RareBirds Emerging Markets Podcast

In this final and bonus episode of the podcast this year we hear from the founder of Hidden Manna Farms to learn more about the journey of building an agro startup. 

This is series 11 of the Rare Birds Emerging Markets. In this edition we head to South Asia to speak with founders from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. In this conversation we speak with Humam Mujah and Ali Aflah CoFounders of Bright Minds Education.

This is series 11 of the Rare Birds Emerging Markets. In this edition we head to South Asia to speak with founders from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. In this conversation we speak with Miller Alexander Rajendran the founder & CEO of SenzAgro. 

This is series 11 of the Rare Birds Emerging Markets. In this edition we head to South Asia to speak with founders from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. In this conversation we speak with Nepali Swastika Khanal Founder of the Question Mark and Director at the Ultra Group

This is series 11 of the Rare Birds Emerging Markets. In this edition we head to South Asia to speak with founders from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. In this conversation we speak with Rashik Hoque Bangladeshi CoFounder & CEO of  Onethread. 

This is series 11 of the Rare Birds Emerging Markets. In this edition we head to South Asia to speak with founders from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. In this conversation we speak with Quazi Sabir Bangladeshi Founder & CEO of  Khelbei Bangladesh. 

This is series 11 of the Rare Birds Emerging Markets. In this edition we head to South Asia to speak with founders from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. In this conversation we speak with Bhutanese Ugyen Tshomo, Founder & CEO of Nim Gangsha Solar.

This is series 11 of the Rare Birds Emerging Markets. In this edition we head to South Asia to speak with founders from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. In this conversation we speak with Sixit Bhatta, a founder building solutions to enable movement. 

Our seventh and final guest in the East Africa bloc is Rwandan, Vivens Uwizeyimana, the Chief Executive Officer of UmuravaWork, a one-stop Pan-African freelance services marketplace.  If you are curious, then listen in and as always I will see you at the end.

Our sixth guest in the East Africa bloc is South Sudanese Simon Chao Aloysius the Chief Executive Officer of Nile Boda. Nile Boda are easing commuting challenges for citizens and creating employment for young bike riders.  If you are curious, then listen in.  

Our fifth guest in the East Africa bloc is Malawian Ronnex Wataya, the Chief Executive Officer of Mi Wallet. Mi Wallet is a fintech startup providing innovative financial services. If you are curious, then listen in. 

Our fourth guest in the East Africa bloc is Kenyan Zipeta Nabwala, the Chief Executive Officer of Liverage Online. Liverage Online is creating sign language awareness in society and providing equitable opportunities to deaf communities across Kenya.  If you are curious, then listen in. 

Our third guest in the East Africa bloc is Ethiopian Kahsu Abera, the Chief Executive Officer of Kese Events. Kese Events is an event management company dedicated to creating memorable and breathtaking events. If you are curious, then listen in.

Our second guest in the East Africa bloc is Ugandan Edgar Mwambutsa, the Chief Executive Officer of Medihub. Medihub is a Medihub is a medical sundries and medical equipment e-commerce marketplace in EastAfrica. If you are curious, then listen in.

Our first guest to kick off the East Africa bloc is Kenyan, Oscar Shivoga, the Chief Executive Officer of Kiko AI, a virtual shopping assistant that helps customers win over their behavioral human biases such as being too fatigued and overspending habits when shopping. If you are curious, then listen in. 

This is Conversations with Jo-Ann, a small bites episode where you get to learn a little more about the motivation behind the series and what to expect next. Listen in to installment five where Jo-Ann does a wrap up of 2021 and shares what's coming in 2022. 

Welcome to episode 202 of series 10, a Rare Birds Collaboration with Ghanian-based Startup Lounge Africa, a series of podcasts featuring some of the West African Startups featured on their West Africa Tour. In episode 202 I speak with Lydia Amenyaglo the Ghanian-German Founder of Plenty Plenty Africa. When Lydia traveled through Africa in early 2020, it was life-changing for her. Her father's cocoa farm, the beauty of Africa, the potential of the people, the desire to change things, all led to the creation of Plenty Plenty Africa, a cocoa farm with an attached production facility in Ghana. 

Welcome to episode 201 of series 10, a Rare Birds Collaboration with Ghanian-based Startup Lounge Africa, a series of podcasts featuring some of the West African Startups featured on their West Africa Tour. In episode 201 I speak with Prosper Ukachi the Nigerian Founder of ShortKode. Prosper Ukachi is a motivated undergraduate turned edtech entrepreneur. He currently holds the CEO role at ShortKode Technologies Limited & is a Country Chapter brand Ambassador for the African Innovation Week. Haven lived in Nigeria, Africa's largest economy, Prosper has been faced with the contrast of a country with vast resources with a 50%+ poverty rate. His goals are to improve living conditions of millions of people through the use of mobile technology. Prosper has helped his team (ShortKode, previous projects) win hackathons, grants, he partnered a friend to run a commerce business at 18 and has gotten ShortKode some recognition. He prefers to give credits to others and loves reading at his leisure times. ShortKode uses technology to facilitate access to quality teachers and teaching aids for schools.

Welcome to episode 200 of series 10, a Rare Birds Collaboration with Ghanian-based Startup Lounge Africa, a series of podcasts featuring some of the West African Startups featured on their West Africa Tour. In episode 200 I speak with Badou Mbye Jr the Gambian Founder of High Tech. Badou Mbye, is a Software Developer, Producer, and Host of HighTech Show, and all-round tech enthusiast. He grew up in the U.K. and graduated with a BSc. In Information Systems in The Gambia. He was always surrounded by tech growing up and used it to help around the house.  Seeing how technology made things easier day-to-day, sparked a curiosity to learn how he can use it to better himself and solve systematic problems in Africa using technology. It helped him to create a Production Team to build content and stories around Digital Awareness. His company is called High Tech and it Captures and provides captivating advertisement for innovative tech solutions in Africa.

Welcome to episode 199 of series 10, a Rare Birds Collaboration with Ghanian-based Startup Lounge Africa, a series of podcasts featuring some of the West African Startups featured on their West Africa Tour. In this episode I sat down with the founder of Tukwan Phillip Gideon Aye-Darko. Phillip is an IT Service Delivery Analyst, he concentrates primarily on Travel Technology Delivery for Tourists and Travel Guides in Africa. His key skills and expertise include IT System Analysis, Project Management and Monitoring & Evaluation of further Employee/Project Leads. His company Tukwan is the first on market travel tech provider in Ghana, offering tourists the freedom to experience quality tours and pay less. 

Welcome to episode 198 of series 10, a Rare Birds Collaboration with Ghanian-based Startup Lounge Africa a series of podcasts featuring some of the West African Startups featured on their West Africa Tour. To kick off this series I sat down with the Founding Partners of Startup Lounge Africa: Samuel Opuku, and Prince Kelly Anyomitse.

This is series 10 a Rare Birds Collaboration with Ghanaian-based Startup Lounge Africa. Start Up Lounge Africa is on a mission to continually organize useful information and relevant networks that prioritize the collaborative growth and sustainability of African startups. They are pioneering a special project titled 54 Days Across Africa. 54 Days Across Africa is an initiative geared towards showcasing innovative startup solutions through a continent wide virtual tour to herald their recently launched digital matchmaking platform called Kutana Africa. Listen in for more.

This is Conversations with Jo-Ann, a small bites episode where you get to learn a little more about the motivation behind the series and what to expect next. Listen in to installment four whereby she wraps up the series and provide some details into what’s to come this autumn with series 10: Startup Lounge-54 Days Across Africa, a Rare Birds Collaboration.

About Idowu Founder CEO, Startup Coach, Innovation Ecosystem Builder, Blockchain Community Builder and Board Member. His goal for the next 20 years - having achieved some degree of success over the last - is to nurture (coach, mentor, inspire) the next generation of tech talent. To this end, he currently acts as a coach for product teams, technology teams, and startup teams across the globe. Working through global startup/innovation hubs such as the Founder Institute, Impact Hub, BridgeForBillions, VC4Africa and Innovation Support Network, sometimes this coaching manifests as an Agile Coach, and other times as Product Coach, Technology Coach, Developer Advocate, Technical Evangelist or Startup Mentor.

About Precious Precious Omusuwe is a Certified Blockchain Solutions Architect project  and Coordinator of Blockchain Enthusiasts, a platform focused on blockchain education. His biggest asset is his ability to communicate complex information in user-friendly language and since 2017 has been actively involved in blockchain education at the grassroots. Outside the blockchain space, Precious is an ardent soccer analyst, Software Support and Implementation consultant and a loving husband.

MORE INFO ON STEVEN Mr. Jasmin is Group Chairman and Managing Director of Smart City Clearing Company Ltd. a BVI based frontier market Merchant Bank. The bank’s focus is working with High Net Worth and Institutional clients across all aspects of the Alternative Investment Class as they look to invest and participate in Guyana’s growth. His practice focuses on four key markets: Commercial Real Estate, Oil & Gas Service Companies, Infrastructure Development, and Technology. ​ To learn more about his origin story, follow the LinkedIn Article he posted: "Finding the Path to El Dorado in Guyana". With over 15 years of experience as a Management Consultant and Investment Banker for Fortune 500 and Middle Market Companies, he has experience spanning all aspects of business but prefers to focus on Corporate Finance and Investment Banking. ​ He is able to bring a deep and significant skillset as well as an extensive world-wide network with key relationships to bear for his clients and partners. Some of his clients have included: Delta Air Lines, Coca Cola, Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, and Proctor & Gamble. Prior to being a Fortune 500 consultant, Mr. Jasmin is also a former registered Investment Banker. ​ He has worked as a Managing Director for Corporate Finance Associates where he oversaw deals across the entire alternative investment asset class. Prior to working with CFA, Steven was Vice President at the boutique investment bank Street Capital. Steven’s network and background as a former FINRA registered investment banker and management consultant allows him to bring a unique perspective to every opportunity. With a degree from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University, and over 15 years of business experience in the fields of finance, marketing, information technology, and operations, Steven has an eye for detail across all spectrums. ​ Recognizing that successful companies are built over time he is driven to employ his business acumen and broad skill set to help his partners and portfolio companies achieve their desired goals and long term financial success. Steven resides in Atlanta, Georgia but spends the majority of his time in Guyana as he works to help the country navigate through first oil and beyond.

ABOUT PRETTY Pretty’s management consulting focus across a decade ushered her into an industry disruption through the co-founding of Coronet Blockchain - an emerging technology solution geared to shift how hair exchanges hands across Africa's ZAR 100 billion per year sector. A responsibility that sees her reshaping the future of this sector through blockchain driven supply chain digital infrastructure inputs leveraging blockchain technology to evolve the salon sector from hand to mouth into a bankable economy. Future-proofing the salon sector, in a post-Covid reality, ensuring their sustainability, re-tooling, and bring about employable key industry skills whilst fulfilling consumer expectations.

MORE INFO ON STEVEN Mr. Jasmin is Group Chairman and Managing Director of Smart City Clearing Company Ltd. a BVI based frontier market Merchant Bank. The bank’s focus is working with High Net Worth and Institutional clients across all aspects of the Alternative Investment Class as they look to invest and participate in Guyana’s growth. His practice focuses on four key markets: Commercial Real Estate, Oil & Gas Service Companies, Infrastructure Development, and Technology. To learn more about his origin story, follow the LinkedIn Article he posted: "Finding the Path to El Dorado in Guyana". With over 15 years of experience as a Management Consultant and Investment Banker for Fortune 500 and Middle Market Companies, he has experience spanning all aspects of business but prefers to focus on Corporate Finance and Investment Banking. He is able to bring a deep and significant skillset as well as an extensive world-wide network with key relationships to bear for his clients and partners. Some of his clients have included: Delta Air Lines, Coca Cola, Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, and Proctor & Gamble. Prior to being a Fortune 500 consultant, Mr. Jasmin is also a former registered Investment Banker. He has worked as a Managing Director for Corporate Finance Associates where he oversaw deals across the entire alternative investment asset class. Prior to working with CFA, Steven was Vice President at the boutique investment bank Street Capital. Steven’s network and background as a former FINRA registered investment banker and management consultant allows him to bring a unique perspective to every opportunity. With a degree from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University, and over 15 years of business experience in the fields of finance, marketing, information technology, and operations, Steven has an eye for detail across all spectrums. Recognizing that successful companies are built over time he is driven to employ his business acumen and broad skill set to help his partners and portfolio companies achieve their desired goals and long term financial success. Steven resides in Atlanta, Georgia but spends the majority of his time in Guyana as he works to help the country navigate through first oil and beyond.

ABOUT SONIA Sonia John is  blockchain developer, writer and speaker.  She is passionate about the decentralized web and all the endless possibilities within it! She believes that it is not enough to know and be willing but to act.  She is working on Porium, a web3-focused distributed online learning platform and is currently an Ecosystem Developer at Filecoin. 

MORE INFO ON STEVEN Mr. Jasmin is Group Chairman and Managing Director of Smart City Clearing Company Ltd. a BVI based frontier market Merchant Bank. The bank’s focus is working with High Net Worth and Institutional clients across all aspects of the Alternative Investment Class as they look to invest and participate in Guyana’s growth. His practice focuses on four key markets: Commercial Real Estate, Oil & Gas Service Companies, Infrastructure Development, and Technology. ​ To learn more about his origin story, follow the LinkedIn Article he posted: "Finding the Path to El Dorado in Guyana". With over 15 years of experience as a Management Consultant and Investment Banker for Fortune 500 and Middle Market Companies, he has experience spanning all aspects of business but prefers to focus on Corporate Finance and Investment Banking. ​ He is able to bring a deep and significant skillset as well as an extensive world-wide network with key relationships to bear for his clients and partners. Some of his clients have included: Delta Air Lines, Coca Cola, Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, and Proctor & Gamble. Prior to being a Fortune 500 consultant, Mr. Jasmin is also a former registered Investment Banker. ​ He has worked as a Managing Director for Corporate Finance Associates where he oversaw deals across the entire alternative investment asset class. Prior to working with CFA, Steven was Vice President at the boutique investment bank Street Capital. Steven’s network and background as a former FINRA registered investment banker and management consultant allows him to bring a unique perspective to every opportunity. With a degree from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University, and over 15 years of business experience in the fields of finance, marketing, information technology, and operations, Steven has an eye for detail across all spectrums. ​ Recognizing that successful companies are built over time he is driven to employ his business acumen and broad skill set to help his partners and portfolio companies achieve their desired goals and long term financial success. Steven resides in Atlanta, Georgia but spends the majority of his time in Guyana as he works to help the country navigate through first oil and beyond.

MORE ABOUT OUMAR Oumar is a Senegalese web expert with 20 years of experience.  He is specialized in the development of high-end web solutions.  As a self-taught engineer, he loves being challenged and engaged with projects that require him to work outside his comfort and knowledge set. Continuous-learning is part of what defines him.  Additionally, he is a web engineering leader valued for driving quality and consistency throughout all phases of software development projects to produce high-quality, user-friendly and (as much as possible) bug-free software.

MORE INFO ON EMAN Eman is a blockchain full stack developer with a great enthusiasm for learning and adopting new technologies. Her work relies on building rich responsive web apps & Dapps. She is the Founder of Arabs in Blockchain, Blockchain Lead at StartFi, Devcon Scholar Alumni at the Ethereum Foundation, Ambassador at ConsenSys Qurum and Status.Im, Regional Organiser and CoFounder at Arab Blockchain Week.

Mr. Jasmin is Group Chairman and Managing Director of Smart City Clearing Company Ltd. a BVI based frontier market Merchant Bank. The bank’s focus is working with High Net Worth and Institutional clients across all aspects of the Alternative Investment Class as they look to invest and participate in Guyana’s growth. His practice focuses on four key markets: Commercial Real Estate, Oil & Gas Service Companies, Infrastructure Development, and Technology. ​ To learn more about his origin story, follow the LinkedIn Article he posted: "Finding the Path to El Dorado in Guyana". With over 15 years of experience as a Management Consultant and Investment Banker for Fortune 500 and Middle Market Companies, he has experience spanning all aspects of business but prefers to focus on Corporate Finance and Investment Banking. ​ He is able to bring a deep and significant skillset as well as an extensive world-wide network with key relationships to bear for his clients and partners. Some of his clients have included: Delta Air Lines, Coca Cola, Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, and Proctor & Gamble. Prior to being a Fortune 500 consultant, Mr. Jasmin is also a former registered Investment Banker. ​ He has worked as a Managing Director for Corporate Finance Associates where he oversaw deals across the entire alternative investment asset class. Prior to working with CFA, Steven was Vice President at the boutique investment bank Street Capital. Steven’s network and background as a former FINRA registered investment banker and management consultant allows him to bring a unique perspective to every opportunity. With a degree from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University, and over 15 years of business experience in the fields of finance, marketing, information technology, and operations, Steven has an eye for detail across all spectrums. ​ Recognizing that successful companies are built over time he is driven to employ his business acumen and broad skill set to help his partners and portfolio companies achieve their desired goals and long term financial success. Steven resides in Atlanta, Georgia but spends the majority of his time in Guyana as he works to help the country navigate through first oil and beyond.

About Tarek Tarek is bringing value to business through blockchain technology.  He is the Founder of K2LIS, A Paris based company that supports customers from all sectors to anticipate, innovate and deliver high value through innovative projects based on Blockchain technologies. They bring an end-to-end state-of-the-art Blockchain expertise: - Acculturation and training for Business and IT people - Strategy and consulting to identify appropriate and high-value use cases - Solutions development and deployment support.

 Roselyn describes herself as a Digital Economy Advocate, Economist, Professional Speaker, Blockchain Consultant and Educator and Youth Mentor. She is dedicated to serving and having an impact.

Pascal is the CEO of SaukiBit.  He is an expert in the respective fields of telecommunications, decentralized computing and software development with over nine years of experience in designing, optimizing and operating complex multi-million dollar digital systems. SaukiBit is driving innovation and choice for customers, businesses, fintech companies and banks with modular API standards. We are in the business of simplifying the blockchain and cryptocurrency ecosystems for the African focused next gen data driven market. SaukiBit are building a powerful API and payment platform offering the easiest way to create sophisticated wallet addresses for Blockchain assets of choice and digital financial solutions.

About Peter An entrepreneur who is passionate about providing solutions to problems in emerging markets through technology, innovations and marketing. He has led growth and B2C marketing campaigns in VC backed companies in technical industries and scaled products to millions of people. Five years ago he discovered Bitcoin. Ever since he has had an amazing journey working in the marketing teams of multi-million dollar blockchain projects and educating thousands of people about the technology & the career opportunities available in the industry. Oluwashina is skilled in blockchain knowledge and fundamentals, marketing (B2B & B2C), copywriting, content creation and content marketing.  He is an avid learner of human psychology and behavioural economics which helps him in his marketing campaigns.  Peter also writes about Blockchain & Cryptocurrency, Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Societal Psychology. You can visit his blog via www.oluwashinapeter.com/blog

About Abdel The foundation of my education and understanding is built on a unique Geopolitical and Societal diploma completed in the early stages of my growth. This prepared me for an approach not only with a business mind but with a political understanding too. I have grown from financial consultancy experience, language expertise and a large amount of political work to a strong passion in the world of Technology. With my Oxford University Blockchain Strategy Knowledge of the Blockchain Ecosystem/ Innovations in Value Transfer/Decentralized Apps and Smart Contracts/Transforming Enterprise Business Modules and the Blockchain Frontiers as well as my vast understanding and experience in the political and financial arena – my approach to the development of this new technology is unique given my established networks and full stack strategy. I am driven by the desire to succeed and make a difference in all I do – that said, I intend to actively be a part of supporting the education and development.

Aurra is a  multi-potentialite with a very broad portfolio. She is currently the Headmistress ofSt. Anne’s Primary School (est. 1947), Executive Director & Co-Founder of Africa Is Digital and Chairman of Aurra Nicole Group. She is the  2019 Africa Science Week (Next Einstein Forum & Purple Futures Trust) – Appreciation Award recipient.  She received this recognition for her outstanding work and with sincere appreciation for her tireless efforts in using science and technology for the betterment of society. In 2018 she was the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce, Women in Commerce Award Winner in the Social Enterprise category for Little Entrepreneurs.

Abbas is a dynamic, flexible and results oriented product development, operations professional & entrepreneur. Collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders and learning about the needs of new sectors from scratch to bring innovative ideas and business success. Having worked on a number of product launches in the US, Europe and Middle East. He spent two years spent in Paris working at Ledger.com helping to scale operations revenues from $10M to $90M. Spent five years in Dubai on Product capacity at Careem, Starz Play, and Yahoo!. All this has given him the ability to put on wider lenses when getting an idea off the ground. Addressing all types of issues from finance, HR, sales and marketing. Have good speaking and understanding of Arabic, French and German (elementary). On leaving the Horn of Africa country after the war, he gained degrees from the UK in BSc Economics & Social Policy and Post Graduate in Computing. His first technology job was with French online price comparison, Kelkoo.com. In 2004, it was acquired by Yahoo! for $650mn. At Yahoo!, he had the opportunity to work for one of the early Internet giants. During his 10 years at Yahoo! he has been involved in with a wide array of product developments in London, California, and Dubai. In Dubai, he also worked for Careem which was wholly acquired by Uber for $3.1bn. More recently in Paris for Ledger.com who provides security and management of digital currencies. He has now returned to his roots with a Cars Marketplace project (Gawaarida.com) dedicated to Somalia. He describes it as, “New time, new challenges but the same heart and energy to make a difference.”

Greetings Rare Ones and welcome to the Rare Birds Emerging Markets Podcast. I am your host Jo-Ann. I started Rare Birds a few years ago because I wanted to learn the stories of startups in emerging markets. This has since evolved into a digital brand with content covering startups and blockchain technology with a sole focus on emerging markets. The Rare Birds Emerging Markets Podcast is where I have conversations with startup founders, ecosystem builders, innovators and investors from across emerging markets.   This is Conversations with Jo-Ann, a small bites episode where you get to learn a little more about the motivation behind the series and what to expect next. Listen in to installment three whereby I wrap up series and provide some details into what's to come this summer with series 9: Adoption and Education-Blockchain in Africa.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Puerto Rico Wrap Up Series 9

Sebastian Vidal is the Chief Innovation Officer at the Puerto Rico Science, Technology & Innovation Trust. He is the former Executive Director of Parallel18 an international Startup Program based in Puerto Rico where they support and invest in 80 global companies per year with the goal of having an economic and social impact in the island. After the first year, the program has been able to generate 5 times return the distributed investment. Before this, Mr. Vidal led government funded program Start-Up Chile, aiming to attract global minded entrepreneurs to his native Chile in order to transform the country in to a world-recognized innovation capital. Through Start-Up Chile, he was able to work side by side with more than 1,000 startups in different stages and industries, managing a 10 USD Million yearly budget and witness a country’s cultural transformation towards entrepreneurship, guiding the program in to become the most innovative company of Latin America according to FastCompany in 2015. He has also helped develop technology ecosystem public policy strategies in countries like Peru, Brazil, Malaysia and South Korea, and consulted the World Bank for a technology development ecosystem project in Lebanon. He has invested in some startups and also has been a mentor in different accelerators and entrepreneurship programs such as Stanford Ignite, Founder Institute and others.

Jahannie Torres-Rodriguez has a background in computer engineering and business development from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, where she was a first-generation college student. She has over five years of experience developing Innovation and Entrepreneurship ecosystems through the Mayagüez Business and Economic Development Center and the UPRM E-ship Network. Stanford University selected her to join the University Innovation Fellows program and become a change agent in higher education. Recently, the World Economic Forum recognized her as a Global Shaper. Jahannie is a co-founder of EPIC Makerspace (the first makerspace in her institution), Tech Blast Conference (to expose STEM students to emerging technologies that were not offered in courses), Solidarity Scholarship (to help students from disadvantaged communities, like her community) and Edvo Tech(a professional development company for teachers). She currently works as a Business Development Specialist at Colmena66, a program of the Puerto Rico Trust for Science, Technology and Research. There, her main responsibilities are to coordinate award-winning strategies to increase technology commercialization through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs and design, planning and executing data strategies to measure and monitor the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. After developing high impact projects, and working in several industries and research projects, she realized that her passion lies in combining technology, entrepreneurship, and education to create a better society

Erica Reyes is the owner of Cafe Cola'o in Old San Juan and The School of Coffee and Baristas of Puerto Rico. This is the first and only educational institution dedicated to fostering the growth and training of baristas in Puerto Rico.  She has more than 15 years of experience in the coffee industry. The school's main educational resource has certifications from: Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) among other professional development bodies. She has also served as a technical coffee judge in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Sweden, China, Hungary, among others, and as a "coach" of coffee competitions in Puerto Rico, Seattle, Sweden, among other countries. She also holds the title of Technical Judge for the World Barista competition in Italy, as well as becoming the first SCA instructor to offer courses in Spanish to the Spanish-speaking community in the United States.

Jennifer is the Managing Partner of ATO Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm based in Puerto Rico that funds technology startups in USA and LATAM, with special focus in PR. She has been building companies and investing in startups as a Limited Partner (LP), Venture Partner, Angel and Venture Capitalist (VC) for over 20 years. Jennifer began investing in the capital markets at age 19, while an undergrad at Oxford University. She became an LP in an early stage Venture Capital fund at age 23. Several years later, Jennifer become a Venture Partner with Outsell, and then an active startup Advisor and Angel Investor. She founded ATO Ventures in 2018. The fund had its first close in 2019 and will do a final close in 2020. ATO Ventures is currently deploying capital while also completing its raise. As an entrepreneur, Jennifer started her first company at age 8, but she officially became a tax-paying citizen at age 10. After University, she was a testifying & consulting Commercial Damages Expert before returning to her passion - entrepreneurship! She founded her software company, WeMakeItSafer, shortly after attending business school at UC Berkeley. After launching in 2011, the company was acquired in 2016. Along the way, Jennifer also held two interim CEO roles and has been advising startups on identifying revenue models and the importance of validating markets before launch. Now, Jennifer is using her expertise to help other investors achieve higher returns at lower risk through ATO Ventures. Jennifer began visiting Puerto Rico as an Parallel 18 mentor in 2016 and quickly fell in love with the island. She is now happy to call San Juan home and is fully committed to supporting and growing the quickly emerging startup ecosystem in PR.

Gustavo Diaz Skoff grew up in the Startup Ecosystem in Puerto Rico. At 18 years of age, he founded the first youth-led non-profit organization for aspiring entrepreneurs in Puerto Rico with the support of 3 Government agencies. During his time at the #1 School For Entrepreneurship (Babson College), he studied and produced the only non-government commissioned study of Act 20 & Act 22. At 24 years of age, he built his fair share of companies (crash & burned them), worked with a wide array of firms, led last-mile data gathering efforts with 78 mayors in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria, and performed some incredible stuff.

Alan  is the co-founder and owner of Brands Of (alongside his brother). They were both studying abroad when they experienced the nostalgia many do when abroad. This was the beginning of their company, Brands Of, a startup company committed to exporting goods from Latin American countries and providing a drop shipping-plus-fulfillment service from Puerto Rico. Brands of looks to supply consumers especially the Latin-American diaspora with the brands and products they love from their home country while enabling local entrepreneurs with the necessary tools to export. We are building the largest quality based catalog of Latin-Americans products and brands “The concept of Brands of started with Brands of Puerto Rico. In the first days of March 2014 Puerto Rico’s bonds degraded to junk because of the ongoing economic crisis, parallel to this a greater number of Puerto Ricans started moving to the continental USA looking for more opportunities. We saw this as a great opportunity for the local entrepreneurs to start exporting their products and brands to satisfy the growing market outside of Puerto Rico created by the diaspora. Since our background is based on technological entrepreneurship, it was natural to us to create a platform where the diaspora could buy the products they miss while supporting the brands they love.”

My name is Perla Sofía Curbelo-Santiago (Sofía is my middle name, and Curbelo-Santiago are my parent´s last names). I was born and raised on the tropical island of Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. I currently live on the Island. Since I was a kid, I was always interested in flowers and plants. I used to have my own garden lot in my parent´s backyard. I remembered going around the neighborhood collecting flowers to bring back home. I noticed how the vase with flowers changed the room’s mood and everybody around it. That was my early horticultural therapy experience. I´m interested in helping people, especially women, to adapt and use Nature/Gardening as a tool for their wellbeing. I´m a professional communicator with a long experience in radio, television, and newspapers. I majored in Psychology, from the University of Puerto Rico, and hold a master´s degree, in Public Relations, from Universidad del Sagrado Corazón. I´m Certified in Horticulture Therapy (2019) from the Chicago Botanical Garden.  I´m a natural connector, educator, and speaker for corporate and general audiences. I´m an active member of Garden Communicators International (since 2017). Also a member of the American Horticultural Therapy Association. I have worked/collaborated with well-known companies and brands like Ford Motor Company, Walmart, FirstBank, Garnier, and Corona Tools, to name a few.  Besides Spanish and English, I speak fluent Italian. I love botanical gardens, The Secret Garden theme, reading, Netflix, baking, the Fall season, and going for a power walk. If you´re interested to know more about our work at Agrochic, the Latino market or want to create a special collaboration, send me an email via perlasofia@agrochic.com

Lincy Ayala is Co-Founder and CEO of BookSloth. Lincy began her career as a biologist, whose love for animals had her working at a Nonprofit Wildlife preserve. Soon after, she re-discovered her passion for design when preparing graphics for the wildlife enclosures.  From there she became a freelance developer/designer and has worked with multiple companies over the last 6 years. Her work has included designing responsive and interactive designing website layouts, mobile apps, user experiences, and physical products, among many others. Her technical experience includes knowledge in: UX/UI Design, Web and Mobile Design, prototyping tools and project managing software. Lincy has collaborated with WomenTechOver, a community of women who get together to talk about their technology projects and inspire other women to pursue tech careers while also advocating for more inclusive work environments. If she’s not working, you’ll find her cuddled up reading some YA or Fantasy book. Xiomara Figueroa is Co-Founder, and CTO of BookSloth. Xiomara grew up in the central highlands of Puerto Rico to become a first-generation undergraduate student at the University of Puerto Rico. She started by studying architecture, eventually switching to biology until her junior year when she took an introduction to Computer Science course by chance, and fell in love with the practical aspect of it all. She considers herself deeply committed to diversity in tech and education. That led her to co-found Include Girls, a student led non-profit organization for women in STEM fields. She attributed her community-driven attitude to her fellowship with CODE2040, a non-profit organization that supports Black and Latinxs in tech. Since then she has focused her work on building with technology and giving back to the community by serving as a mentor and role model.

Fabián Vélez Vicente, also known as “Favo”, is a Puerto Rican tech serial entrepreneur and full stack developer that is currently the President and CEO at Link Puerto Rico, a Puerto Rican organization that aims to facilitate world-class and accessible experiential education and initiatives in technology and entrepreneurship related fields, Chief Technology Officer at Viva Advertising, a Puerto Rico based marketing agency that helps small to medium-sized business take their brand and products to the digital landscape.  He is the manager of the digital content creator and brand called Gerry Stories, and a Full-Stack Web Developer with over 6 years of experience. Since his early teen years, Fabián has been focused on creating innovative solutions through technology for communities, through his extensive participation in hackathons and development work with local and international companies. After 3 years of primarily focusing on software development projects and the landfall of Hurricane María in Puerto Rico, Vélez started his entrepreneurial journey, with 3 other co-founders, Link Puerto Rico to help kickstart the technology education sector. As he continued to gain experience as a social entrepreneur in the technology field, he also decided to start working on a startup marketing agency called Viva Advertising, along with 3 other co founders. In the future, Fabián wishes to continue to focus his work in the technology and social impact fields through his initiatives in startups, nonprofits, and digital brands.

Conversations with Jo-Ann is a series whereby our Chieftess speaks directly with the Rare Ones about topics related to the community. This is installment two whereby she discusses $RONES.  Listen in and share with us what you think.

Shubhra  Misra, is a homepreneur. She has worked in special education for 15 years.  She has been a foodie and cooking is one of her favourite pastimes. She attended a making workshop and loved the experience. From there she started making chocolates for friends and family.     Ruchi Chavan is the Founder of Ela Crafts Studio started off as a dream of 3 sisters who grew up in the beautiful valley of Dehradun in North India.  Their nature inspired designs are mainly in recycled wood. They create coasters to cheese/snacks platter to chopping boards to tea light candle holders with woodburn pattern to your kitchen or home utility/decor creatiins. They are also into rustic look name boards.  They believe in doing simple things a little differently.   Pratiksha Mundye is the Founder of 'Sringar Jewellery'.  Sringar Jewellery deals exclusively in designer handcrafted terracotta jewellery, Tribal German silver jewellery and fabric jewellery.  After seven years in the fashion industry she had the education and the skill, all that was left was to let the two meet to birth something unusual. And thus, the idea of handmade terracotta fashion jewellery, and thereafter 'Sringar Jewellery' commenced.  Maria Veena Crocheted is an epitome of pure love and passion for the art of crochet. Amrita Maria Veena, is a crochet artist from Goa, who started her label in 2014. Amrita believes in innovation and creativity through the language of craft. She is constantly designing, revolutionising and modernising the concept of crochet. Amrita displays and reaches clients by conducting exhibitions and also undertakes bespoke orders. From crochet hand bags, to crochet table clothes, runners, face masks, flowers, jewelry etc today Maria Veena is a popular brand in Goa with very happy clients.

Jasmine: Jasmine is the Founder of Bellissima. Bellissima is a way of life - to enjoy beautiful skin and express oneself. Needless to say she sells beauty products which are safe & reliable for skin & hair.  Bellissima Oriflame offers a wide range of Beauty related products for women as well as men.    Kids range under Bellissima Oriflame is safe for children’s delicate skin and all wellness products under Oriflame gives health supplements that are needed to boost immunity. Jermaine: She has been blessed to have lived and worked in places like London, Belgium and Dubai that allowed her to imbibe, understand and learn about its people, culture and especially foods. Some of my best culinary experiences have been on visits to these places.  Her oldest son, Isaac, is quite a foodie too and since moving back to Goa has taken a liking to pickles. That’s when she thought she ought to give making it preservative free a shot. With a little guidance and help from a Chef friend of hers in Australia, she made a first bottle of mango pickle and it was such a hit with her biggest critics – her family.  Thus began her journey with jams. She started with her husband’s favourite, Mangad (the traditional Goan Mango Jam). Soon after, she made jams flavoured with Apple Cinnamon, Strawberry, Orange Marmalade, Spiced Marmalade, Fig Anise, Banana Rum and Spiced Jackfruit. While she also makes common flavours of jams, she prefers introducing Goa to jams with unique, unconventional flavours. This led to her adventures with Bimbly and Star fruit earlier this year that birthed - Bimbly Jam, Bimbly Pickle, Savoury Bimbly Spread, Star Fruit Jam, Star Fruit Pickle and Spiced Star Fruit Marmalade. Meenal: A brand that promotes the artwork curated by Indian artisans and weavers. India is a country rich in cultural & traditional heritage.  Each and every district of every state of India has a particular specialised weave.  As the brand name suggests, each handloom/ hathkargha says a story, a story of its origin, beauty, effort of artisans/ karigars, it's intricate detailing. The logo of the brand symbolises a tree with strong roots, which keeps on growing & spreading it's branches.

We commence our deep dive with the Fantastic 10! These are 10 women from the Southern Indian state of Goa who define themselves as side hustlers, homepreneurs and early stage startup entrepreneurs building businesses’ from the ground up. We begin this first week with the first three of the coterie: Shilpa Kulkarni Founder of Shilpkala Shraddha Shirgaonker Founder of the Art & Aroma Kitchen Priyanka Navelkar Founder of Smiles of Miles Shilpa Kulkarni is an MBA graduate and alumni of the 10,0000 women entrepreneurs certified program from Goldman Sachs. She started her business with an exhibition during the Diwali festival. Her creations were a hit, they sold out, from there she recognised an opportunity and so began Shilpkala! Shilpa’s creations are bespoke, which means each design comes to life once. She has a full time job and builds her business on the side. She shared with me that she manages her life like a student would with a timetable. She is ruthless about time management and gets it all done! Shraddha Shirgaonker is the mother of twins and former banker, who had a career both at home and in the UAE. She believes "Art is something that makes you breathe with a different kind of happiness" and that "Nothing awakens reminiscence like an Aroma.” Her soaps are made with goat milk ( I had no idea this was possible) and includes no parabens, SLS or sulfates. In addition to that her candles are hand-made, hand-poured and hand-crafted by me.  She shared with me that she is an artist playing with a combination of possibilities! Priyanka Navelkar holds a BCom degree and has 14 years of experience in multiple sectors including: telecommunications, e-commerce and and pharmaceuticals. She currently works as a Human Resource Manager in a pharmaceutical company. She defines herself as a startup entrepreneur. Like Shilpa she works by day and builds by night, with a timetable that keeps her focussed and on task. Her business creates customized hand-made gift packaging, which she say spreads smiles for miles. She shared with me that an entrepreneur should never lose faith in themselves, always remember why you started! In each conversation you will learn: The story behind the business The Opportunity Spotted The Marketing Channels The Business Strategy The Customer Base The Foundations for Success Challenges & How They Overcame Them Unique Industry Features Tools-Technical & Otherwise Use to Manage & Grow Their Business Lessons Learned

Sweta Sureka A Public Speaker, Author, Topnotch Lifestyle Coach and an Explorer, Sweta’s list of accomplishments is nothing shy of astounding. Sweta has put many hours into building a version of her life that she loves and creating her purpose. Her life of hard work groomed her journey to self-empowerment and self-employment. Sweta strongly believes in taking control of life and living at its best by building positive habits. Her life experiences make her connect with her clients and help them upgrade their lifestyles.  Growing up, in a typical Indian family, Sweta learnt that the topnotch lifestyle is not just about having first class life, but feeling first class, content and happy.  Abundance comes to those who are happy.  Confident in her abilities and proud of her trials and tribulations, Sweta’s sole purpose is of giving individuals the assistance they need to live a healthy, positive life and enjoy lives. Aside of her triumphs, Sweta remains a very humble and engaging coach. Anuradha Kapoor Anuradha Kapoor discovered her passion for writing around 5 years back which led her to become a freelance author, blogger and content writer. She is proud to be one of the top bloggers on Momspresso, where she has written more than 100 blogs. Having written around 30 short stories till date, she has compiled most of them into a book by the name of 'STORIES FROM THE HEART' and an ebook ‘The Facade'. She was recently awarded by the Women Economic Forum for being an Exceptional Woman of Excellence, by the Indian Awaz for being an inspirational author in the year 2018, title of Influential author by The Spiritmania and the prestigious Swami Vivekananda Award for Excellence in literature among various other accolades. She has conducted various blogging and story writing workshops for adults and children. She is the Chairperson of ALL Kolkata Chapter for Cinema, along with being the Secretary at the All West Bengal Chapter and committee member of ALL Ladies League Kolkata chapter. She is also an active member of the Screenwriters association of India too.

This week we get to know more about some of the speakers at the Summit.  Shirley Murphy Shirley Murphy is a Nigerian Journalist based in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital city. She is currently the Publisher of Labour Events Magazine, an online independent specialized publication. Prior to her present undertaking, she worked in different capacities with a number of media organizations in Nigeria which include, Labour Observer Magazine, The Monarch Magazine and The Compass Newspaper. She is also the brain behind two Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Proud Parents International and Women Reach Out with God Initiative (WROWGI). Shirley holds both Ordinary National Diploma (OND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in Mass Communication from the Lagos State Polytechnic and Bachelors of Art (BA) in mass communication from Lagos state university. She also has in her kitty, a Diploma Certificate in Desktop Publishing from Imperial Computer Academy, as well as another Diploma Certificate in Catering and Hotel Management from First Choice Catering and Fashion Academy. She hails from Itam in Uyo Local Government Area (LGA) of Akwa Ibom State. Anita Davis DeFoe Dr. Anita Davis–DeFoe, has over 20 years of experience motivating, coaching, inspiring and transforming individuals and organizations. A graduate of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Antioch University, Dr. DeFoe holds a Ph.D. in Management with a focus in Organization and Human Development. She has crafted and implemented myriad organizational and human capital programs aimed at assisting people of all ages to discover boundless unique strengths; to unleash their inner greatness. She is the CEO of Upshift Global which is a consultancy organization and knowledge incubator that serves individuals and organizations globally. Dr. DeFoe also serves as the General Secretary for the YWCA of the Virgin Islands. Dr. DeFoe is the Founder of the Circle of 99, a global community of strategist, doers, innovators, conveners, and change champions. A John C. Maxwell certified mastermind group facilitator, speaker and trainer; Dr. Davis-DeFoe has authored over $500 million in grants which funded a range of youth, workforce, housing, education, domestic violence, entrepreneurship, gender-focused, leadership and community economic development programs across the United States, Europe, Caribbean and Africa.  Chetnaa Mehrotra Chetnaa is an Applied Theater Practitioner, a Drama Based Learning facilitator, a TO (Theater of Oppressed) practitioner, Playback Theater practitioner, and a Dance Movement Language practitioner. She has a vision to take these forms of art based facilitation to workspaces, open learning spaces, classes and training rooms, thereby creating a culture of expression, acceptance and love between people.  Chetnaa Mehrotra’s decade-long work experience as a Corporate Trainer at GENPACT, IBM, HP, NIIT, Emirates, Air Hostess Academy, Ministry of External Affairs, and American Express has taught Chetna first-hand, how image, branding, customer service, training, and HR management impact the public perception of a corporation, its employee performance, customer service confidence, and its goalsetting and result-oriented business strategies. Chetnaa has evolved innovative approach towards in-classroom training at Corporations and Educational Institutes. She has introduced Drama Based Learning facilitation, Narrative Storytelling with Movement, Image & Forum Theater, Psychodrama, thereby making learning a “doing phase”, rather just a lecture platform. Economics Times has covered her innovative approach to experiential learning for ET case studies suite: · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oN2bnBzxuw, · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAPRvEcqn0M

Aarti Bhatia She started as an aspiring doctor. She landed up a seat in a pharmacy college. She went on to secure an MBA in marketing. Post that, she joined an FMCG company in a metro city, only to shift base to her hometown, with work in a construction firm’s office.  She went on & published a book titled ‘Me to Mommee’, just a year after her child’s birth.  But it was only some time ago that she found her true calling - Storytelling That’s her venture, passion & profession, today : Tell Tales – Where stories come to life! Yup. The movie of ‘3 idiots’ should have had her as an opposite-to- Rancho-kind-of-character, who landed up in her current field after multiple hop-skip-jumps! That’s how fluffy her hat of myriad experiences in various sectors is. But she believes that no experience ever goes in vain, as the learnings come to use in the most unforeseen ways of life.  Combine that with the world’s most powerful muse, one’s imagination, and you get a person who can go on & on with words!  Aarti Khatwani Bhatia says ‘Hello, everyone!’ Oh, no, don’t run away because I just wrote over a 100 words quoting myself in third person!  Please wait, as it is just about to get even sillier!  Who gained anything by being serious, anyway?  No woman with an office bag in one hand, & a diaper in the other; that’s for sure! Siya Shaik Siya Shaikh is a civil engineer by profession and social entrepreneur by passion. 10 years of Marketing and networking experience has helped her to achieve her goal of ‘empowering women.  Currently running a firm called ‘Goa Metal Composites’ which deals with manufacturing of fibre doors and allied products. She is best described as a passion-driven person whose mission to support start-up Goan women entrepreneurs has led to her create a powerful platform that will serve as a milestone for Women Entrepreneurship in the State. Her mission to empower every Goan woman to achieve her dreams & be financially independent.  To ensure that a strong support system is available to Goan women entrepreneurs. To make Goa an example of powerful collaborative effort towards empowering women. Aruna Sampat A successful purpose-driven entrepreneur, running two companies in diverse industries. Founder of Femori, a travel enthusiast and a logical thinker with strong analytical mindset which enables her to help businesses and her team in breaking down problems, analyse, and optimise them. Aruna is an MBA is Human Resources from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management and has 25 years of industry experience of which 10 years is corporate experience with like L&T ,UPL and Citigroup before the entrepreneurial bug bit her and she started Career Catalysts , a manpower search company which became very successful under her leadership. As her passion was in helping women, she decided to start Femori. It’s is a platform for women to come, share their dreams/goals, seek inspiration from other women in the community and accomplish them by connecting with the right Experts and availability of Resources.It’s an extremely great platform to network with like-minded women. It caters to also showcase women businesses and help them get access to a larger segment of the women audience.

📩Newsletter & 🎙Podcast: Episode 162 Please access the newsletter here. Ms.Vayjayanti Pugalia freelances as a Corporate Grooming expert and a Culinary artist. She also excels in her area of work which comprises International Etiquette/ Fine Dining and Wine Appreciation. She is a philanthropist and a social entrepreneur who has curated many impactful events like Colours of Innocence 1st and 2nd edition and the very recent The Kidoprenuer Summit, the first-ever conclave of such a kind in the country which talked about child entrepreneurship. Vayjayanti has many workshops to her credit where she has trained many individuals seeking her expertise in topics related to finesse and impressive skills. She has been successful in bringing significant growth in personal and professional lives of individuals with her panache and guided maneuver. Vayjayanti is a motivational speaker and her works have been covered extensively by print and digital media like the leading SANMARG and TELEGRAPH daily. She has been interviewed by many global portals who work towards the growth of women entrepreneurship. Vayjayanti has been awarded the Exceptional Women of Excellence Award by the Women Economic Forum.

Conversations with Jo-Ann is a series whereby our Chieftess speaks directly with the Rare Ones about topics related to the community. To kick off the first episode she shares her intentions and the Rare Birds Story. Listen in and share with us what you think.

Ajay Mittal in his current role is a Director, India and South Asia (Climate Change Programs) for Earth Day Network, Growing out of the first Earth Day, Earth Day Network is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 75,000 partners in nearly 192 countries to build environmental democracy.  Ajay is a member of the Global Shapers community an initiative of the World Economic Forum and also part of the Climate Action Steering Committee of Global Shapers Community. He was trained to be a Climate Reality Leader at Brisbane, Australia in June,2019 and has also been recognised as one of the EE 30 Under 30 leaders 2019 cohort by North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). The award recognises young leaders using environmental education to build sustainable communities.  In 2017 he Co-Founded Kolkata Clean Air (KCA). Kolkata Clean Air started as a campaign has slowly taken shape into being a fast growing organisation by the name of Active Citizen For Sustainability (ACTS) that works towards building a model for citizen state partnership towards building a sustainable city.  Ajay still volunteers his time as Co-founder and board member at ACTS. Ajay is also a voluntary director at Project Life Force (PLF) which is the largest organisation working on voluntary Blood donation in Kolkata, India. Ajay has played a significant role in growing the organisation since its inception 6 Years ago. PLF has organised over 300+ Camps, with 180+ Organisations and has Facilitated over 60000+ Units of Blood via camps and city's only 24/7 Helpline touching 1,50,000+ Lives Positively. Over 800+ Volunteer have been part of this movement. He is also on board of several city based NGOs that includes HIVE India, Y-East , SwitchON to name a few. He is passionate about scaling social solutions using technology, innovations and simplicity.

With a commerce background through and through, meet this chance graphic designer who has been building her niche in the field for the past 3 years with her brand GraphicsQue.  She received her schooling from MHS, college JDBI, Masters from Lancaster University, UK.  She is an active participant of the Modern High School for Girls Alumni and has worked with over 100 clients with popular clients such as Haldirams, Rotary, Goodwyn Tea, Whooppee and BNI.  She is actively engaged in fulfilling her responsibility towards the society by participating in events such as Agapi (Curated by Paint our World, Director- Dr Priya Virmani), Colours of Innocence (Curated by Sonali’s Cubo, Founder- Vayjayanti Pugalia).

Lesleigh Joseph is a citizen and a resident of St. Kitts and Nevis and a graduate of New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice where she attained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Forensic Psychology and Anthropology. Having studied Psychology, Lesleigh was afforded the opportunity to vastly improve her intrinsic understanding of the human mind. She hails her decision to focus on Anthropology in tandem with Psychology as one of her most important life decisions as her work is heavily influenced by and entirely dependent on the dominant cultural influence of the social space in which she is present. Despite having chosen a career field that most believe is best utilised in the criminal justice system, she has had the privilege of utilising her skills and qualifications in the public relations, multimedia management and marketing arenas. Merv-Ann Thompson is the founder and Managing Owner of M.A.S.T. Productions, a multifaceted media company, and Conch Shell, an event-listing app in St. Kitts and Nevis newly launched on July 1st, 2020.  Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Merv-Ann was employed in the field of Broadcast Journalism for the past seven years, a job she thoroughly enjoyed. She began her career in Nevis at the St. Kitts-Nevis Observer after a short stint as a secretary’s assistant in 2012. Yearning for a change in mental scenery, Merv-Ann transitioned into the prolific offshore industry while still on the island of Nevis. Returning to “home base”, Merv-Ann picked up her writing pad again, this time in the employ of the Nevis Island Administration. Following a bout of homesickness where St. Kitts beckoned, she began a new job at WINNFM. While working as a broadcast journalist, she was introduced to the world of talk show hosting and in short order, became the main host of the station’s weekday radio programme Voices. After culminating her tenure, she transitioned laterally to FreedomFM as one of the hosts for its weekday talk show, Issues. Outside of Journalism, Merv-Ann has strutted her way down many cat walks entering local pageants across both islands, and in one regional pageant from 2016-2018. Additionally, she enjoys dabbling in mixing music as an amateur DJ, creating beats, gardening, exercising, reading and researching. She intends to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations/Affairs and Journalism in 2021.

Kimberly King is the Founder and Chief Initiator at Consulting Services by King and Associates Limited.  She has over 17 years’ experience within Sales, Marketing, Business Development, Customer Service  and Tertiary Education for international, local and regional organizations. Her academic qualifications are BSc. Hospitality and Tourism Management and MSc. Marketing Management. Having worked extensively with multi-national companies; Kimberly envisioned her business as helping micro, small, and medium businessowners (MSMEs) by scaling her technical know-how to fit their specific business challenges in the areas of sales and branding.

Evou Lawrence Mendy is a Software Engineer by profession and young Gambian Entrepreneur. He is the Founder and Lead Software Engineer of Kameko - a start-up that provides customized software solutions (web and mobile apps) for businesses in Gambia and beyond. In October 2018, Evou Lawrence introduced Ryde Africa Technologies - a platform that allows you to request for the nearest taxi by using Ryde Africa Taxi App or by calling one of our dispatcher lines. Evou Lawrence pitched Ryde Africa at the maiden edition of the Seedstar World Banjul Pitching Competition in November 2018 and was the 1st Runner-up. He was the 2nd Runner-up of TAF Start-ups Competition in December 2018. He was part the 1000 Entrepreneurs selected for the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme 2019. He's also documented by AfricaX (africax.org) as one of the 100 most inspiring stories in Africa for 2019.  He is part of EU Africa Start-ups - a network of 100 Digital Entrepreneurs in EU Member countries and Africa. Evou Lawrence Mendy is a YALI RLC Ghana alumnus (Cohort 8) where he studied Leadership in Business and Entrepreneurship. He's also the founding secretary of GAM-MINDS Foundation - non-profit organization that Motivates, Inspires, Nurtures, Develops and Support the next generation through Education, Innovation and Entrepreneurship.  He is currently the Hub Lead for Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme Alumni, Gambia Chapter. Before he started his business in 2017, he had work with InSIST Global Gambia Limited as a software engineer and Team Lead for ERP. He also worked as an offshore software developer for alaTest.com based in Sweden and Xanda.net based in London. He also graduated from the University of The Gambia with a BSc in Computer Science in 2013.

Professionally, I am a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Mapping Specialist and Geo-Business Advocate who has the passion for Technology, Location Intelligence, Mixed Reality and all-round geography and technology. I have had the zeal to further my studies in geography since Junior High through to High School and I currently hold my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Geography and Resource Development with Psychology. My former work as a GIS Mapping Specialist involved making Product Distribution maps , Customer location Heat maps and other business data related static maps. These are for spatio-temporal analysis of physical and business spatial data. My curiosity and thoughts about business has allowed me to examine the business application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to the success and profitability of sales and marketing in companies.  In respect to my enthusiastic side, my interest in Technology led me to also learn Front-End Software Development with Developers In Vogue. I am currently the Co-Founder of African Women in GIS and a STEM advocate.

Abiodun Anani is a Professional Marketing Strategist with over nine (9) years of cross-cultural experience in marketing, Branding and events. With outstanding achievements in delivering innovative solutions, and facilitating efficiency.  She began her marketing career at Oracle in 2011, an experiential marketing company as a Marketing Executive. Where she hosted several product demonstrations, activation and events. Abiodun then moved to Holidays and Host in 2018 where she served as Head, Public Relations and Marketing a luxury lifestyle company.  During her stay at Holidays and Host she played a lead role in the success of The AMTF Trade Fair which had over 20,000 participants, she’s also the creative director of Mainland Children Funfair. She’s currently a Growth Marketer at PML Advisory Limited, where she oversees marketing, sales and business development departments and works directly with the management group to help ensure continued growth.  She’s known for sharing professional marketing content to help marketing enthusiasts and business owners accelerate in today’s competitive market.  Abiodun holds an accounting degree from National Open University of Nigeria.

Business and social change is a family affair for YaAdam Fye. Alongside her mother Lucy and two sisters—Anna and Jainaba—the activist created The Fye Network, the premier producer and provider of African-inspired literature for Gambian children of all ages. The Fye family began writing a series of children’s books that aim to give Gambian youth hopeful, empowering images of themselves and encourage literacy among young readers. In “Princess Halima and the Kingdom of Affia,” readers follow the adventures of a princess in an ancient African kingdom to learn more about the continent. “When my niece Halima was born, I knew I wanted a better world for her,” Jainaba tells OkayAfrica. “She inspired us to write the Princess Halima children's book. At the time, there were no mainstream Black princess books.” But getting this material to children has its roadblocks. As YaAdam detailed in this Quartz interview, the recent transition in government after the exile of President Yahya Jammeh has left a struggle between those who are coming back to rebuild and locals who remain steadfast in Jammeh’s rule. “There is that power play between the diaspora coming back and the locals who have been there,” she said. Still, the group of literacy advocates believe that youth will be the wave of change their country needs. And that’s why they are investing in young people. “They are shaping the future,” Jainaba tells OkayAfrica. “They define the culture and push us to do more and go further, especially in the work of diversity and inclusion. For their unwavering commitments, Fye Network has received notable honors  and nods; YaAdam was named a fellow by the Obama Foundation for her activism in literacy and education and the Network is listed in the Quartz Africa Innovators series. Despite the “lack of responsiveness and engagement from our government,” YaAdam hopes imagination and persistence will begin the process of reform “and the desired changes start to become reality.

Benedicta Chukwuyem Uweru-Apuamah  is a Bachelor of Pharmacy Degree holder who is passionate about working the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  She was a ONE Champion (2017 & 2018) at ONE.org in Nigeria. She represented ONE in Nigeria & Africa at the ONEYouthSummit in Brussels where her presentation earned her a standing ovation from ONE CEO & President, Gayle Smith & other Youth Ambassadors across Europe. Her dream work place is the UN, she considers this a platform to impact her community better. She is the Founder, Girls for Development Goals Foundation [Formerly Girls Health & Education Foundation (GHeF)] where she enlightens girls on Sexual Reproductive Health (SRHR) utilizing the SDG templates especially SDGs 3, 4 & 5. Her projects include "A Love Letter to Myself" & "Advocacy Against Teenage Pregnancy" amongst. She continues to impact lives by volunteering with other organizations such as the medical outreach (May 2018) with the Moses Lake Medical Team (from the US) in Kebbi State, Nigeria. She's a 2019 WYSE ILP Brazil Alumni being the only Nigerian Delegate at a training that gathered 26 participants across 16 countries of the world in Sao Paulo, Brazil (Jan 6th to 17th 2019). She was a Chairperson at the just concluded Tanzania International Model UN Conference 2019 and continues to develop herself. She is the Director on the board of Benny&Freddy, a Private Liability Company that produces Reusable Sanitary Pads & offers a variety of services. She organized the Youth Voices Conference in commemoration of the 68th United Nations Civil Society Conference in Kebbi State, August 28th, 2019.  She also spoke at the Youth Empowerment and Development Conference in Abuja, Nigeria where she engaged young people on how to Access International Platforms. She is currently the only female Nigerian ambassador for the Young Political Leadership School Africa representing Nigeria at the 6th semester in Monrovia, Liberia, October 2019. She was the youngest speaker at the just concluded "Our Girls Our Pride" project organized by the Ministry of Women Affairs, Delta State. She is currently the Program Manager at JDPC Iseleuku, FASTER Project in Delta State.

 A Tea drinker by birth and a Tea-Taster by profession, Anamika Singh has introduced new infusions with a mix of natural flowers and herbs to the Indian market. Having launched her own brand « Anandini Himalaya Tea » she conducts Tea tasting ceremonies, conferences & events in Delhi. Her real love is Tea. ‘Identifying, understand and tasting tea we celebrate the very event of sipping tea! Sharing this knowledge with hospitality professionals & clients of real tea is a far bigger challenge. Anamika brings to the table knowledge and passion in a delicious Infusion. Anamika Singh has spent over eighteen years in the tea industry. Starting in Darjeeling as an apprentice under her father, Mr. Abhai Singh (a world renowned tea specialist), she now invests a greater part of the year in the family owned tea gardens in Himachal Pradesh. Research & development in her workshop helps bring out the finest nuances of tea manufacturing and blending. Anamika’s expertise extends to food pairing as part of the sensorial journey to culinary ecstasy. Navigating between Dharamsala and Gurgaon has allowed her to keep in touch with my traditional ‘purist’ roots as well as the rapidly evolving international market of demanding expats and the Indian tea ‘connoisseurs.’ Working in collaboration with exclusive Spas, Star hotels and top restaurants Anandini Himalaya Tea has helped her be part of the taste revolution. Anamika fires the mindset of « chaiwallahs » with her dynamic personality and persistence in quality products and presentations.

Awosika Israel Ayodeji is the project designer and coordinator of Web3Bridge, a blockchain education platform created to onboard developers in Africa into the blockchain ecosystem and in turn creating a blockchain economy in Africa. He is a passionate blockchain evangelist who knows that no single approach is the absolute template for every individual and environment and has remained committed to creating content and learning programs not only aimed at driving adoption of blockchain technology in Africa but also solving native problems and adding value to the environment.

Sunshine is a company committed towards bringing empowerment through employment to the underprivileged men & women. In this journey Juhee has been doing her bit in West Bengal for more than a decade and now in Karnataka she has restarted the journey.

Modou NSZ Njie is the Founder of Farm Fresh, the #1 online food store and delivery service in The Gambia, with a focus on promoting local produce and thereby securing income for local farmers and food processors. Farm Fresh has allowed Gambians from the diaspora to easily order fresh and healthy food for their families at home, earning the venture a nomination in the ‘Emerging Businesses in The Gambia’ by the Gambia Chamber of Commerce Business Gala Dinner in 2015. Current growth plans include a regional expansion to Sierra Leone, Senegal and Nigeria, and also a franchise system that would allow expatriates to become shareholders. In 2019 he won the Seedstars Start Up competition in The Gambia where he pitched on behalf of his new startup company called Money Farm.  Money Farm is the Gambia's first agro-tech crowd funding platform linking farmers to investors.  Modou is also a Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur and EMPRETECO alumni.  He won the audience award on behalf of his company Farm Fresh at the Future Agro Challenge Global competition held in South Africa in 2019.

Jason Kraus has been described as a "serial entrepreneur" by his friends and family ever since he opened his first business while still in college. He's always been intrigued by how companies got their start and how products that are now household names came to be. This led him to found startup consulting firm Prepare4VC, to cofound an alternative investment group Equity Venture Partners and to later join as a partner on a micro-VC, EQx Fund. To help others who share his passion, Jason is actively involved in Startup Grind and NextGen Summit, two notable startup communities developed to aid entrepreneurs in their endeavors. His passion for business and the knowledge he's accrued has made Jason a sought-after authority by those interested in entrepreneurship and innovation. Over the years, he's been featured in Entrepreneur magazine, All Business Media, Boston Voyager, Radio entrepreneurs and more to share his expertise. His hope is to help new founders get a strong foothold in their industry and increase their chances of success. His book Venture Forward uses stories from well-known entrepreneurs to show these new founders that they can find success through their trials and failures.

Ritah is passionate about organizing and developing strategies that are deliverable with a deliberate thinking and design, enthused about the wholesome growth and development of young sports journalist and community empowerment. Ritah Aliguma is seen as one of the few exceptionally passionate sports personalities who joined sports journalism in 2010. In 2011, her enthusiasm was recognized when she was voted as the best young reporter in Uganda, subsequently becoming the first Ugandan to attend the International Sports Press Association(AIPS) young reporters program in 2011 Shenzhen University. Ritah was later invited to attend the second young reporters program from which she was inducted as a Mentor in the Hong-Kong Sports Press Association young reporters program that takes place every year. The Hong-Kong sports reporters training camp is the leading young reporters program in Asia which brings together over 70 journalists from over 18 countries from across the globe, to help them transform to better and professional journalists. During this camp, they cover sporting events in China, Hong Kong and the prestigious Hong Kong Rugby Sevens. In 2014, she was appointed as the first female Vice president of the Uganda Sports Press Association (USPA) and served two terms in office. Uganda Sports Press Association (USPA) was founded in 1970 to bring together all sports journalists operating in Uganda. To date it is the most respected journalists’ organization in Uganda and the region, with close to 200 registered members and the brand USPA stands out. Ritah is also founder of Aliguma Foundation a community based organization that implements projects that focus on empowering women and children through sports in one of the biggest slums in Kampala, Uganda. In 2017 Ritah started Rismile Events Company in a bid to strengthen her business portfolio and create more jobs for Ugandans with skills in decorating and events management. She is passionate about the girl child and media.

Dr. Ismail D. Badjie  was born in Banjul, The Gambia and raised in New York in his early childhood before returning home to complete his schooling at Ndow’s Comprehensive leading up to graduation from Gambia Senior Secondary School in 2003. He retuned to the U.S to continue his education earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry in 2008 from Tennessee State University and then his Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D; 2013) from Purdue University (Lafayette, Indiana USA). Dr. Badjie has had over a decade of experience in the pharmacy industry serving in multiple capacities. He holds a Six-Sigma Green Belt in healthcare-focused on increasing efficiencies and outcomes in healthcare organizations. In his most recent role of Pharmacy manager for Community Pharmacy giant Walgreens Co., Dr. Badjie managed a 24-hour community pharmacy with a daily average of over 800 prescriptions, total yearly sales of $16 million dollars, and an inventory size as high as $1 million dollars. His community pharmacy specialization also includes medication therapy management, pharmaceutical compounding, HIV therapy, and Adult Immunizations. Dr. Badjie transitioned to establish his Healthcare solutions company Innovarx Global Health (IGH) in 2015 where he currently serves as Founder and CEO. IGH focusses on bridging the gap in access to quality healthcare solution and are set to open their first franchise in The Gambia. The company plans to usher in a new era of quality healthcare services focused on innovative technological approaches to disease state management, telemedicine, W.O.W (Wellness on Wheels) mobile delivery, point of care testing and overall distribution of quality medications.

Juliet Ukpabio Archibong is the quintessential lady on a mission to build a nation where economic and human capital development thrives. A visionary fore-runner who believes in driving development and has spent most of her life expressing her purpose in the various sectors as an entrepreneur by creating businesses driven by purpose to make an impact. Juliet is a certified brand communications manager specializing in international trade promotions and has practical working experience spanning over 10years in retail, experiential marketing, advertising, procurement, supply chain management, export trade and business management. When she is not on the forefront of trading exchange, she is writing and speaking on nation building, purposeful businesses, mindset for global growth as well as consulting for individuals, government and organizations; helping to highlight, package and sell opportunities for economic development.  She is an advocate for Made-In-Nigeria brands and strongly believes in the potential of Africa to sustain itself.  Juliet believes in entrepreneurship for impact and is at the hem of affairs at Adiaha trading Limited, Exclusively Owanbe party services and SLJ services also businesses setup to meet specific needs in their various sectors. Juliet truly means business as she is on a mission to make sure every single being, government, nation all understand their highest potential, are accepting their purpose and are living from the highest version of themselves.

Dare is the Founder and CEO at Chekkit Technologies Inc, he has over 10 years’ experience in software venture building expertise. Trained professionally as a Geologist, further trained at the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MBA like program) in Ghana as a Software Entrepreneur and advanced further in Entrepreneurship studies at the SDA Bocconi Business School, Italy. He has founded two companies in the past - StrictlyUI (a social network for the University of Ibadan) where he had his first degree and is still the most active group of the University on Facebook with over 30K students.  The second is a social music streaming and IM platform called sharebunk.io for which he signed a 3 million tracks streaming deal and got an offer from 1 of the top 3 global music record labels but  didn't take it, the startup crashed shortly thereafter. Dare’s company Chekkit develops product distribution chain tracking solutions for consumer goods manufacturers to combat counterfeits and gain consumer insights across their value chain with the aim of saving lives.  

Aurra is a  multi-potentialite with a very broad portfolio. She is currently the  Headmistress ofSt. Anne's Primary School (est. 1947), Executive Director & Co-Founder of Africa Is Digital and Chairman of Aurra Nicole Group. She is the  2019 Africa Science Week (Next Einstein Forum & Purple Futures Trust) - Appreciation Award recipient.  She received this recognition for her outstanding work and with sincere appreciation for her tireless efforts in using science and technology for the betterment of society. In  2018 she was the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce, Women in Commerce Award Winner in the Social Enterprise category for Little Entrepreneurs.

Zwede Hewitt is a former national 400m Champion, Olympian and Commonwealth Games medalist from Trinidad and Tobago (T & T), and now Founder and CEO of innovative tech startup company LUHU. Zwede excelled at track and field from an early, also while attending one of the most prestigious High Schools (Queen’s Royal College) on the twin islands of T & T, eventually earning a full scholarship to Baylor University. Zwede graduated from Baylor in 2013 with a degree in Speech Communication, while earning 6x all American Honours in NCAA Division 1 Track and Field. He then went on to compete professionally for 4 years while holding a position as operations officer and director in his family operated business started by his father Trevor Hewitt. Taking from his father’s entrepreneurial drive, Zwede began his own efforts creating startups in the sports and event industries. As a firm believer in value contribution, and impact his most recent venture is deemed to be his most impactful yet. Zwede is on a mission to shift the paradigm of social networking and media to one which is more productive and of positive impact.

Chad Fraser is an entrepreneur at heart. With over 15 years of experience in the Information Technology industry, his profession spans ICT solutions development, e-Government consulting, research and advisory, business process re-engineering, change management, IT Strategy, governance and quality assurance. He spent his first 4 working years as Chief Technology Officer at Ameltek a Technology solutions company. He was the lead consultant for the development of a centralised criminal record and law enforcement information system for the Royal Grenada Police Force. Mr Fraser was selected by the Grenada Cabinet to be a member on the national steering committee of the Caribbean Regional Communication Infrastructure Program (CARCIP) and sits on the board of the Grenada Postal Corporation. He started his entrepreneurship journey by establishing Sonover, a Grenada based software company that partners with organizations regionally and Internationally to facilitate their planning, design, development and implementation of digital transformation initiatives. He then went on and established Qualishore a Business Process Outsourcing provider that emphasises the use of technology in its offerings.

Ruth Iselema is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bitmama. She is a cryptocurrency enthusiast and trader. Her company Bitmama is an exchange where you can buy and sell cryptocurrencies like Bitcoins or Ethereum. Designed to help crypto users leverage on the potentials of the blockchain, the Bitmama website offers easy and fast cryptocurrency trades. Aside from being an exchange, Bitmama is a financial service provider and aims to spread the knowledge of cryptocurrency and blockchain to everyone especially to women and minorities in Africa.

William is the Founder of Chitangala.io, an Africa-centered Innovation Studio. They build and grow tech and culture companies. We strategically co-found through Venture-Building-as-a-Service for enterprise disruptors off and on the continent. William Chitangala is also the co-founder of creative agency Saint-Germain in Frankfurt, Germany. He also sits on the Youth Advisory Board of Brand Africa.  

Fengjun and BinBin are both Chinese young people with a global view of the world. They have both traveled and lived outside of their native China and represent a new generation who are moving beyond their country's borders. She plans to promote Chinese culture overseas and enhance the understanding between China and the world. Bin Bin is the Founder of the Dream Building Association, which is a non-profit and also an international volunteer platform. 

Chimezie is an Advisory Board Member at Kinesis Money for West Africa, formerly Regional Director for Africa at Paxful Inc. He is an accomplished tech innovation professional, Drupal Web Application Developer, Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Educator, Certified Bitcoin Professional (CBP)/ Blockchain Solution Architect, Community organizer, friend of disruptive ideas, and founder/ coordinator of the Blockchain Nigeria User Group. Chimezie serves as the Pro tem Chairman for Organization of Blockchain Technology Users  (OBTU), he acts as the Africa Lead, Technology & Innovation at Blockspace Africa Technologies ltd. and is the CEO of both Techbuild Innovation Partners ltd. and Lagos DrupalVersity. He authored the book, Seizing Opportunities in Blockchain & Digital Currency Revolution: A handbook for Enthusiasts. He is a graduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and a graduate of Blockchain & Digital Currency from the University of Nicosia, Cyprus, the first university in the world to initiate the award of degrees on digital currency. He is regularly featured as a tech commentator and innovation subject matter expert on CNBC Africa, Channels TV and BBC UK.

Until 2014, Carren was the Principal Information Officer with responsibility for project leadership towards the development of a fully functional National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) for Belize that will enable sharing of spatial data (e.g. GIS data) across all sectors in Belize and contributing to national development and regional and global initiatives to data accessibility. This initiative was included as a component in the current World Bank funded US$30 million project: the Belize Climate Resilience Infrastructure Project (BCRIP). Her entrepreneurial spirit led her to her post as Project Director, BAY Job Creation and Entrepreneurship Development Project.  Carren has a Masters Degree in Environmental and Natural Resources Management with emphasis on Climate Change. Carren is the  current Founder & CEO of Happiness Cleaning and Tiny Homes Development, both located in Belize. 

Yvette is a stalwart and well-seasoned entrepreneur in the Belize ecosystem. She believes she was born with an internal locus pushing her forward to start a business, even as a child she dreamed of starting up a small business venture. She used to come up with some ideas on how to convince her friends and the neighbourhood kids to buy her slightly used toys, comic books and chips.  After obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration in 1993 and marrying her husband who is an engineer, she decided to take the plunge and all the risks associated with it, and started a small importing and distribution business in 1995/1996. Her firm Belize National Paper Converters imports and distributes paper, printing products and equipment, medical supplies, chemicals and textile materials. There are two main employees and along with husband they primarily manage the assets.  Her market is the private sector and government.  The use of computer technology has helped her to make the company more efficient in terms of quick communication and response time to orders or inquiries. With the support of her husband and family, she has been able to establish and maintain an extensive network of customers to reach her market. In the first few years the challenges involved how to use formal scientific and management processes to bring about innovation.

Anima is the Founder of Nani's Creations, a brand with the drive to promote African culture and pride, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment through trendy, handmade jewellery and accessories. We pride ourselves in using authentic fabric from Africa to make products that meet the highest quality standards. She is also the Cofounder of Ayfinergy, a company based in Ghana and Bangladesh, which seeks to help in the fight against environmental pollution by converting waste into energy sources for use. Marium has spent the better part of the last decade studying waste management and treatment technologies. An SCI journal published author, her work on the treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater using advanced treatment technologies reflects her ethos that technology combined with a pinch of empathy for humanity can solve some of mankind’s biggest problems. She’s currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Environmental Engineering, this time delving into the field of environmental catalysis studying the catalytic hydrodeoxygenation of lignin (wrongly considered by many to be waste) into value-added chemicals and their potential uses in synthesizing green agro-chemicals.  As Co-Founder of the tech startup Ayfinergy, she is promoting her project in China, Ghana and Bangladesh, her home country, and has been collaborating with experts from around the world to get this initiative off the ground.  Between academia and entrepreneurship, Marium spends time dabbling in code, educating, moonlighting as a voice-over artist and enjoying the good life.

Ele is a breakthrough coach, brand strategist and a storyteller on a mission to enjoy life, eat everything she can, and help others become their own heroes.  After quitting “the perfect job," she got married and started traveling the world.  Unfortunately, what started as a dream come true ended up being a domestically violent relationship but that experience forced her to seek for something beyond happiness... a PURPOSE!  Mixing together her passion for personal development and marketing experience, she created a new path for herself.  Nowadays she uses storytelling to empower others to rewrite their stories and share their talents with the world.

Elaine is a serial entrepreneur and currently, she is the CEO of CNEW International.  She is responsible for business development as well as leading teams across the region from different offices in Singapore and China.  Elaine is a seasoned leadership development and personal development trainer, advisor in working with CEOs, senior executives for talent strategies, and executive coaching for C-suite leaders, entrepreneurs and startups.  A trusted and thought leader with more than 10 years with MNCs across Asia Pacific leading teams with consistent success.    Elaine helps clients enhance their skills in talent strategic management, authentic leadership, cross-cultural leadership & management, complex problem solving & decision-making, performance planning & management and more! She has been trained, mentored and advised 350,000 leaders in Asia from Corporates,  Ministries, Governments across South East Asia, the West and the East. She is passionate about the role of women in business and has been regularly featured on Global Times, Asia Entrepreneur Org, FOX, ABC, CBS and NBC talking about female entrepreneurship and raising the awareness of the gender equality and challenges female working professional face in the workplace.  Her specific skills include leadership development, personal resilience, speaking for influence, high-performing team development, cross-cultural management and professional facilitation, the design and delivery of training programs, coaching and speaking. She has designed and delivered hundreds of training programs for community leaders, executive and youth leadership groups, business owners, managers, and volunteers. Her programs are designed to improve operations, business performance and relations within organizations, as well as prepare organization to attract and retain quality businesses. She brings over fifteen years’ experience in business strategy, organization transformation, human capital, multi-cultural, inclusion & diversity, and leadership development. Most of the clients she is working with are Fortune 500 companies, state- owned, educational institutions and ministries. She trains and coaches regionally in China, Singapore, Philippine, South Korea, and Malaysia.  Elaine is a judge for MODEL APEC 2019 - Women and Economy in Capacity Building, Innovation and Technology for Asia- Pacific region, Elaine also serves as a judge and advisor for Hult Prize Challenge 2020 which is supported by Tsinghua University and United Nations.

Mbadibba is an expert in business management, finance, migration, entrepreneurship, and a trusted trainer.  Her passion to coach and develop emerging business leaders was honed during an impressive fellowship entrepreneurship program “Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Foundation” a program that supports African entrepreneurs through entrepreneurship trainings, and funding.  This is where her business idea was selected as one of the best ideas that can transform Africa’s economy.  She founded an Agrio-business farm, and created employment. Mbadibba has provided her expertise to institutions and supported entrepreneurs in The Gambia to better develop their business ideas. She has been featured, in the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) website and the Gambia daily observer as one of the educated professionals who ventured into agricultural farming for profit. She has provided her migration expertise in many forums, to provide alternatives to irregular migrants.  She received her BA Honors degree from the University of Herefordshire in the United Kingdom, and completed a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Nicosia Cyprus.  Mbadibba is chatty, adventurous, and excited about learning from others. Babucarr Jobe, upon finishing his schooling travelled through a journey where he spent almost 4 to 5 years struggling to get into Europe but things fell apart. He couldn’t achieve his dreams of getting into Europe.  He faced many difficulties and life became so frustrated and difficult until he received admission to a skill training course on satellite installations at GTMI (Gambia Telecommunications and Multimedia Institute), under the sponsorship of IOM (International Organisation for Migration). Upon completing the course he was still under the sponsorship of the IOM to pursue entrepreneurship training.  After completing the training he had a business idea called Jobis Connection Services, a local internet provider which works with satellite installation.  He came up with the idea in 2020 after providing internet connection to the uses of routers, which could help the user to have access with the internet at an affordable rate.  It also goes with the installation of satellites, which could enable most local customers-both rural and urban- to have access to the uses of the internet at a low cost.  It is now a fully registered business.

Maimuna Jahateh is the Founder of MaiyaMuna which is a company that makes homemade all natural skin and hair care products and uses these products to do beauty treatments in The Gambia. She holds a Bachelors degree in Biotechnology from Sharda University, India and was a Scientific Officer in the field of Malaria research at the Medical Research Council(MRCG). She is currently studying at the University of The Gambia as a second year Medical Student and also doing an online Diploma in organic skincare formulations. Maimuna does voluntary work as the executive director of Educating for Africa’s Future. She is also involved in health advocacy through the Association for Health Awareness.

Ida Faal is a young Gambian female entrepreneur and auto mechanic engineer. She is the Founder of ClockTvet Foundation that advocates for TVET (Technical Vocational Educational Training) in The Gambia. Ida breaks the stereotype that a female cannot be successful in a male dominated sector. Ida is one of the successful female auto mechanics in The Gambia and she serves as a role model to young females who want to venture into technical or vocational sector. She believes that no country can develop without skillful youths.

Modou is the Founder of ITalent Recruitment Consultancy firm and Mandy Ice Candy. In August 2018, he was a Final Nominee for the Global Youth Ambassador Hero Award for inspiring young Africans on Youth Skills category organized by the Movement. In In 2017, He was a Co-host in one of the very inspiring motivation shows at Kokoliko FM in Zambia East Africa where he talked about Entrepreneurship and the possibility of making it here in Africa. In March 3rd 2018, He did another podcast interview with a UK based Radio Each Teach Radio where he talks about his works as a Global Youth Ambassador.  He was appointed as the Chapter Director of Startup Grind Banjul which is an educational series events powered by Google for Startups in the US that helps connect up to 1 million entrepreneurs across the world through event hosting.

Siti Nur Afiqah (溪缇) is from Malaysia and currently studying a Bachelor Degree in Business Management taught in Chinese in University of International Business and Economics. She is an active member of Global Foundation of Young Entrepreneurs, where she has a lead role as the Media and Publicity Director of GFYE since 2018. Apart from that, she is also one of the representatives of Malaysia Student Association in Beijing, the Director of Malaysian Student Ambassador Program which closely consulted by Malaysian Embassy in Beijing and last but not least is the Strategic Head Manager and co-founder of FunTrip (Travel for your Leisure) start-up company also, in Beijing. She is also really passionate about youth innovation and entrepreneurship as she sees that it will help the country itself and the community whether in building or creating better environment for humans to live in and also helps to improve the economy of the world. 

Zimbabwean Tina Tendai Makuku Makaya is an African Themed Jewelry designer based in Beijing.  She is the founder of Chariots-Lionbay and People at Heart foundation. Chariots was created in 2016 after she realized the need to bring an awareness to the world about her African culture and heritage as well as bring women together and share the  love of God. Through her foundation she aims to make a difference in the lives of underprivileged children and women through offering educational programs, building early childhood centers and empowerment programs as well as providing a support system for women entrepreneurs.  She believes in creating an equal opportunity for marginalized women and children in her community in Zimbabwe and the world at large.  Tina is a firm believer of building her country and community brick-by-brick. This means that it does not matter one's class or financial status each individual can start helping the next person in different ways.  Her company has built an Early Childhood Education Center and has also started projects that assist marginalized women in starting their own business and taking care of their families.  They have hosted several empowerment workshops and conferences. Moreover, she has worked in several organizations including FedEx International and W.O.V. International. She has graduated with a Higher National Diploma in Purchasing & Materials Management. 

Purpose-driven Brand Strategist and Creative Director Kwame Antwi is a prolific coach and speaker on the subject of branding and entrepreneurship. He is the co-founder of a branding and web design agency Dephlex Creatives and also the founder of a brand strategy & business coaching consultancy Lens of Kwame.  Kwame’s path into branding wasn’t traditional. He fell into it out of necessity. After suffering from a continuous burn out of trying to chase and grab any project that comes his way for the first 5 years of running his agency, he was forced to take a hard look at the way the agency was run and its brand as a whole. Kwame realized the model of the agency was a race to the bottom and it was just a matter of time for him to quit and close it down. Just as he was about to give up, he discovered Chris Do from the future talk about Core Strategy Framework and also recommended the book The Brand Gap from Marty Neumeier then everything changed. This insight caused him to rethink, get clarity of his brand, reposition and rebrand the agency.  The strategy worked, and within a year the agency turned the corner and rocketed into growth mode.  And in 2018 he launched his brand strategy and business coaching consultancy in addition to his branding & web design agency to focus exclusive on what he does today: help purpose driven entrepreneurs build brands and businesses they love and deserve.  Through his agency and consultancy, Kwame has had the opportunity to work with many entrepreneurs, as well as small-sized businesses, and found that having clarity, positioning and consistency of your brand is all that a business need to grow and succeed. Kwame’s next projects are his podcast called The Brand & Business Lens and a free online hub for all entrepreneurs in China. The podcast launches in January 2020! The Brand & Business Lens is a podcast where Kwame explores what it takes to build a brand & business you love and deserve. You can also visit entrepreneursinchina.com to know when the free online hub launches.

Noah Namwamba is a life coach, motivational speaker, interpreter, new media researcher and events host.   As a mentor, one of his strengths is building and maintaining connections.  Being a polygot fluent in 7 languages, he’s become a global leader and mentor to many, speaking to vast audiences while sharing insights and inspiration.  Currently, he mentors 200+ global citizens across Africa, Europe, and Asia to reach their limitless dreams.  He is also the CEO and Founder of CommSEA - a global mentoring project which connects pros to newbies across various fields.   Noah’s main research areas include: social media, e-commerce, mobile payments, internet privacy and AI.  His personal mantra is: “Elevate, cultivate, motivate.   Charles Cyril Nettey is the CTO & CoFounder of Yumi, a company that lets global brands start selling on WeChat in less 10 minutes and unlock social commerce for Chinese millenials. Yumi is backed by China Accelerator, an SOSV company.  He is a software engineer with 5 years of design and development experience with a demonstrated history of working with web, mobile and cloud environments. Skilled in Software Design and Architecture, Agile Project Management, API Development and Web Applications. He is a strong engineering professional with a Master of Science focused in Applied Informatics from University of Liverpool.  He is the CTO & CoFounder of Yumi. 

Excited about the church, aviation, technology and agriculture, Nana is a high growth serial entrepreneur who strongly believes in constant learning, building and improving on existing solutions. He's currently working on a tech startup called Asoriba which aims at providing technology to half a billion African Christians. Asoriba is designed to help churches effectively and digitally run their administration, while seamlessly engaging with members through content sharing and enabling easy donation via mobile money and cards. Nana is also the Founder of Grow for Me & My Business Pay.  He was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 and alongside being an entrepreneur is also a pastor, a father and husband.  His startup Asoriba was named the Ghanaian startup of the year 2015 and also won the Innovate Africa Challenge, a business pitching competition for startups in Africa the same year.

Nyashadzashe Nguwo is a software developer, intellectual property advocate and Co-Founder and CEO of Flexi Africa, a platform that encourages African businesses' to sell their products to the world.  Flexi Africa encourages African-made products to be distributed to consumers all over the world and mainly in Africa. Over the past few years, statistics show that there has been a massive increase in sales on e-commerce platforms within Africa.  Overall, Flexi Africa will be targeting 53 African nations that will help promote and maximise sales for various African businesses.'

Tav is a serial entrepreneur, having founded several tech companies in China and Africa, including Meister Allianx, BTN Blockchain AI, ahaa Tech, Miaplenou Technologues and his latest startup fintech, Sumo Tech as well as marketing agency Bullworks. He has been a member of AIESEC for 7 years, working with young leaders around the world. He is also known for his activities in the One Young World community, of which he is an Ambassador. He was initiated to the business world very early by his parents at the age of 11. Tav is passionate about user experience, design and branding. He started his career as a web and graphic designer at the age of 16. In the past he was a consultant for several marketing campaigns for brands such as Pocari, Coca Cola, Budweiser, San Miguel and more.

 Adeshina Adewumi John is the CEO/Co-founder for One Kiosk Africa, where he focuses on inspiring the team towards achieving a sustainable e-commerce model for Africa. Adeshina holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Bowen University and post graduate diploma in Entrepreneurship from the Lagos Business School. He is driven by his commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. He has shown high level of commitment in driving positive change, promoting sustainable development goals and capacity development through various programs in Nigeria, Africa and the Globe. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts UK, a member of the Nigerian Institute of Management; a member of the Institute of Management Consultant and several other associations. He actively participates voluntarily in facilitating courses on innovation and creativity for fresh graduates in partnership with the Knowledge Exchange Center (a Nigerian Nonprofit Organization) focus on bridging the knowledge gap of fresh graduates and creating job opportunities for all. He is also a mentor with the Tony Elumelu Foundation where he supports various emerging entrepreneurs across Africa. Adeshina started his career in 2011 as an intern at Abel Aiyedogbon and Co, where he served as an audit assistant and shortly upon graduation took up other appointments with Stanbic IBTC Asset Management, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Pioneer COO of Proville and now CEO/Cofounder of One Kiosk Africa. Adeshina has engaged on various local and international platforms among which include but not limited to the International Finance Corporation (IFC) 100 African Startup Initiative and Tony Elumelu Foundation.

Heather Yixuan Li is a native of Beijing and former community manager of TechNode. She graduated from Penn State University with a dual degree in Public Relations and Political Science. She fell in love with the richness of African culture and community and was nominated as “Friend of Africa” last year by Appreciate Africa Network. She’s passionate about technology and its intersection with China-Africa relations, and currently a freelancer in bilingual PR and marketing for cross-border businesses. She’s the founder of Dot Connector, a boutique PR agency aiming to connect the vast opportunities of China and Africa’s tech and startup ecosystems. As a co-host of New Frontiers in African Tech, she hopes to create a platform to spotlight thriving tech startup founders in various African countries, and connect them with investor and support networks in China and beyond. Reginald Nsowah is from Ghana and an aerospace engineering officer in the Ghana Air Force. He is also the co-founder. Ticketmiller is innovatively using Technology to provide ticketing solutions for events, sports and transportation in Ghana. Ticketmiller provides a full ticketing management service that allows organizers to organize events and interact with fans and customers. Since its inception in 2018, Ticketmiller has served over 100 events and counting and is passionate about using technology to improve day to day life in Africa. Reginald is passionate about entrepreneurship and youth unemployment and seeks to help more young people to develop innovate solutions to develop their communities. He is also a Mandela Washington fellow and founder of Future Ready Africa.

Welcome to the final episode of the Men Engage series.  Dr. Paul Hamilton is currently a high school English teacher at Kang Chiao International School in East China. He holds a PhD in Shakespeare Studies from The University of Birmingham, UK. He is a Shakespeare Fellow at Kingston University, organizes conferences on Shakespeare, and is a member of the Kingston Shakespeare Seminar.

Tichaona Stanley Mungofa, commonly known as Tich is a Zimbabwean citizen studying International Economic Law in China, in the city of Wenzhou. He is a stern believer in Jesus Christ and loves hanging out with friends.   He loves tech and enjoys spending time with his friends  and believes that despite any difficulty the laughter and joy shared among friends makes life enjoyable.  He loves tech and through his own self study has become an expert.  He likes seeing what’s trending in the industry and gets excited when he sees brands that he admires (like Apple) flourishing.  He also likes to search about individuals who’ve made it in various business fields as well, especially billionaires. Their stories, financial gains and business models excite him.  Tichaona operates a store which deals mainly with retailing devices such as Apple, Huawei and Samsungs! The business is mainly online and ships out packages within our city and beyond China to places like India and Africa.   The shop also specialises in basic and simple repairs of the devices at very affordable prices.  

Ali Qadir 李卡 is from Quetta Balochistan, the southwestern province of Pakistan. He is a postgraduate student of Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA). Currently, he is doing his master degree in Applied Economics majoring in International Trade from College of Economics and Management, NUAA. He has been living and studying in Nanjing, Jiangsu since 2014. Since very young age, he has been deeply concerned about the global challenges and he is passionate about taking voluntarily actions on achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030. He is the founder of ‘From Compassion To Action (FCTA)’. FCTA is an independent group of international student and expat volunteers, from various countries with different skin colors and diverse languages, but maintaining the same belief, that is, turning compassion into action and contributing to society with love.  Since its inception in 2016, FCTA has been voluntarily organizing several projects on achieving the goals of SDGs 2030 in Nanjing, Jiangsu and Anhui province of China. Besides organizing volunteering projects, Ali Qadir has also done numerous talks on creating the sense of responsibility among people to get concerned about the global challenges and voluntarily start taking actions on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Nigerian, Kenneth Adeyemi is a mechanical engineer, the Founder of Omni-Errands Manufacturing Limited; a solid minerals processing company in Nigeria, and a Co-founder of D'revive-Co, a financial services company focused on African development. He is currently undergoing his graduate studies in Wenzhou University, China.

Mr. George Solomon is a BSc Holder in Computer Science with a minor in English Linguistic Language. George was born and raised in Dar Es Salaam a city in Tanzania, Eastern Africa. George came to China to persue his education career in 2016; He then opened his startup company Wenzhou Hams Information Technology Co., Ltd at Longwan District, Wenzhou City. George is now the CEO/Founder of Hamster International App a product of Wenzhou Hams Information Technology Co., Ltd. He is also the Manager at the Wenzhou Foreign Entrepreneurship Club Group. George believes in entrepreneurship as a major pathway for both people and company development.

In this final episode of series 3, a podcast collaboration with Kenroy George on digital transformation you will met Johns Beharry.  Johns is a Software engineer (full stack), with UX, and Project Management experience from running a full service Product Development agency – currently hyper focused on utility, adoption, and scaling of Distributed Ledger Technologies. He is the Founder of and Principal Architect at Peak Shift Limited.   Most of his experience is in product development - so he’s familiar with the entire product life-cycle, I have built REST APIs with Python, Node.js and connected them to Databases like MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Stellar and Single Page Applications using React.js, Vue.js and orchestrated their deployments of Docker images with Swarm or Kubernetes being pushed to various Linux distros.

Welcome back to series 3, a podcast collaboration with Kenroy George that brings together various individuals to discuss the fascinating topic of digital transformation. In this episode Kenroy interviews Melissa Powell from Jamaica. Melissa’s passion for people centric businesses led her to become the co-founder and cohost of InvestHuman, a podcast listened to on all continents in 70+ countries, which explores reigniting the human element of work. Melissa is also on a mission to facilitate nation building by zooming in on professional migration and its positive effects on the economics of individuals, companies and countries. This led her to create Pocmi Inc which is an HR and Immigration technology company focused on creating and bringing to light innovative ways to improve the movement of high skilled labor across borders, and co-create Block eM Ledger Consulting Group (BEML), focused on emerging technology solutions for the sustainable development of LAC. The BEML team has been working with institutions in Jamaica to help them understand the value of emerging technologies, predominantly Blockchain and how it can be used to help them to fulfill their purpose.  She has been featured on Virgin.com, SiliconCaribe.com and TheBusinessYear.com. Melissahas previously led panels and given presentations internationally on Personal Branding in the Work Place, Multicultural Diversity, Hiring the Best Teams, How to Prepare International Students for the Local Job Market, Empathy and Leadership in the workplace, as well as presentations and panels on emerging technologies and its potential uses in the  Caribbean. As a Jamaican woman heavily involved in technology and entrepreneurship, she recently co- produced and hosted a podcast series called WE-Speak Caribbean. This podcast was commissioned by the Caribbean Export Development Agency and UN Women Caribbean, with the support of the European Union, to give a voice to Caribbean women in business. Melissa is also a part of the Project Entrepreneur Class of 2018, a Branson Legacy Entrepreneur, a Mentor and Founder Graduate of the Founder Institute. She advocates for peace and progress through supporting and discussing innovation and diversity. She actively participates in close-knit future of work and technology initiatives such as i4j (Innovation 4 Jobs), various women and blockchain groups, digital Identity and various other global emerging technology and entrepreneurial groups, which she also mentors and advises. She uses these avenues to develop solutions for economic and people centric sustainability. She has a master’s degree in international business, an MSc. in Construction Management and a BA. in Architecture, with certifications from reputable organizations such as HBS, IFRS Foundation, USGBC, etc

Welcome to Series 3, a podcast collaboration with Kenroy George that brings together various individuals to discuss the fascinating topic of digital transformation.  Kenroy brings 20 years of media and tech experience to the table. He currently spends his days as the Founder of Cari, building out infrastructure for a self-sovereign identity and storage ecosystem in the Caribbean and Africa. Working mostly as startups (KIT Digital, Thrillist, The Daily) he has sharpened his entrepreneurial skill set in the means streets of New York. He works with local entrepreneurs through GrenStart to provide a much needed support network and mentorship. In this first episode, 110 you will get to learn more about Kenroy and the work he is doing to push the digital transformation agenda forward. 

Marcus Boereau, originally from Port-au-Prince-Haiti, is TV personality in China, fluent in eight languages and the Founder & CEO of IMAR Business Group-a China-based firm that provides a complete range of trading and business facilitation services to help companies and individuals to elevate their network of global partnerships and develop rewarding opportunities. Marcus has been living in China for over 10 years, which has given him first-hand insights into the Chinese culture and society. He is a strong professional with a Master of Science degree of Economics focused in International Trade from Shanghai University, China; and an experienced Director in investment facilitation with a demonstrated history of working in the public administration, skilled in Negotiation and Business Planning Entrepreneurship.

Welcome  to the final episode of series 2 whereby I speak to three young Ethiopian men on topics which require broken worlds thinking.  The third and final interview in this three part series is episode 108 with  Anteneh Tesfaye. Anteneh is an Ethiopian from Addis Abeba who works as country product lead for Africa’s Talking.  Africa's Talking is a Pan-African technology company with operations in dozens of African countries. Africa’s Talking provides communication (SMS, USSD, Voice, Airtime) and Payments (mobile money, bank, card) infrastructure to software developers and businesses’. Essentially the aim is to have businesses’ focus on creating great experiences for their customers without worrying about the infrastructure to deliver these experiences. He is also the founder of Shega.  Shega is an online publication and research platform which focuses on the Ethiopian tech and startup space. Shega also organizes events and tech meetups as well as support and consultation to local and international investors, incubators/accelerators and startups. Anteneh is interested in Innovation and startup ecosystems across emerging markets with a more specific focus on Africa, China and India. His curiosity for emerging technologies also led him to blockchain and crypto, where he spends his free time reading and engaging in the subject area. He is also the community organiser of Digital Asset Ethiopia, together with other enthusiasts. Before Africa’s Talking and Shega, Anteneh worked for Indian Fintech startup, Cred which to date has raised over $100 million. Anteneh is an Alumni of AIESEC, where he volunteered for three years and is a member of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).

Welcome to series 2 whereby I speak to three young Ethiopian men on topics which require broken worlds thinking.  The second in the three part series is episode 107 with  Mathias Abdissa. Mathias is an entrepreneur, engineer, and product builder with a very solid engineering background, who has lead and built financial, e-commerce, real estate, and educational products.  In the past he founded an e-commerce startup and generated $0.3M in revenue in 16 months and under 4 employees with $0 capital.  He also founded a Saas startup and lead a team of 5-8 engineers to build software applications for hardware components.  He has collaborated with other senior product managers to strategise product releases, bug fixes, marketing and sales materials. He has a global network which spans China, UAE and the Philippines for e-commerce and consulting businesses.'  As an entrepreneur he is very passionate about solving problems by leveraging engineering, product, and business experience.  His current interests are in e-commerce and blockchain/cryptocurrency.  In the crypto space he is fascinated by stable currencies, public and private chains, and remittance applications. Mathias is currently doing business development across the African continent for Reserve, a company building a stable, decentralized currency. 

Welcome to series 2 whereby I speak to three young Ethiopian men on topics which require broken worlds thinking.  The first in the three part series is episode 106 with  Hiruy Ephrem.   Hiruy shares with us investing basics from his experience of working with investors in the startup ecosystem.  Hiruy is an Ethiopian-American from the Washington D.C. area and is currently based in Shanghai working as an Investment Analyst for Sean O’Sullivan Ventures; also known as SOSV. SOSV is dubbed as "The Accelerator VC" deploying its capital through its network of 7 accelerators around the world. Over the past 20 years the firm has funded well over 600 startups and currently to fund over 150 startups per year. All startups are funded initially through SOSV accelerators and since 2010, SOSV has developed seven key accelerator programs across 3 continents (HAX, IndieBio, RebelBio, Chinaccelerator, FOOD-X, MOX, and dLab).  Hiruy currently serves as an Analyst with Chinaccelerator and MOX.  Chinaccelerator, the first startup accelerator to launch in China, is a mentorship-driven program helping internet startups from around the world cross borders - from the world into China and from China to the world.  MOX, which stands for Mobile Only Accelerator, enables mobile apps and services to reach the next 4 billion mobile-first, mobile-only smartphone users in Southeast Asia and India. Before beginning his new job at SOSV, Hiruy spent the last two years working with Angelvest Group as the Program Manager. AngelVest was launched in 2007 in affiliation with the Asia America MultiTechnology Association of Shanghai. The group’s mission, as one of the first institutionalized angel groups in China, is to enable entrepreneurs in China to raise angel or early-stage capital from accredited angel investors – who can provide not only capital, but also operating expertise and relationships to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses. As program manager, Hiruy was responsible for sourcing startups, helping with due diligence, investor relations, and marketing. Hiruy has always been interested in Entrepreneurship and China. He studied in Middlebury College and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in International Politics & Economics.  As part of the of the degree, he learned Mandarin and studied abroad in Beijing for a semester at Capital Normal University.  After his semester abroad, Hiruy was able to intern as a Marketing Operations Intern at Beijing Niu Technologies; also known as Xiao Niu – an Electric Scooter company based out of Beijing and recently IPO’ed on Nasdaq in 2017. In his free time, Hiruy enjoys traveling and seeing his friends in different parts of the world.   Additionally, he frequents Shanghai’s comedy scene and performs at open mic’s as an amateur comedian.  If you would like to share your thoughts and perspectives with us on this podcast please send us a message here.  If you would like to connect further with Hiruy you can do so via LinkedIn.  You can find out more about Rare Birds via the links below: Website   LinkedIn   Twitter   FaceBook   Instagram

Our final episode, number 105 of this series features Fama, who hails from The Gambia and is currently majoring in Aeronautical engineering at NUAA in Nanjing.  She is passionate about AI, tech and gender equality. She  hopes to bridge the tech and Gender GAP in Africa.  She competes in different tech competitions with her team to help her gain the necessary experience to make an impact when she finally goes back home.  She is currently working alongside her CoFounder Beth, on turning their ideas into companies which can impact young people on the continent.  You can find out more about Fama by connecting with her via LinkedIn. You can find out more about Rare Birds via the links below: Website LinkedIn Twitter FaceBook Instagram

Episode 104 of this series features Neud Tesfay the 22-year old  Ethiopian CoFounder of A to C-Africa to China.  He currently lives in Nanjing, China where he is studying Software Engineering at Nanjing university of Aeronautics and Astronautics.  A to C aims to bridge the gap between the small and medium-sized businesses' in Africa and China. If you would like to share your thoughts and perspectives with us on this podcast please send us a message here.  If you would like to learn more about Neud you can find him via the links below: Company Website Trading Website You can find out more about Rare Birds via the links below: Website LinkedIn Twitter FaceBook Instagram

Episode 103 of this series features South African Zazu Zungu, a business student at Tongji University in Shanghai. She‘s worked in diverse startup teams as both co-founder and consultant. With China as her base, she founded Manzini - an AI research company centered on machine learning for higher education and ultimately building a machine-led curriculum that seeks to fully digitize education in the classroom. If you would like to share your thoughts and perspectives with us on this podcast please send us a message here.  If you would like to learn more about Zazu you can find her via the link below: LinkedIn You can find out more about Rare Birds via the links below: Website LinkedIn Twitter FaceBook Instagram

Episode 102 of this series features Tanzanian Kizwalo Simbila, the Founder of SchoolBiz Forums, a growing online student community and social learning platform for schools and universities.  He is also the Founder of iTalk Network, a conferences platform,   KS Visuals, a graphic design studio,  a public speaker, and business student based in Ningbo, China. Listen in to this insightful discussion! If you would like to share your thoughts and perspectives with us on this podcast please send us a message here.  If you would like to learn more about Kizwalo you can find him via the links below: Website LinkedIn Twitter FaceBook Instagram You can find out more about Rare Birds via the links below: Website LinkedIn Twitter FaceBook Instagram

In our first interview we speak with Cameroonian Gaelle Patricia Ayamou, the Co-Founder of Duapa Africa, a social enterprise that seeks to contribute to the socio-economic transformation of Africa through developing innovative solutions.  She is also the co-founder and CEO of Think, Share, & Create Hub (TSCHub), a Beijing-based social enterprise dedicated to creating platforms where women and youth from different backgrounds and nationalities can get inspiration, resources and skills needed for their personal and professional growth. If you would like to share your thoughts and perspectives with us on this podcast please send us a message here.  If you would like to learn more about Duapa Afric and TSCHub  you can find details via the links below: Duapa Website TSCHub Website You can find out more about Rare Birds via the links below: Website LinkedIn Twitter FaceBook Instagram

Hello Everyone, Welcome to the Rare Birds Podcast.  I know it has been quite some time since you have heard from me.  My name is Jo-Ann, your big sis and the chief curator behind this podcast.  For those of you who have been with me from the outset, thanks so much for patiently waiting for me to return.  We have come a long way, indeed!  To new friends you're invited to share in the mission.  Our conversations are happy and relaxed. I am animated, therefore you will hear my guffaws, screams and random laughs.  If this sounds like your kind of vibe, then sit back  with your favourite cuppa and listen in.  I am not an expert on anything.  I make no claims!  What I am is curious, adventurous and an amateur conversationalist.  I am still learning how to be a better listener and speaker.  I consider myself a conversationalist in training.   Through this platform I aim to share with you the untold stories of women and young people from emerging markets and developing economies.  They are all early stage entrepreneurs building high impact businesses.'  We discuss topics related to entrepreneurship, lifestyle and leadership.  They all have an interesting perspective and through our dialogue I hope to create shifts and inspire conversation.  SecretBirds to Rare Birds and a Little in Between is a short podcast whereby my dear London-based friend Esme interviews me.  Through this listen you learn a little more about me and the evolution of this platform and me, from SecretBirds to RareBirds.  Follow our hashtag #RareIsChange via the platforms below: Website   LinkedIn   Twitter   FaceBook   Instagram WeChat

In this episode Collette and Jo-Ann discuss brands, what they do for us and how they make us feel. We also delve into how a clear strategy can help create a stellar business.

Bruno and Jo-Ann discuss the various types of business structures available for startups to help you select the one which works best for you.

In this episode Jo-Ann and Kelechi discuss rejection and setting boundaries. Listen in to learn more.

In this episode Danni shares with us her work, her penchant for books and what is next for her at Conscious Dreams Publishing.

In this podcast episode Simone and Jo-Ann discuss Simone's profession, what she does, how she does it and building a business in that field.

In this track Reyhana walks us through the four imperatives every business needs to consider in the early stages of business.

In this podcast episode Monique shares with Jo-Ann how anxiety and depression due to a menstrual disorder forced her to step back. We discuss what this means for ambitious women and how it affects them overall.

In this episode Bryn shares with us practical steps for entrepreneurs to prevent burnout.

In this podcast episode Jennifer discusses how and why entrepreneurs tend to be nonconformist.

In this episode Alissa and Shari share with us their experiences with trying to launch their magazine Shuga N Spice! Listen in.

In this episode Natz shares with us how she shifted from a teaching career to an educational consultant. As an edupreneur Natz has built her business: Power Thoughts, where she offers services to parents and kids as young as five.

In this podcast episode Marguax shares with us how she became a self taught entrepreneur and photographer. She is now five years in and is sharing her story with others.

In this episode Sophie shares with us why being true to your natural, feminine self as a woman creates flow, love and abundance in your life :

In this podcast episode Lorlett shares with us why it is important to preserve one's heritage and culture as they build their business. How does this happen? Listen in.

In this episode Chiara shares with us her journey of building her organisation Led by Her in the past five years from nothing to an industry stalwart to now walking away to pursue other interests.

Tracy and our Founder discuss Changing Directions in life and business.

In this podcast episode Ashanti shares with our Founder & CEO Emotional Baggage and how to manage disappointments as one builds their business.

In this podcast episode we discuss: · Starting a business at age 25 vs. age 50 · Transforming misfortune into a new business opportunity · How a change of place can change your life Listen in!

In this podcast Dr. Crystal shares with us how women entrepreneurs can use emotional intelligence to build their business. Listen In!

In this episode Andrea shares with us how she went from being the frustrated parent to an innovative entrepreneur.

In this podcast episode Sandra shares with us her journey from Honduras to the USA. She also discusses how she shifted from being a trailblazing corporate woman to an entrepreneur.

In this episode Candice discusses her business, building it as a woman of colour and a black woman. She also shares her thoughts on other women of colour entering the wellness business and the various opportunities and challenges available to them.

In this episode Axelle shares with us her vision for women empowerment throughout the Caribbean region. Are Caribbean women empowered? How do we define the empowered woman?

In this episode Crystal D'Cunha shares with us why customer experience is vital to building our businesses.' Do you know the difference between customer experience and customer service? Listen in to find out more.

In this episode Luvena shares with us conscious and unconscious bias and stereotypes that we all carry. Creating a business/ industry that is inclusive and the connection to personal business values. She also shares her own personal journey and her business the Curvy Yogi.

In this podcast episode Candace discusses how she became a culture maker. Her thoughts on the commodification of culture, creatives as entrepreneurs and much more.

In this podcast episode Victoria shares with us her three steps to for making an idea innovative. Reverse mode, park mode and go mode. Listen in!

In this podcast episode Charl shares with us her journey as a food blogger and transitioning from blogger to entrepreneur.

In this podcast episode Taribba based in St. Lucia, shares with us the limitations of being a designer in a small economy whilst trying to compete internationally.