents as role models, she was drawn into the world of entrepreneurship from a young age. Today, Wendy’s passion and expertise shine as she serves as a Venture Partner at esya, a venture studio and venture capital firm that partners with entrepreneurs to create, invest, launch, and scale ventures of the future.

Outside of esya, Wendy helps solo founders and co-founding teams to bring their business ideas to life. In this episode, we will dive deep into the essential steps for students and professionals looking to kickstart their entrepreneurial journeys, starting from a simple side hustle and scaling it to new heights. 

Join us as we uncover the incredible insights Wendy has gained as an entrepreneur and advocate for founders. She firmly believes that with the right support systems, anyone who has the passion and drive can become a thriving entrepreneur!

In this captivating episode, Nanjero takes us on a journey through his career at the crossroads of sports, entertainment, and technology. As a passionate enabler and General Manager at Sol Generation, he shares his mission of nurturing talent within these dynamic industries.

Drawing from his diverse educational experiences across different countries and his exposure to varied cultures, Nanjero discusses the pivotal role that travel and mentorship have played in shaping his journey. He further sheds light on the people who have played an instrumental role in his journey and the skills he has acquired along the way that have propelled his success today.

With an insider's perspective on the sports landscape in Kenya, he underscores the urgent need for sustainable infrastructure and ecosystems to foster grassroots growth in this sector. Additionally, he highlights critical issues plaguing the entertainment industry, such as the lack of professionalism amongst stakeholders and knowledge gaps, which leave artists vulnerable in the absence of robust government policies and regulatory structures.

Nanjero passionately advocates for a global mindset that prioritizes the cultivation of value-driven societies, harnessing the transformative potential of the creative industry to forge lasting impact.

Join us for this enlightening discussion at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology- guided by an industry trailblazer with a vision for positive change.

With a fundamental belief in people and their ability to do good, Isaac Kwaku takes us on a fascinating journey through his life’s mission to create a prosperous Africa built by us, for us. 

At the cutting edge of research, economic development and investment advisory at Botho Emerging Markets Group and Amahoro Coalition, this week's guest shares a remarkable new model to approach how we as Africans see ourselves and the problems around us: Afro-Optimism. 

In this episode, we take a walk through Isaac’s impressive career and life’s work through a refreshing and unique lens. We talked about how a solution-oriented mindset and a deep love for our African heritage is the foundation for building a continent that is not only progressive but one that is shaped by us once and for all. 

Join us in the Boardroom to learn about the geopolitical and cultural trends shaping our collective future, and how we can all play our part!

Is it possible to do well while doing good in Africa? 

This week in the Boardroom, we spoke to Ebenezer Asante, the Senior Vice President for Markets at MTN Group, whose leadership and business philosophy left us speechless. Hailing from Ghana and with a footprint of impact and success across the continent, Ebenezer firmly believes that it is possible to prioritize ethics and integrity while simultaneously delivering stellar profits and business growth! 

In this episode, we unpack the stories, strategies and ideas that have shaped Ebenezer into a global executive whose track record is as clean as it is impressive. As we dig into the psychology of the African consumer, we also explored the tactics and mindset needed in order to build products and businesses that will stand the test of time. 

Join us for yet another fascinating conversation with a doer and thinker like no other!

From growing up in rural Kenya to standing at the forefront of building and using cutting-edge technologies over the past 20 years- Joseph Makokha joins us in the Boardroom this week to unpack a life and career unlike no other.

Joseph currently holds a Ph.D. and Master's degree from Stanford University and practices research and engineering at the intersection of people and technology. 

In research, he studies the role of Artificial intelligence (AI) in creative, high-performing teams. As an engineer, he designs and implements Deep Learning and AI models and takes leading-edge technologies from concepts to real products and services. In this episode, Joseph explores the role that leading universities like Stanford have had in shaping the future of global technology trends, and how their counterparts in the global south can create a similar impact.  Joseph takes us down his incredible journey of building successful startups and the lessons he has learned about life, business, and technology. 

Join us in the Boardroom for another guest episode taking a deep dive into the life of a true visionary!!

While at the helm of a fast-growing and thriving pan-African healthcare company, failure was a far-fetched concept to Steven Adjei. Until it wasn’t. 

After scaling into unknown territories and encountering multiple crippling setbacks, years of work and hard-earned capital went down the drain. In this episode, we sat down with Steven to unpack the realities of scaling profitable businesses in Africa, his renewed relationship with failure and the incredible multi-million-dollar comeback he was able to pull off. 

Steven is also the best-selling author of “Pay the Price”, an award-winning book that outlines the tools entrepreneurs need to adopt to deal with the gravity of their dreams and the realities of tragic setbacks in our journeys. 

Join us in the boardroom to learn how to leverage failure and pain in order to build resilience and an unshakable vision for your future!

Hailing from the gold coast, and currently breaking barriers in Britain, this week's guest, Akosua Bame, is an accomplished management consultant with a very specific skillset: Reviving dying corporations through mindset transformation. 

After 20 years of success in her craft, Akosua has pioneered a unique and trademarked approach to catalyzing change that starts with the mind of an individual. In our conversation, we use her Mindset Revolution™  Concept and HEARD ™ approach to unpack the fundamental psychology of why people, families, organizations, and nations at large, either succeed or fail. We embark on a reflective journey of why we act the way we do, and how nations like Rwanda have used the power of collective behavioral change to initiate and sustain long-term growth. 

At the end of the day, Akosua argues, it is not our hopes and aspirations that will make our lives and communities successful, but an intentionally crafted system of psychological and cultural incentives and activities! 

In this fascinating episode, we are challenged to see the bigger picture, by first looking within. 

Join us for another incredible deep dive into the life journey and craft of an industry leader unlike any other.

This week in the Boardroom, we had a fascinating conversation with Ilya Strebulaev, the Unicorn Whisperer. Over his 20-year career at the center of Silicon Valley’s startup gold rush, he has turned the art of investing in startups through Venture Capital and Private Equity, into a science. 

He is a tenured Professor of Finance and Private Equity at Stanford Graduate School of Business and a leading authority on venture capital, innovation, and entrepreneurship. In this episode, we dug deep into his insights on how the VC industry has evolved over time, what challenges and opportunities entrepreneurs and investors face in the current market, what makes Silicon Valley’s ecosystem unique and what lessons can be learned by other regions. Professor Ilya also describes some of the common mistakes and best practices investors make when valuing, selecting, and scaling companies. 

Listen in for an eye-opening glimpse into the future of VC and the new wave of groundbreaking innovations across the world. 

Whether you are an aspiring or seasoned entrepreneur, investor, or simply curious about the world of tech startups and innovation, you don’t want to miss this episode!

In this week's episode, we dive into a conversation on the extraordinary life and work of Ahva Sadeghi, a changemaker leading the evolution of digital talent pipelines as a social entrepreneur, economist and C.E.O of Symba. 

Through deep reflections on culture and identity, Ahva shares childhood experiences, pivotal moments in her early career, and the fascinating evolution of her identity through the lens of her life’s work. We discover the inspiring journey that led Ahva to co-found an award-winning tech startup dedicated to democratizing workplace access through internships and apprenticeships in the USA, with global ambitions underway. 

Ahva also discusses the nuance behind how she built Symba, intentionally optimizing their solution to be attractive to investors as well as the final users. We also discuss the power of co-founder relationships and her approach to dealing with uncertainty. 

Brace yourselves for eye-opening insights into the future of early talent development in both the developing and developed world, alongside Ahva revealing Symba's impressive global growth aspirations! 

Forever on the move, forever setting trends, forever doing that which they say cannot be done, G-Money is a man that lives up to his motto. 

As a UK-born, Jamaican-rooted and Kenyan-bred international DJ, radio host and events extraordinaire, Gmoney has a lifetime of experience building communities around the prevailing sounds of a generation. 

In this episode, we explore how a multicultural upbringing and a life of travel have shaped and birthed the media personality we know today as well as the never heard before experiences and life stories that made him who he is today. In this profound and fascinating conversation, G Money opens up like never before, threading a hilarious, colorful, and rich story of his never-ending journey in pursuit of craft excellence. 

Some know him as a radio personality, others know him for bringing in some of the world's biggest acts to perform in Kenya, and others know him as a friend or colleague. Join us in the Boardroom to deconstruct the man behind the legend.

In the increasingly globalized world that we live in, it’s important for us to learn how to be keepers of our values as Africans as we live and work in different multicultural environments.

In today’s episode, we welcome Wadzanayi Mutema (Wadzy) to the Boardroom to unpack what it truly means to be culture custodians and global citizens. Wadzy is from Zimbabwe and has expansive experience working in various African countries such as South Africa, Mozambique, Uganda, Namibia as well as in Europe. 

She breaks down how living and working in multicultural environments has nurtured her ability to assimilate and adapt- and how she has translated such skills in identifying gaps in the workplace and designing solutions.Wadzy draws some comparisons between work culture in Africa and in Finland where she currently works and emphasizes how important it is to learn from the West but also be keepers of our own values as Africans when working in these different parts of the world.

With the advent of digital payments and similar finance innovations across Africa, important questions surface about the future of money, it’s role in our society and the tools that will eventually stand the test of time. 

To answer these questions we spoke to Tauriq Keraan, a digital payments veteran, former C.E.O of South Africa’s first digital bank known as Tyme Bank and the current Group Executive of Growth Projects at Tyme Group. In this conversation, we unpack the role that fintech and financial services have played in alleviating poverty, unlocking opportunities and disrupting traditional finance models across the global south. 

We also explore how Tauriq’s personal journey to pursue financial freedom early in his life, instilled a passion for equipping others who come from humble beginnings with wealth-building tools.  

Join us for another insightful guest episode discussion in the boardroom about the future of money, crafting a high-impact career and cryptocurrency in Africa.

NEWS:

From the peak of a stellar, accomplished and global career as a Fortune 500 executive, this week's guest reflects on the composition of what success means to us as Africans.

After spending 30 years building global brands, championing development and mobilizing cutting-edge ideas, Yaw Nsarkoh sits down with us to unpack the composition of the modern-day Pan-African.

In this episode, we take a walk down history lane, understanding Africa's complex struggle to decolonize and find her identity and the movements and icons that shaped our present. Yaw unpacks and investigates deep revelations about Africa's social, political and economic situation, unlike anyone we have ever spoken to before on the podcast.

Armed with a realistic view of our strengths as a people and his brilliant visibility as the former Executive Vice President of Global Markets at Unilever, Yaw hands us a blueprint for Africa's 21st Century rebirth into a potential global superpower.

Join us in the Boardroom for yet another inspiring, insightful and provocative learning experience with a real African Giant.

We've all dreamt about it: getting into Stanford, Harvard, Oxford, you name it!

But oftentimes we stop in our tracks and give in to our doubts... am I talented enough? Are my grades good enough? Do they even know the obscure local schools I went to? Do they really consider people like me?

In this episode, we spoke to Breauna Marie Spencer- the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within the Computer Science department at Stanford University. Her renowned research and advocacy work is dedicated to increasing the number of women and students of color enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

We discussed the historical myths, lived realities and barriers often set up to hinder minority groups from accessing elite universities and how her life's work has cumulated in breaking barriers and creating easier access for minorities to achieve their dreams at Stanford and beyond.

Join us as we unpack the life and work of one of the most dedicated, fun and accomplished diversity and inclusion experts in the game. Who knows, she might have just given us the blueprint for our next higher education adventure at a world-renowned university.

How are you? Like really, how are you feeling?

This week's Founder-in-Studio collaboration brings into focus a topic loved and appreciated in the Boardroom: Wellness. As high-energy, ambitious entrepreneurs, young professionals and go-getters- we sometimes need to sit down with ourselves and those around us for a quick P.E.N check. Khushbu Kotak, a mental health advocate and the C.E.O. of Salama Minds joins us in the Boardroom as we investigate the cultural similarities and nuances in African and Asian communities surrounding our attitudes on mental health and wellness.

Join us as we explore how historical events, the weather and our varied upbringings dictate our relationship with our minds as we get older.

To find out more about Khushbu and the amazing work that she does check out this link:

Welcome to our 100th episode! With reflection and gratitude being guiding values in the Boardroom, we decided to bring back one of our first and most impactful guests, Dr. Mzamo Masito, the Chief Marketing Officer for Google Africa.

In this special episode, we explore the unique power of our minds and our ability to turn our situations, no matter how complex and varied, into success. Dr. Mzamo guides us along on his personal journey of transcending the limiting beliefs he had about wealth, time, freedom and accomplishment. We also deconstruct the opportunities presently available to African youth and our role in designing a future we can be proud of. We could not imagine a better way to cross into our 100th episode milestone.

Join us in the Boardroom to unpack the mindset, beliefs and stories behind one of our continent's most revered and accomplished thinkers.

As changemakers in the making or in practice, a dilemma often faced is the disconnect between our everyday lives and those of the people we want to help or empower.

This week’s founder-in-studio, Ziyaan Virji, born and raised in Tanzania, tells us the fascinating story behind “For the Menstruator"- an international social impact enterprise tackling period poverty. As someone who is definitely not a menstruator, Ziyaan breaks down the process and psychology that went into him launching and scaling his non-profit as well as the insane challenges along the way. 

From hilarious encounters to lessons on building successful social enterprises- we all take account of our collective journeys as founders and what our purpose is on a larger scale as humans with a calling to help our fellow man. 

Join us in the Boardroom for another insightful and laid-back conversation.

Discover the secrets to unlocking your leadership potential with Steve Boehlke, a global consulting expert and master facilitator of leadership. In this episode, we delve deep into the importance of authenticity and personal identity in leadership and explore strategies for identifying and addressing the blind spots that may be holding one back from unleashing their leadership potential.

By distilling 30 years of experience working with leading multinational corporations and social entrepreneurs- Steve shares valuable insights on how to strike a balance between productivity and reflection, delegating effectively, and promoting innovation within organizations. He also challenges leaders ón how they ‘break the rules with integrity’- navigating innovation and change through the Politics of Creativity.

Join us in the Boardroom as we learn how to lead ourselves and others with purpose, joy and impact.

Founders Friday brings with it all the highs, lows, laughs and banter of the week. Today's episode welcomes one of our peers to join us in studio: an entrepreneur in the fashion space. Lynnet Muritu joins us from New York where she runs her luxury fashion brand, Mimi Pambo- exporting accessories and other products from Kenya to the rest of the world.

We catch up with her on how the business is doing and some of their recent highlights such as hiring a new intern into her team and the latest shipments she received of their leather collection. She shares her experiences running an international business, the importance of adapting one’s brand to a global market and some healthy habits founders should adopt to lead a team.

We draw parallels between the fashion, events and podcasting industries, with Lynnet giving incredible advice on the value of ‘testing before you buy’- whether it’s in launching a business or hiring new people to the team.

Hop in for another light-hearted, lively and insightful conversation straight from the Boardroom.

What has been the most profound learning experience you have gone through in life?

Today in the Boardroom we hang out with Gabi Immelman as we reflect on this question and the power of such experiences in shaping who we are today and the work that we do. Gabi is the Co-founder & C.E.O of Mindjoy, an Artificial Intelligence enabled platform that gives educators A.I superpowers to transform lessons into tech projects that kids love.

She believes that our education, both formal and informal, shapes how we construct our stories of ourselves. We begin Gabi's story with her upbringing in a household in South Africa surrounded by incredible female role models in her mother and aunties and the competitive advantage they gave her by exposing her to the world of entrepreneurship and technology at an early age right at home. She walks us through her experience navigating the school system as a neurodivergent student, how she embraced her curiosity and sense of initiative to double down on her strengths and discover her passion in drama and theatre.

Gabi also narrates her early career life and work as a teaching artist in Silicon Valley's oldest children’s theatre, and how a classroom encounter with one of her students completely changed how she viewed the power of technology in shaping how we learn.

Here in the Boardroom, we are insanely curious about the psychology and process of building truly amazing products /services.

So this week our search for incredible builders finds us taking a unique masterclass as we speak to Narek Verdian. Narek is a global tech executive with over 20 years of experience recruiting and managing international tech teams that use disruptive technologies to drive product growth and exceptional customer experiences!

Most notable is his present role as the Chief Technology Officer (C.T.O.) at Glovo, arguably the coolest delivery app on your phone right now. Narek speaks about his Armenian heritage and takes us down a fascinating journey of his tech-swathed upbringing that launched him into the world of tech. He shares lessons that range from creating culture champions within organizations, to adapting to change processes and the value of simplicity in innovation.

Narek gives us his blueprint for building disruptive and “sticky” tech platforms featuring best practices on team building, problem-solving, dealing with competition and how to make yourself irreplaceable.

Investing in startups is a multi-billion-dollar industry globally, but few know the processes and people behind the scenes.

In today’s episode, we speak with Mark Kleyner- the co-founder & program director at DreamVC. Their mission is to equip the next generation of African startup investors, more formally known as Venture Capitalists, with the knowledge and tools needed to thrive.

We discuss how Mark’s background as a Russian/Ukrainian immigrant and first-generation entrepreneur set him up to succeed in the corporate and startup worlds and his radical decision to focus on building in Africa.

Join us as we explore the psychology and skills involved in picking great companies from the crowd and how Mark's work at DreamVC is setting the stage for young African professionals- like ourselves- to break into the VC world as investors and operators.

If you are interested in engaging more with Mark and his work with Dream VC, reach out to us or visit their website here: http://www.dream-vc.com/

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Over the past 20 years, Robb McDaniels has built his career and reputation as one of the most influential voices in the international music industry.

From spending his early twenties experiencing the dance culture and community in New York and London, to discovering and building his passion for music technology- Robb has developed an intimate relationship with his work both in front of audiences and in the executive boardrooms behind the scenes. Today, he sits at the helm of one of the world’s leading music companies known as Beatport- providing the global DJ community with a vast catalog of high-quality digital music.

In today’s episode, he steps into our boardroom and speaks to us about his early career life, the trends in music and technology that paved the way for him and his philosophy of leveraging innovation to build products that appeal to various customer cohorts in an ever-changing industry.

Tune in for yet another masterclass from an industry expert with years of experience and wisdom to share.

Africa’s race to build the next wave of billion-dollar companies has seen incredible minds like Sam Gichuru’s at the forefront of putting our tech scene on the global map.

In this episode we speak to Sam to unpack his journey as the CEO of Kidato, a Y-Combinator incubated EdTech startup and Africa’s first fully online school.

Armed with a “less is more” attitude, a humbling start and a passion for tech-enabled solutions, Sam breaks down his life and business philosophy like never before! We spoke about the importance of saving yourself before you save the world and how to ease our anxiety about tomorrow by creating our future today.

Sam also breaks down how to be more grounded in the face of success and failure by understanding that our journey is the real gift, not the treasures we often pursue.

Hop into another well-rounded guest episode full of priceless life and business lessons from Sam Gichuru; a dreamer, a founder, a father and a friend.

Impact can often seem like a pursuit better left out of the conversation when we talk about business. But our guest this week, Nishchal Banskota, leads us down his journey of building a robust and socially impactful business community in his homeland of Nepal.

Nish is the founder of the Nepal Tea Collective where he combines age-old traditional tea farming, with modern branding and distribution to sell organic high-quality tea on an international scale!  His thesis of nurturing local talent and resources to attract global attention and income has changed the lives of his community forever. We dig into the business strategy and set up behind his company as well as the time he invests in meeting the needs of the communities he works closely with.

Join us and hear the story of a kid in rural Nepal, whose dream to study abroad turned into a reality and now has the opportunity to help others do the same.