Podcasts about Andela

In this episode of the Mic On Podcast, Seun Okinbaloye engages renowned tech entrepreneur and co-founder of Andela, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, on issues around Nigeria's tech ecosystem, economic potential, and leadership. The tech guru reflects on his unconventional journey into the industry, Nigeria's slow pace in global tech competition, and the urgent need to harness AI, energy, and computing for national development. He shares his thoughts on issues of governance, workforce planning, and policy direction, emphasizing that real change requires integrity, expertise, and a clear ideological vision.Guest:Iyinoluwa Aboyeji(Tech entrepreneur)

Building a marketing function from the ground up is no small feat, especially when the pressure is on to deliver results fast.In this replay episode, Kelly Wenzel, CMO of Andela, shares her experience leading a complete marketing turnaround. From fixing broken processes and re-aligning with sales, Kelly details what it takes to transform a team and achieve success. She also opens up about the challenges of managing executive expectations while keeping her team motivated during a period of intense change.In this episode, you'll learn:How to rebuild a marketing function from scratchTips for earning trust and leading teams through uncertaintyThe importance of alignment for teams involved in the revenue processJump into the conversation:(00:00) Introducing Kelly Wenzel(02:04) Starting a marketing rebuild(06:04) Building the foundation: People, Process, and Infrastructure(11:29) Launching a product under pressure(15:44) Building trust with stakeholders and your team as a new CMO(22:03) Driving change with cross-functional teamwork

The tech industry faces a paradox: despite high demand for skills, many developers and engineers are unemployed. At KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America in Salt Lake City, Utah, Andela and the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) announced an initiative to train 20,000 technologists in cloud native computing over the next decade. oss O'neill, Senior Program Manager at Andela and Chris Aniszczyk, CNCF's CTO, highlighted the lack of Kubernetes-certified professionals in regions like Africa and emphasized the need for global inclusivity to make cloud native technology ubiquitous.Andela, operating in over 135 countries and founded in Nigeria, views this program as a continuation of its mission to upskill African talent, aligning with its partnerships with tech giants like Google, AWS, and Nvidia. This initiative also addresses the increasing employer demand for Kubernetes and modern cloud skills, reflecting a broader skills mismatch in the tech workforce.Aniszczyk noted that companies urgently seek expertise in cloud native infrastructure, observability, and platform engineering. The partnership aims to bridge these gaps, offering opportunities to meet evolving global tech needs.Learn more from The New Stack about developer talent, skills and needs: Top Developer Skills for AI and Cloud Jobs5 Software Development Skills AI Will Render ObsoleteCloud Native Skill Gaps are Killing Your GainsJoin our community of newsletter subscribers to stay on top of the news and at the top of your game.  

Greetings Glocal Citizens! Increasingly, I am thinking thoughts about places of being that better reflect citizen-centered social, economic and built enviroments. In recent conversation with Paul Damalie (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/paul-kwesi-damalie) and following the works of another fellow GC, Chinedu Echeruo (https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/beloved-ecosystem-6923267349097680896/) (which happens to be how I came across this week's guest), those thoughts are beginning to rise into a mental framework for manifesting that new world. Born and raised in Nigeria, Victor Ndukwe is an Architect that has evolved over the years straddle tech and design. He is currently a founding team member of Itana (formerly Talent City) (https://www.itana.africa) and is positioned to change the environmental and economic landscape in Africa. Victor developed a keen mind for technical things in his formative years and honed his creativity in architecture school. He is a T-shaped individual (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-shaped_skills) with strong skills in Architecture and environmental planning and secondary skills in programming - a hardcore java developer once upon a time. He has worked in architecture firms, software development firms, real estate development firms, and now city developers. He has his eyes set on developing the infrastructure in Africa by unlocking capital for development as well as solving the critical problem of energy in Africa. Victor's optimism and committment are clear as you'll come to understand in our conversation, and with this blueprint, his vision is looking like a present many on the Continent have been anticipating. Where to find Victor? Find out more about the Donacare Foundation (http://www.donacarefoundation.org) On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/victorndukwe/) On X (https://twitter.com/vndukwe) What's Victor listening to? Johann Sebastian Bach (lin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGA1v6gZj1s) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (https://www.classicfm.com/composers/mozart/music/) George Frideric Handel (https://www.classicfm.com/composers/handel/) Other topics of interest: Umahia or Ama Ahia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umuahia) in Abia State (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abia_State), Nigeria About Governor Alex Otti (https://www.alexotti.com) Discovery Channel (https://www.discovery.com) Charter Cities Institute (https://chartercitiesinstitute.org/intro/#whycc) Computer Village. Ikeja Lagos (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Village) The Echelon Conspiracy Film (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echelon_Conspiracy) NIIT Nigeria (https://www.niit.com/nigeria) Free Trade Zones in Nigeria (https://nepza.gov.ng/free-zones/) What is Industry 3.0? (https://tech-labs.com/blog/evolution-industry-10-40-and-beyond) Special Guest: Victor Ndukwe.

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Sunny Bonnell about culture and visionary leadership. Sunny Bonnell is a leadership and brand expert and the visionary Co-founder and CEO of Motto®, a strategic brand transformation agency helping the world's most innovative companies advance into their next era, and the bestselling author of the Rare Breed, A Guide to Success for the Defiant, Dangerous, and Different. Sunny was recognized with the prestigious 2024 Thinkers50 Radar Award, in partnership with Deloitte, spotlighting her as a seminal thinker whose ideas are shaping the future of business. Her strategic insight and creative prowess have benefited an impressive roster of clients including Virgin, Google, Microsoft, Minnesota Vikings, NFL, Hershey's, Legendary Digital, Disney, Twentieth Century Fox, Klaviyo, Andela, Goodnotes, Hopscotch, Hello Alice, and many more. SWAGGER named her a ‘Visionary Brand Icon' and has graced lists such as Top 30 Global Gurus in Brand, GDUSA's Top 25 People to Watch, and the Webby Awards. Sunny is also an internationally acclaimed keynote speaker for organizations like MasterCard, Microsoft, Dale Carnegie, Fast Company Innovation Festival, Inc., and Inspiring Workplaces. She has been featured on Yahoo! Finance, Fast Company, Inc., Forbes, Entrepreneur, and The Wall Street Journal. She has appeared on CNBC's Closing Bell, The Breakfast Club, Bloomberg Radio, Yahoo Finance, The Verge, and more. Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network!

Founder Amy-Willard Cross discusses the mission and operations of Gender Fair, the first consumer rating system for gender equality. Gender Fair aims to measure and promote gender equality within consumer-facing companies by utilizing data and the UN Women Empowerment Principles. Amy highlights the importance of transparency and data-driven insights to create social change, emphasizing that gender equality in corporate practices benefits not just women but overall fairness in the workplace. Gender Fair evaluates companies across five categories: women in leadership, employee policies, diversity reporting, supplier diversity, and philanthropy for women. Amy also shares how Gender Fair has incorporated technology to increase its impact, including an app and browser extension that allow consumers to easily access company ratings on gender equality. These tools enable users to make informed purchasing decisions based on a company's gender equality practices. The app features functionalities like barcode scanning and logo recognition to provide real-time information about products. Amy emphasizes the significance of making gender equality data accessible and actionable for consumers, believing that collective consumer power can drive corporate accountability and fairness. Throughout the conversation, Amy discusses the challenges and successes of building Gender Fair, the importance of leveraging economic power for social change, and the role of technology in facilitating gender fairness. She also touches on the broader impact of Gender Fair's work in promoting fair business practices and the potential for future expansions, such as a B2B database for procurement. Gender Fair (https://www.genderfair.com/) Follow Gender Fair on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/begenderfair/), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GenderFair/), or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/genderfair). Follow Amy-Willard Cross on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-willard-cross-genderfair/). Follow thoughtbot on X (https://twitter.com/thoughtbot) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/150727/). Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots podcast, where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. I'm your host, Chad Pytel, and with me today is Amy-Willard Cross, the Founder of Gender Fair, the first consumer rating system for gender equality. Amy, thank you so much for joining me. AMY-WILLARD: Well, I'm very happy to be talking to robots, giant and small. CHAD: [laughs] We'll try not to smash into each other too much on this show. I think we probably have a lot to learn from each other rather than conflicting. AMY-WILLARD: I think so. CHAD: Let's just get started by digging in a little bit to what Gender Fair actually is in terms of what we mean when we say a consumer rating system for gender equality. AMY-WILLARD: It's about data. So, I was originally a journalist. I've written for a living my whole life: books, magazines, articles [laughs], you know, radio shows. I wanted to do something to promote equality in the world. And I realized that data is one way that you can want to have commercial value. Data has value that isn't, like, just blah, blah, blogging, and also, data can create social change. So, I decided to do something like, you know, we know fair trade has created great change as has, you know, marine stewards certified. And also, I was inspired by something that the Human Rights Campaign, the LGBTQ organization, does, which is called the Guide to Corporate Equality. So, our goal is to measure how companies do on gender and then share that with the public. And I didn't just make this up. We use a set of principles called the UN Women Empowerment Principles, which look at eight different sort of areas of an organization. And so, we created metrics that are based on these UN Women Empowerment Principles and also based on what is findable in the public record. We rate consumer-facing public companies, you know, like Unilever, Procter & Gamble, the shampoos that you use, the cars that you buy, the airplanes you ride on. And we look at five major categories, such as, like, women in leadership. We look at employee policies like parental leave, and flex time, part-time, summer Fridays. I'll be curious to know what you do at Giant Robot. I bet you have good ones. And then, we also look at diversity reporting. Our company is upfront with their attempt to bring more diversity into the workforce and also supplier diversity. I don't know, are you familiar with supplier diversity, Chad? CHAD: I am because we often are a supplier, so... AMY-WILLARD: You are. So, when they ask you if you're diverse...but one way companies, especially the big companies that we rate on this public database, they can make a big impact by trying to buy from women and minority-owned businesses, right? When procurement spending is huge. That's a metric that people may not know as well, but it's one that I would encourage every business to undertake because it's not that expensive. And you could just intentionally try to move capital into communities that are not typically the most rewarded. The last category that we measure is philanthropy for women, and that's important. People say, "Well, why do you measure philanthropy?" One, because the amount of philanthropy that goes to women and girls is 1.5% of all donations, and it used to be 1.8. So, pets get more money than women. I don't know how that makes you feel, Chad, but it doesn't make me feel very happy. I mean, I suppose if you're Monster Beverage and you don't have any women clientele, one, it's okay if you don't score well on your gender metrics; just meet the basic fairness. But maybe Monster Beverage doesn't have to donate to the community of women. But if you're making billions of dollars a year selling a shampoo, I would sort of think it's fair to ask that there's some capital that goes back the other way towards the community of women. So, that's the measurement. So, we could do it...and we do it for small companies like yours, too. I imagine your company would do well from the little bit I've talked to people on your staff. It sounds like you have a lot of women in leadership. And I don't know your policies yet, but I'm sure you...I bet in Massachusetts I know you have parental leave anyway in the state, but you're a more progressive state. But I think this is something that all of your listeners can benefit from is putting a gender lens on their operations because a gender lens is a fairness lens. And it includes usually, you know, this includes people who are not just all the same men, White men. So, it helps all businesses sort of operate in a more fair way to put a gender lens on their operations. And it's not hard to do. CHAD: So, one of the things that jumped out at me, in addition to just the Gender Fair mission, as I was learning about Gender Fair, is that you have an app and a browser extension. And so, that's part of why you're on the show, not only do we care about the impact you're having. AMY-WILLARD: That's right. Yeah [laughs]. CHAD: But you're a tech company. Did you always know as you got started that you were going to be making an app and a browser extension? AMY-WILLARD: Well, yes, that was the beginning because you have data. You have to make it used. You have to make it available, right? Personally, I like to see it on packages. But yes, we've had two iterations of the app, and I'm sure it could always get better and better. The current one has a barcode scanner and, also, it can look at a logo and tell you, "Oh, this soda pop is not gender fair. Try this soda pop, which is gender fair." And it can make you a shopping list and stuff like that. But, you know, tech is only good if people use it, so I hope they do. I mean, the idea is making it more accessible to people, right? I would like to have it as a filter, some easy tech. We've talked to big retailers before about having a filter put on online shopping sites, right? So, if I can choose fair-trade coffee, why can't I choose gender-fair shampoo? I like it when people can use technology to create more fairness, right? If this is a great benefit to us if technology can take this journalism we do and make it accessible and available and in your hand for someone, you can do it in the store, for Pete's sake. You could just go on the store shelf, and that's pretty liberating, isn't it? When you think of it. It should be easy to know how the companies from which you buy are doing on values that you care about. So, I never really thought of it as a tech. I wish it was better tech, but, you know, I'd need millions and millions of dollars to do that. CHAD: [laughs] Had you ever built in any of your prior companies, or had been directly responsible for the creation of an app? AMY-WILLARD: No, but I did actually once when I worked at the major women's magazine in Canada, I did hire the person who created the first online sort of magazine in Canada, and she made money, so I felt good about that. I plucked her from...she was working as sort of tech support at the major...what do you call those? Internet providers in Canada. But no, I had not, and so I relied on experts. I had a friend who was on the board of Southby, and he helped me find a tech team. I went through a few of them and, you know, it's hard to find. Like, where do you go and find people who will build something for you when you're a novice, right? As a journalist, I don't really know anything about building technology, and I certainly wasn't about to start at my age. It was definitely a voyage of discovery and learning, and I don't think I really learned much coding myself. CHAD: That's okay. AMY-WILLARD: That's okay [laughs]. CHAD: But was there something that sort of surprised you that you didn't anticipate in the process of creating a digital app? AMY-WILLARD: Oh gosh. Well, you know, of course, it's difficult, and there's lots of iterations, and there's lots of bugs. And in every business, mistakes are part of what people...in the construction industry, they'll tell you, "Mistakes are just going to happen every day. You just have to figure out how to fix each one." But, no, it's a difficult road. So yeah, I wish I could have coded it myself. I wish I could have done it myself, but I could not. But yeah, it's good learning. And, of course, you know, I think anyone who's going to start building a company with technology...if it were me now 10 years ago, I would have actually done some coding classes so I could just even communicate better to people who were building for me. But I did learn something, but not really enough. But it's a very interesting partnership, that's for sure. CHAD: And there is a lot of online classes now... AMY-WILLARD: Right [laughs]. CHAD: If someone is out there thinking, oh, you know, maybe that's good advice. And there's a lot of opportunities for sort of an on-ramp, and you don't need to become an expert. AMY-WILLARD: No. CHAD: But, like you said, even just knowing the vocabulary can be helpful. AMY-WILLARD: I think that would have been useful. Yeah, definitely useful. But I definitely, like, you learn a little bit as a text-based person. You learn the rigor of just sort of, like, you have to think in ones and zeros. It either is or isn't. That helps. I learned that a little bit in working with tech devs. The last version we did actually white labeled off of someone who had created a technology to do with...it was to do with building communities online. And their project failed, but it had enough backbone that we were able to efficiently build what we needed to on top of what they built. CHAD: Oh, that's really...was it someone you knew already, or how did you get connected? AMY-WILLARD: Yes, they knew one of our partners in New York. We tried it first as a community project. It didn't really work. And then, we realized it could actually hold our data at the same time. So, my first iteration of the app was different. But yeah, anyway, we've built it a couple of times, and I could build it even more times... CHAD: [laughs] AMY-WILLARD: And make it even better and better. CHAD: So, on the sort of company side of you've worked with companies like Procter & Gamble, MasterCard, Microsoft, do you find it difficult to convince companies to participate? AMY-WILLARD: What we do is data journalism. We don't contact the companies. We have researchers. We have journalists go and look through the SEC data and CSR reports and collect the data points on which we measure them. So, no one has to cooperate with us to get the data. It's journalism. It's not opt-in surveys, which is a very common...when I first started, no one was measuring women, and now there's lots of different measurements. And they're often pay-to-play surveys, so they're not really very valuable. Ours is objective and fully transparent journalism. But then afterwards, our business model how we typically used to pay for this is that companies that did well on our index were then invited to be quote, "certified." And this was a business model that was sort of suggested to us at the Clinton Global Initiative, to which I belonged in 2016. And they loved what we were doing, using the free market to drive gender equality. Because, you know, our whole point is that women and people who care about women and equality, we have a lot of power as consumers, or as taxpayers, or as tuition payers, or as donors to nonprofits. And whenever you give money to an organization or a company, you have the right to sort of ask questions about the fairness of that organization. Well, that's our whole ethic, really. I answered that question and came around to a different idea, but yes, no. So, the companies do participate to be certified, and some of them are interested and some of them are not, and that's fine. We do projects with them sort of like when we...we've talked about MasterCard, and we did a big conference with them in New York. This is pre-pandemic. And then, we did a big, global exhibit with P&G, and Eli Lilly, and Microsoft at TED Global, which was very fun. It was all about fairness. And it was great to talk to technologists such as yourself. And we made a booth about fairness in general, not just about women. And we had a fairness game, and it was very interesting to just discuss with people.  I think people like to think about fairness, right? I don't know if you have children, but little children get very interested in the idea of what's fair very early on. Yeah, so some companies participate...now we have companies...we do some work in B2B procurement which is something that your listeners might be interested in thinking about is that just, like, supplier diversity. If I were purchasing your services, your company services, I would ask about the gender metrics of your organization. I already learned they're quite good. So, big companies buying from other companies can put a gender lens on their B2B procurement. And so, that's a project we're doing with Salesforce, Logitech, Zoetis, Andela, which is another tech provider, and Quinnox, which is a similar sort of tech labor force, I believe. And so, we're going to be releasing a database about B2B suppliers. Actually, I should make sure that you get on it. That's a good idea. CHAD: Yes. AMY-WILLARD: That's a good idea because then it's going to be embedded in procurement platforms because this is a huge amount of money. It's even probably more...it could be more money than consumer spending, right? B2B spending. So, I'm excited about working with more companies on that to help promulgate this data and this idea because it's an easy way to drive fairness in a culture. When the government isn't requiring fairness, at least large companies can. And in some countries, actually, the government requires its vendors to do well on gender. Like, Italy now has a certification for gender, the government does, and companies that do well are privileged in RFPs and also get a tax deduction. CHAD: I don't want to say something incorrect, but I think the UK has, like, a rule around equity in pay... AMY-WILLARD: Yeah, absolutely. You're absolutely correct. CHAD: And yet they don't have equity in pay, the data shows. AMY-WILLARD: That's right. And we don't have that in the United States. It's voluntary in the U.S. We measure that, actually, too. That's seven points over a hundred points scale is whether they, one, publish the results of their pay study. In the U.S., though, we do it in a way that isn't rigorous as the way they do it in the UK. In the UK...you're great to remember that, Chad, in the UK, I mean, I wish my government did that. In the UK, companies report on the overall salaries paid to men and the overall salaries paid to women. So, that means if, you know, all the million-dollar jobs are held by men, it shows very clearly, and all the five-dollar jobs are held by women, it shows very clearly there's an imbalance. And in the United States, we just say, "Oh, well, is the male VP paid the same as a female VP?" That's sort of easier to do, right? CHAD: When we've talked with some larger companies about different products we're creating or those kinds of things, sometimes what I hear is they're looking for big wins, comprehensive things. And so, I was wondering whether you ever get pushback or feedback that's like, "Well, not that your issue is not important, but it's just focused on one aspect of what our goals are for this year." AMY-WILLARD: Right. Yeah, that's always a hard thing because when I think about fairness to half of the population, it's a hard thing for me to think that's not hugely important. CHAD: Yes. AMY-WILLARD: I have a really hard time, but yes, of course, we get that a lot. And, you know, quite frankly, when we did this B2B project with Logitech and Zoetis, they would ask their vendors, like, the major consulting companies and big companies, to take a SaaS assessment that we do. We have a SaaS product that private companies can take, or just instead of doing our journalism, they can just get their own assessment. And they were very, very reluctant to do this. That was just, you know, half an hour. It was a thousand-dollar assessment. And it took many months to convince these companies to do it. And that was their big customers. So, yes, it is very hard to have...what's the word? Coherence on what one company wants versus what a big company wants, and it's hard to know what they want. And it's, yeah, that's a difficult road for sure. And it changes [laughs]. CHAD: Part of the reason why I asked is because from a product perspective, from a business perspective, at thoughtbot, we're big fans of, like, what can be called, like, niching down or being super clear about who you are, and what you believe, and what you offer. And if you try to be everything to everybody, it's usually not a very good tactic in the market. AMY-WILLARD: That's right. That's right. CHAD: So, the fact that you focus on one particular thing like you said, it's very important, and it's 50% of the population. But I imagine that focus is really healthy for you from a clarity of purpose perspective. AMY-WILLARD: That's right. But at the same time, now there's lots of...when I started in 2016, there weren't a lot of things in this space, and now there's many, many, many, many, many, many, so corporations that want to sort of connect to the community of women or do better for women. There's many different options. So, there's many flavors of this ice cream. Even though we're niche, the niche is very crowded, I would say, actually, and people are very confused. I mean, I think I remember hearing from Heineken that they're assaulted daily by things to, you know, ways to support women in different organizations and events. And they said they took our call because we were different. But yeah, there's many competitors. But, I mean, that's the main thing. In any business, in any endeavor in life, one has to show one's value to the people who may participate, and that's a challenge everywhere, isn't it? CHAD: Yeah. AMY-WILLARD: But the niching down thing is...and interesting we hear a lot these days is that women are done. We've moved on from that. Now we care about racial equality, and we say, "That's a yes, and… We can't move on." CHAD: Well, the data doesn't show that we've moved on. AMY-WILLARD: The data doesn't show that at all, and we're going way backwards, as you well know. So, I mean, actually, I don't know if you know, there's something called the named executive officers in public companies. Are you familiar with that? The top five paid people. CHAD: Yeah. AMY-WILLARD: They have to be registered with the government. Well, that number really hasn't changed in six years. That's where the big capital is, and the stock options, and the bonuses, and the big salaries. So, to me, that's very important that I would like, you know, rights and capital to be more...well, I want rights to be solid and capital to be flowing. And so, that's what we hope to do in our work. MID-ROLL AD: Now that you have funding, it's time to design, build, and ship the most impactful MVP that wows customers now and can scale in the future. thoughtbot Liftoff brings you the most reliable cross-functional team of product experts to mitigate risk and set you up for long-term success. As your trusted, experienced technical partner, we'll help launch your new product and guide you into a future-forward business that takes advantage of today's new technologies and agile best practices. Make the right decisions for tomorrow today. Get in touch at thoughtbot.com/liftoff. CHAD: So, going back to the founding of Gender Fair, when did you know that this was something you needed to do? AMY-WILLARD: I wanted to serve, you know, you want to be useful in life. And I wanted to do work in this field that I care so much about. As I said, I think I told you I started doing journalism before, and I realized anyone could take the journalism, and they could, you know, Upworthy would publish things we would create and then not pay us for it. And I thought that's crazy. But it's interesting talking to my husband. My husband's, like, a very privileged White guy. And I remember he said something to me very interesting. He said, "You either have power, or you take it." And he said, "Women have all this power." So, he helped me understand this. Like, you know, I think sometimes as women or communities that are underserved, you start thinking very oppositionally about what you don't have. But at the same time, you can realize that you do have this power. So, what we're trying to do with Gender Fair is remind people they have this economic power, and they can use it everywhere, you know, in addition to our consumer database. I told you that we're doing a B2B database this year. And we also...I think next week I'm going to release a database of 20,000 nonprofits looking at their gender ratings. That was done as a volunteer project by Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology if you know them. So, yeah, this is an ethic that you can take everywhere in your life is you have this power, even as a consumer. Chad, even in your little town, you can ask your coffee shop if they pay fair wages. Like, this is just a way of looking at the world that I hope to encourage people to do. CHAD: Along the journey of getting started, I assume you ran into many roadblocks. AMY-WILLARD: Mm-hmm. CHAD: Did you ever think maybe this is too hard? AMY-WILLARD: Oh yes. Well, not in building. In building, you're very optimistic, you know, it's just like when you're writing your first book. You think it's going to be a bestseller. Like, you build something, and you think the whole world is going to use it right away, and you're going to...I did have a great...when I first launched, I had a wonderful, I had, you know, press in Fortune. I had Chelsea Clinton. I had big people writing about us. Melinda Gates has written about us many, many times. The fact that...well, I've always wanted to build, like, a consumer revolution of women, and I'm going to keep at it. But it's very daunting. It's very daunting when you're trying to move a boulder such as, you know, big institutions and companies that don't really want to change, and they're not motivated to do it. So, yes, those are my roadblocks. It's not creating the massive amount of change that I wanted to do. And I'm not going to give up, but, yes, it is very daunting, and it's very daunting to see how little people care. Some people don't care about it, but some people in power don't care about it. But I think if you asked, you know, regular women, they would say, "We would like fair pay. We would like equal opportunity. We would like paid parental leave." They would want all these things, and hopefully, together, we can fight for them. CHAD: Well, and, like you said, the premise of what you're doing is you're focused on the power that you do have, which is the dollars that you spend with these companies. I think that's such a smart angle on this because especially for...it seems like the core in terms of the consumer-facing companies. That's so inherent in what this is. AMY-WILLARD: That's right. CHAD: Yeah, the angle of empowering consumers, and giving them the information, and leveraging the power that consumers have with these companies seems really smart to me... AMY-WILLARD: That's right. If it works -- CHAD: As opposed to individually going to the companies and saying, you know -- AMY-WILLARD: "Please make it." Yeah. And some people would refute your use of the word empower because that implies that people don't have power. So, when I give speeches...I have a pair of beautiful gemstone red pumps, and I say it's the ruby slippers. We had this power all along. We just were not exercising it. But this power will only work, Chad, if it's done in the aggregate. So, our challenge is to reach the aggregate of American women. I have to, you know, I have to go reach 50 million women this year. That's my goal. Reach 50 million women with this message that we have the power in the aggregate to make change. And that's the only way this will work. If it's just one by one, it really doesn't. When I first launched, I found when I showed the app to people on the lower end of the economic scale, like, you know, people in the cash register; they understood this more than middle-class women. They understood the fact that if all women come together and, you know, buy from this company or don't buy from this company based on how they treat women, they understood that as a collective power. Whereas middle-class women who don't have as many struggles didn't really groove to that idea as quickly, which I thought was very...to me, it was very interesting, you know, individuals feel more powerful on the higher end of the social scale. They may or may not -- CHAD: That is interesting. AMY-WILLARD: Yeah. So, yeah, that's my goal. We'll see if I can do it. That's going to be my life's work, I think, Chad. CHAD: How do you reach 50 million people? AMY-WILLARD: I don't know. That's what I'm going to think about. You know, we're talking to different people about campaigns. We actually stopped the consumer work during the pandemic because it just, you know, everything changed. And so, now, this year, we're going back. I don't know; I mean, I guess if Ryan Reynolds tweeted about me, you know, that would help. If [laughs] anyone listening has any ideas how to reach 50 million women...no, maybe 3 million is what I need to create social change. CHAD: I imagine that it doesn't just come down to spending money on advertising. One, you might not have that money. AMY-WILLARD: No. And that would be, you know, that also would be not in the ethics of what Gender Fair is, for example, right? That means I would be paying money to Facebook and basically Facebook, I guess, and Google. If you look at the major spends of nonprofits, they're advertising with these big tech giants. And so, we have...actually, we have some partnerships with large women's organizations, and I think that's the way we hope to spread that. And if I had money for advertising, I would want to spend it with other women's organizations, or women's owned media, or women influencers. There's another idea I talk about in my work I call the female domestic product, and so talking about how much money women earn or capital we control. And the more we can grow that female domestic product, the more we can achieve equality actually. I always say, in America, you get as much equality as you can pay for sadly. CHAD: I was just about to say, "Sadly." AMY-WILLARD: Sadly, yeah. It's true. We still don't have the Equal Rights Amendment. A hundred years. CHAD: Well, 50% of the population would say, "Why do we need an Equal Rights Amendment [laughs]?" AMY-WILLARD: All men are created equal, but yeah, it's quite astonishing. I don't know. Do you have daughter, too, or just a son? CHAD: I have a son, and my younger one is non-binary. AMY-WILLARD: Well, I'm sorry to be so binary. Excuse me. CHAD: It's okay. AMY-WILLARD: Well, interesting. And that's great, too, isn't it? Because we see how fluid gender is and their rights are just as important as a woman's rights. And these are, you know, women and non-binary people are often excluded from things. And so, we are all working together just to create fairness. I'm sure that the same thing happens in your family, too. CHAD: Yeah. I think fairness is one of those things. Sometimes equality is not necessarily the same as fairness. AMY-WILLARD: Yes. CHAD: But I think, like you said at the top of the show, fairness is something that we seemingly learn very early on. But one of the ways that it comes across is I'm being. It is unfair to me, especially in little kids, at least with my kids [laughs]. AMY-WILLARD: Of course, yes. CHAD: That was the thing that they learned first and caused them the most pain. And it was very difficult for them to see that something was unfair for somebody else. So, I remember saying to my kids when they were little, "Fair doesn't mean you get your way." AMY-WILLARD: That's right. Not fair. CHAD: Right [laughs]. AMY-WILLARD: It's true. But then, you know, it's funny. When I talk about equal pay, I often say to people, "When I used to cut cakes for my children, I cut equal slices, and I didn't put them under the table," like, you know what I mean [laughter]? So, why are we so cagey about the slices of economic pie we give to one another? I mean, there's no reason why pay has to be secret, right? If it's fair. You could easily talk to people. Well, you know, Chad gets paid more money because he's the CEO, and he does the podcast, and he has to talk to the bank, you know what I mean? So, you could easily explain that to people. And I don't know why we have to keep salaries a secret from one another. It seems very irrational to me and not really a part of fairness. CHAD: Yeah. Yep. That's something...so, all of our salary bands at thoughtbot are public on the internet. AMY-WILLARD: Cool. On the internet. Oh, I'm very impressed. CHAD: Yeah. So, you can go to thoughtbot and use our compensation calculator. You enter in your location, what role you have. AMY-WILLARD: Oh. So, you do it for other people. Oh, that's cool. That's a great service. And that was just some sort of tech that was sort of pro bono tech that you all built for the world. CHAD: Yeah, we created it for ourselves. AMY-WILLARD: And then you shared it. CHAD: Mm-hmm. AMY-WILLARD: Then you open-sourced it. Great. Well, I bet you have a lot of happy employees. CHAD: I like to think so [laughs]. I do think that there is an inherent understanding of fairness. And when people ask how we do things at thoughtbot or how we should do things, I say, "How do you want it to be?" I think that guides a lot of how we do things and why a lot of stuff we do is just common sense. And it's not until ulterior motives or maintaining power comes into play where the people in power don't want to give it up. Because, like you said, people don't understand that by giving someone else a bigger piece, they think that that means their piece is smaller. AMY-WILLARD: Right. Or they just think they deserve it. I was reading last night about succession planning and CEOs. And apparently, a lot of them just stay...oh, sorry, in big public companies, not in their own companies, they stay on way too long. And all these consultants are saying it's the four Ps, you know, position, privilege, pay, and then...I forget the other one. But one of them was jets. They don't want to give up their jets. So yeah, I think when you have things, it seems fair, and sharing them seems...giving up some of what you have seems unfair. But I do think humans can see fairness. But sometimes, when you have a lot, it's hard to see it. You're able to justify why it may be not unfair to people who don't have as much as you do. But anyway, I can't change human nature, but most people do understand fairness. I think you're right about that. CHAD: Well, one thing...I noticed...so, you're a Public Benefit Corporation. AMY-WILLARD: Yes. CHAD: Did you set out to be a Public Benefit Corporation from day one? AMY-WILLARD: Yes, you know, originally, when it came to how was I going to pay for this, the first part I paid myself with my own money. I hired MBAs. I hired researchers. I built the tech. And then, I wasn't sure how I was going to pay for it going forward. But I knew I didn't want to become a nonprofit because, in my mind, there are so many things that...there are so many problems that women have that need to be solved by nonprofit organizations, planned parenthood first among them. Like, I don't want to take money away from women's organizations that help women fleeing abusive homes. So, I wanted to see if I could pay for this in the private sphere, which we've been able to do, and not have to seek donations because, really, I felt very strongly about not taking money out of that. That's part of the FDP, the part of the female domestic product, but the part that's contributed by people philanthropically. And there isn't a lot of philanthropic dollars going to women, as I mentioned before. So, yes, I knew definitely I wanted to be a Public Benefit Corporation. And there's no tax benefits to that, you know, I don't know if you are yet, but... CHAD: No, it's something that we've looked at, but it's very attractive to me. AMY-WILLARD: Right. And there's also the private version of it being a B Corp, which is also very useful. It's an onerous process. Public Benefit Corporation isn't quite as onerous, I don't believe. I mean, we're in Delaware and New York, but it just says that you're, I mean, we exist for the public good. I'm not existing to make millions of dollars. I'm existing to create social change. And some organizations don't want...are leery of working with us because we're not a nonprofit so that's to assuage them. Well, it's not really about...we're not about enriching shareholders. It's just a different way to pay for it. But yeah, I would encourage all companies to look into being a Public Benefit Corporation or do a B Corp assessment or a Gender Fair assessment. It helps them, you know, operate in a world that is increasingly more values concerned. Maybe 20 or 30 years ago, it wasn't so on the top of mind of many people. We were coming out of, you know, warring '80s capitalism. But nowadays, the younger people, especially, are very focused on issues of fairness and equality. So, I think those tools making business better that way are very useful. CHAD: Well, I would encourage, you know, everyone listening to go check out the app, if you're at a company, to look at doing the assessment. Where can people do those things? AMY-WILLARD: Ah, well, yeah, I would encourage them to do all those things. You're right, Chad. I would encourage you to download the app and check some of your favorite brands. It's very simple. Do the paid subscription. And then, if you're a company, you can do an online assessment. You just go Gender Fair assessment, and you'll find it. If you're a business and would like to participate in our B2B database, you can also do the assessment, or there's a coalition for Gender Fair procurement, where you can get information. We had the prime minister of Australia speak at our launch. It was quite excellent. We'll be launching our nonprofit. Actually, I think it's already online. It's called genderfair-nonprofits.org, if you want to see how your favorite nonprofits do. But, basically, we're here to help any business or organization do better on gender. And you can email me amy.cross@genderfair.com. And I would love to help anyone in their journey for fairness of any kind. Yeah, many ways to participate. Just go to genderfair.com or genderfairprocurement.com. CHAD: Awesome. Amy, thank you so much for sharing with us. I really appreciate it. And thank you for all the good that you're doing in the world with Gender Fair. AMY-WILLARD: Well, I appreciate the way you're running your company in a very new, interesting, and apparently ethical way. Privately, I could look at your website and your career page and figure out how you're doing. But it sounds, to me, when I've talked to people, that you're doing very well. And I honor your curiosity about learning from others. CHAD: Awesome. Well, listeners, you can subscribe to the show and find notes along with a complete transcript for this episode at giantrobots.fm. If you have questions or comments, email us at hosts@giantrobots.fm. You can find me on Mastodon @cpytel@thoughtbot.social. This podcast is brought to you by thoughtbot and produced and edited by Mandy Moore. Thanks so much for listening, and see you next time. AD: Did you know thoughtbot has a referral program? If you introduce us to someone looking for a design or development partner, we will compensate you if they decide to work with us. More info on our website at: tbot.io/referral. Or you can email us at: referrals@thoughtbot.com with any questions.

Revolutionizing your marketing infrastructure isn't just a bold move; it's a necessity for driving unparalleled growth. Just Andela CMO Kelly Wenzel. In this episode, she shares how she rebuilt a neglected website in 90 days, aligned sales and marketing, and navigated a volatile tech landscape to achieve explosive demand and efficiency. Her path forward? She established trust within executive teams, set clear visions, and inspired her entire organization to navigate challenging times. Tune in to learn how her bold strategies and unwavering patience turned potential into performance, proving that effective leadership fuels extraordinary results.In this episode, you'll learn: The critical steps to revitalize a broken website and turn it into a powerful lead generation tool and driving significant growth.The strategic importance of aligning sales and marketing: Learn from Kelly's experience on laying the groundwork with scoring systems, nurturing campaigns, and fostering collaboration between sales and marketing teams to improve efficiency and meet quarterly goals.How to build trust and influence in a leadership role. Understand the key methodologies Kelly used to build trust and align with key stakeholders during Andela's transformative journey, emphasizing transparency and teamwork to navigate economic and operational challenges.Jump into the conversation:06:41 How to develop a playbook for success while assembling the right people and tech.10:58 What it means to double a team while streamlining process. 17:33 Best practices for collaborating with key stakeholders to drives business transformation.24:34 How to craft a value message that resonates with your audience.

In our latest podcast episode, we had an enriching conversation with Sheni Sulyman. We explore Sheni's journey from a hands-on operator who helps scale one of Africa's unicorns (Andela) to a visionary founder. He shares invaluable insights on problem-solving, crafting processes, and strategic execution - the backbone of any prosperous company. Sheni emphasizes the power of empathy and adaptability in leadership. His stories serve as a masterclass in engaging and inspiring teams, highlighting the importance of resonant communication and turning challenges into opportunities. He also provides a rare look into the personal life of a public figure, discussing the balance between visibility and privacy and his deliberate choice to prioritize personal values and meaningful work over the attraction of fame. This episode is more than just a conversation. It's a catalyst for self-reflection on the motivations behind our quest for success, fulfilment, and impact. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-grinders-table/message

Meet Iyin Aboyeji popularly known as E, the man behind some of Africa's most impactful startups, including Andela and Flutterwave. In this episode. Ever wondered what drives Africa's tech revolution? Tune in as we unlock the secrets with Iyin Aboyeji, who is the founding partner of Future Africa! In this explosive interview, you'll discover: His journey from Nigeria to global impact. Why he bets big on African talent & innovation. Success stories & secrets from Future Africa's portfolio. His vision for Africa's next generation of entrepreneurs. What it takes to drive bold change on the continent. His unique perspective on African politics & policies. Where he sees the biggest opportunities in Africa today. One crucial piece of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. Whether you're an entrepreneur, investor, or simply interested in Africa's development, this episode provides an insider's perspective on the continent's tech ecosystem. This ain't your average podcast! Join us for an in-depth conversation with a true changemaker. Subscribe now and hit the bell to never miss an episode!

Adie Akuffo-Afful is the Managing Partner at The SpiltMilk Company, where they ideate, test, build, and fundraise for concepts the group thinks of. Prior to this venture, Adie was the head of venture programming for Wefunder, a Regulation Crowdfunding platform, and currently sits as an advisor and syndicate lead for a few external ventures.TakeawaysArt has the power to showcase different perspectives and evoke emotions. Entrepreneurship requires a strong team and the ability to adapt to challenges. Inequality and the pursuit of happiness are complex issues that impact society. Water rights and technology are emerging areas of opportunity in Africa. The next innovation centers may be in Austin, Chicago, Portugal, Turkey, Nigeria, Nairobi, Singapore, and Sydney. Networking and making introductions can be powerful tools for building relationships and helping others. Opening doors for people and providing opportunities can have a positive impact on both parties involved. Patience and timing are key in building meaningful connections and relationships. Kindness and generosity are important values to uphold in professional relationships. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:03 Geeking out about Art 03:11 The Significance of Art 06:25 Favorite Artists and Integration into Business 08:23 Challenges and Motivation in Entrepreneurship 10:29 The Pursuit of Happiness 13:31 Realization of Inequality 16:36 Caste System and Cultural Anthropology 19:24 Entrepreneurial Gene and Family Business 22:19 The Next Big Thing in Africa 25:47 The Impact of Andela on African Technology 28:44 Ramping Up Knowledge Base 31:36 Next Innovation Centers 35:35 The Power of Networking and Making Introductions 36:09 The Kindness of Helping Others 37:33 Opening Doors for Others 38:02 Patience and Timing 38:30 Where to Find Adie Akuffo-Afful Order some merch, Iconic Luxury Streetwear: https://www.iconicluxurystreetwear.com/ Podcast & Content Creation Course: https://tanakatava.gumroad.com/l/LVySW The Download (Keys & Codes) - Newsletter featuring previous episodes of Iconic Conversations and musings of my mind: https://tanakatava.substack.com/https://tanakatava.substack.com/ Book a FREE consulting call to discuss your creative strategy or business idea: https://calendly.com/tanakatava/tava-consulting-20-minute-meeting Listen to this podcast (but in audio form): Listen to Podcast GUEST: Adie Akuffo-Afful

This episode of the Transform Work podcast features Jeremy Johnson, the CEO and Co-Founder at Andela.Andela is a global talent marketplace that connects companies with vetted, remote technologists spanning six continents. Leading companies around the world trust Andela to scale teams quickly and accelerate their product roadmap. Jeremy JohnsonAndela

From waste glass to sustainable solutions, Cynthia Andela is shaping the future of glass recycling. Join Vance Marriner as he discusses the journey, challenges, and aspirations of Andela Products & Ruby Lake Glass, LLC. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of a family business passionate about environmental change. Check out our last interview: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kirnan Real Estate | CNY Business Journal Interviews | Season 6: Ep. 4 Don't forget to follow us on social media! ► ⁠⁠⁠Follow us on Facebook⁠⁠⁠ ► ⁠⁠⁠Follow us on Instagram⁠⁠⁠ ► ⁠⁠⁠Follow us on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ ► ⁠⁠⁠Follow us on Twitter⁠⁠⁠ ► ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to us on YouTube⁠⁠⁠ Website ► ⁠⁠⁠www.cnybj.com

Meet Christina Sass, founding partner of Dive In Labs and co-founder of Andela. Tune in to learn:How to productively analyze feedbackKey challenges faced by foundersWhy your context matters When to empower your team and let goThis episode has been updated since its original upload on 9/14/2023 to better reflect the standards of Talentism and was reuploaded on 9/22/2023.

Today we have Chris Smith with us, a repeat offender here at the EUVC podcast. If you're a loyal long time listener you may recall Chris from our episode #14. Chris is a Managing Partner at Playfair, a generalist VC fund with a contrarian approach to pre-seed technology investing.Based in London, Playfair invests across the UK and Europe with an intentionally high conviction, low volume approach: making 6-8 investments a year and preserving time, capital and resource to help companies post-investment. Playfair is investing out of their $70m Fund 3 and has an established portfolio of **100+ companies across two funds including AeroCloud, Thought Machine, Andela, Mapillary, Recycleye and Orca AI.At Playfair, Chris is focused on pre-seed opportunities in the UK, Europe and Israel. He loves finding companies operating in overlooked sectors that are ripe for disruption and is particularly interested in autonomous transportation, business and industrial automation (especially through AI, ML and computer vision), HealthTech (except diagnostics and therapeutics) and B2B SaaS.

David Latten is the Head of Global Indirect Procurement and Supplier Diversity & Equality at Logitech. Lean in as he discusses what he's passionate about, his niche: As of today, despite all our best supplier diversity efforts, only 6.1% of the total US corporate spending goes to Black, women and other under-represented suppliers. The other 94% of corporate spend represents a vast untapped opportunity to positively impact equality. Most of this 94% of non-diverse spend is with very large suppliers. These large, non-diverse organizations employ millions of people across many countries and accrue trillions of revenue each year. These influential companies have the power to shape a gender fair future and in turn we have the power to influence them. We will not achieve gender equality without these large organizations taking a stand. Logitech along with Gender Fair co-founded The Coalition For Gender Fair Procurement with the simple aim of leveraging the multi-trillion dollar spending power of corporate procurement as a lever to provoke urgently needed progress towards gender equality. In coalition with GenderFair, Logitech has started assessing their high impact (high headcount and/or high revenue) suppliers for gender fairness using GenderFair/Ethisphere assessment based on the UN WEPs. We will continue to assess these suppliers each year with the hope and expectation of seeing progress in their gender fairness. We will also look to direct future spend decisions towards gender fair organizations. But this is not enough. We need others to take action with us. It is only by coming together that we can make meaningful progress towards gender equality. Only by uniting as an industry and with one voice asking one simple question; “Are you Gender Fair?” that we can fully unlock our influence for equality. None of us alone can be as influential as all of us together Our ultimate goal is to engender an industry wide change in procurement practices whereby all organizations assess all their high impact suppliers for gender fairness as a matter of course as we do today for risk, privacy, data security etc... and then make spend decisions accordingly. As a coalition we want to create a new procurement standard for gender equality. Finally, we are aware that to amplify the impact of this initiative, and to provoke industry wide change, we need allies. Our impact starts by extending an invitation for other progressive organizations to join Logitech, Gender Fair and Andela as founding members of the coalition.Sponsors: Master Your Podcast Course: MasterYourSwagFree Coaching Session: Master Leadership 360 CoachingSupport Our Show: Click HereLily's Story: My Trust ManifestoSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/masterleadership. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From raging wildfires to devastating floods, how are these natural events reshaping our financial landscape? What if anything, should we be doing with our investments as a result?Topics covered include:The devastating Maui wildfire: What are the factors that led to one of the deadliest wildfires in US history.Global wildfire trends: Are they really increasing? The data might surprise you.The role of insurance companies: Learn how the giants of the reinsurance world, like Swiss Re and Munich Re, are navigating the increasing number of natural disasters.The complex interplay of climate change, urban expansion, and human choicesWhy IPCC is not highly confident regarding some weather impacts of climate change due to the natural variability in weather patterns.What should individuals do when there is a lack of details regarding a long-term potential threat?SponsorsUse code MONEY10 to get 10% off on your NAPA Autoparts online order.Masterworks – invest in contemporary artMasterworks Disclosure:“net IRR” refers to the annualized internal rate of return net of all fees and costs, calculated from the offering closing date to the sale date. IRR may not be indicative of Masterworks paintings not yet sold, and past performance is not indicative of future results. See important Reg A disclosures: Masterworks.com/cd Insiders Guide Email NewsletterGet our free Investors' Checklist when you sign up for the free Money for the Rest of Us email newsletter.Show NotesWhy the fires in Hawaii have been so bad—The Economist CAMS: monitoring extreme wildfire emissions in 2022—CopernicusA human-driven decline in global burned area by N. Andela et al.—ScienceSeasonal Trend for Europe—CopernicusInsurers rack up $50bn in losses from natural catastrophes this year by Ian Smith—The Financial TimesWorld insurance market developments in 5 charts—Swiss Re InstituteWhen Disaster Strikes: Preparing for Climate Change by Seán Nolan and Krishna Srinivasan—IMFCalifornia insurance market rattled by withdrawal of major companies by Michael R. Blood—APRising Temperatures Are Wreaking Havoc Year-Round by Zahra Hirji, Rachael Dottle, and Denise Lu—BloombergClimate Change Information for Regional Impact and for Risk Assessment by Roshanka Ranasinghe, et al.—IPCCThe Science Before ScienceCO2 emissions (metric tons per capita)—The World BankRelated Episodes340: Climate Change, ESG, and What Should Investors Do?413: What if the World Stopped Shopping?442: Crisis-Proof Investing: Strategies for a Shaky FutureSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode you'll we speak with Lora Andela! Out of the 3.5 million truck drivers in the U.S., approximately 250,000 haul livestock.  And with only 6.6% of truck drivers being women, we suspect she's one of very few female livestock haulers in the country! We don't know much about livestock hauling so it was great to not only get to know Lora and how she got into the industry but also learn the ins and outs of bullhauling.   

Lora Andela, true to her name, is 5'3" and corrals bulls and other livestock and hauls them back and forth around the country. Aligned with New York's history she is of Dutch descent, and was raised in upstate New York near Cooperstown. Homeschooled by her parents she got into college and soon realized maybe this wasn't the path for her and trucking got into her mind. Her story is a fascinating one from hauling a milk tanker, meeting her boyfriend organically and not through a social media app, to now doing one of the toughest and most essential jobs in the freight industry. The lesson in her story is to always make sure you teach yourself how to teach yourself, and to not let the distractions of the world or the validation of others stop you from doing whatever you want You can follow her on tiktok/Twitter @loradaniandela and on ID @lora_andela --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lombardtrucking/support

Tech hiring is in kind of a weird place right now. Newsworthy layoffs, artificial intelligence threats, and a down economy mean a lot of indecision and uncertainty. Many companies are just pushing pause as a result. All this makes for a tricky environment for any and all startups looking to place high-tech workers. InSquad, a one-click solution to source and hire top-quality vetted remote software developers, ain't scared though. That's why CEO Alex Svinov decided to face the Firing Squad. He thinks he has a better mousetrap than the likes of Upwork, Turing, Andela, and many others. Is he right? Gotta listen to find out.

Almost every entrepreneur dreams of becoming a unicorn — a startup that reaches a $1 billion valuation. But to date in Africa there are only seven companies that have achieved that distinction. Andela, led by co-founder and CEO Jeremy Johnson, is one of them. Hear how and why Andela became such a success story and gain insights on disruptive innovation from Efosa Ojomo, director of Global Prosperity at the Christensen Institute and co-author of The Prosperity Paradox.Andela is a Nigerian company that began with a tightly focused mission to train software engineers to compete on a world stage. “The original problem statement,” Johnson explains, “is that brilliance is evenly distributed. Opportunity isn't. How do we move towards a world where those things are a little bit more uniform, where someone's potential in life has less to do with who their parents were and where they were born, and more to do with the impact they're able to create?” Andela quickly realized that the most valuable part of the business wasn't training the talent, but making it accessible. So, to connect all that brilliance with opportunities, Andela created a global talent marketplace to help companies simplify the process of hiring and working with talent from all over the world. This “market-making innovation” — creating an ecosystem for “non-consumers” — is what Efosa Ojoma believes made all the difference to Andela's success. In the case of Andela, he explains, “The brilliant talents in Nigeria are non-consumers of opportunity. They just happen to be born in a country that could not leverage what they would give to the world. Andela is creating an infrastructure that connects them to that opportunity so that they can add value to the world.” And they're doing the same for companies that face barriers to recruiting the best talent. According to Ojoma, “Unlocking this double-sided non-consumption unlocks so much value and the world becomes a better place as a result.”While many companies suffered due to the pandemic, it actually helped Andela by reinforcing the power of remote work. In just four years the company expanded from seven to 120 countries, and its leaders realized that the tricky part of global talent was the infrastructure, or lack thereof. So, they spent time and energy building a supply chain to make it easy for people to work together between countries, covering issues from payroll to compliance to taxes. “The primary driver of the business was companies coming to us and saying, ‘We want to be able to work with great talent. Can you help us? And can you make that easy? And because you trained them, we would like to work with you,'” Johnson explains.Listen to Johnson and Ojoma discuss Andela's meteoric growth, regulatory hurdles, the role of data, and how looking at your product through the lens of market creation can unlock a business's true potential.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For episode 30 of Voice Of GO(r)D, I was very happy to sit down with Lora Andela, a trucker who hauls livestock and hails from a small farm near Utica, N.Y., to hear the story of how she got into trucking, from her family growing and hauling hay down to Long Island, to homeschooling, learning trucking the old fashioned way with a company that knows what its doing, to skipping the world of freight and going straight to moooving cows. Lora is a remarkable young woman, and her perspective on how she learned to drive truck and be a solid operator in the business is something 'leaders' in the industry should take heed from; Lora did it correctly, and so did her employers. You can find and follow Lora on Twitter - https://twitter.com/loradaniandela on Facecrack - https://www.facebook.com/loradanielle99 or on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lora_andela/ Shout out to the folks who first employed her at Alnye - https://alnyetrucking.com/ Also shout out to my man Rust Belt Kid over at the Heartland Revival Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/6pxXSE4bPJQ5HHjEwKMyZM?si=ac0caf10ed004987 Contact the show - gordilocks@protonmail.com Follow the show and my writings by subscribing to my Substack - https://autonomoustruckers.substack.com/

In this episode, we dive deep into the life and experiences of Babajide Duroshola, a seasoned operator who helps African companies scale. Babajide offers invaluable insights into leadership and team building, learned from his time with reputable firms like Andela, SafeBoda and M-Kopa. He discusses the importance of shared understanding, learning from mistakes, and the pursuit of progress before perfection. This episode is packed with life lessons, personal experiences, and inspiring stories that are sure to enrich your perspective as you build your career and run your business. Key Discussion Points: - Babaji's journey in striking a balance between personal and professional life (0:00:00) - His insights on leadership and team building, learned from firms like Andela, SafeBoda, and M-Kopa (0:15:41) - The philosophy of play and personal growth - taking a hiatus from work to reconnect with inner selves, being a life-long learner (0:28:35) - Importance of independent thought (0:33:33) Key Quotes: - "We're not striving for perfection. We are striving for what works." - "The only way you are able to pull in the same direction is by getting everybody to a point of shared understanding." - "Progress before perfection. For me, it is like progress. It's never really perfection. Like are we moving forward? Are we moving? Are we moving in the right direction?" - "Leadership is hard. You make decisions and you have to look at those decisions and live with it." --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-grinders-table/message

This week's guest is Playfair Partner, Henrik Wetter Sanchez.Playfair is a generalist fund with a contrarian approach to pre-seed technology investing. They have backed 70+ companies across two funds including Thought Machine, Andela, Mapillary and Omnipresent.Henrik joins James Pringle and Hector Mason in this special episode to discuss his journey to VC, scaling Playfair, culture fit, crowdfunding, learning from other VCs, & so much more.Don't forget to like, subscribe and follow The Riding Unicorns Podcast on our socials and your chosen podcast platform to stay up to date!

The Nigerian tech entrepreneur on how he built two billion dollar businesses. Iyinoluwa Aboyeji co-founded talent marketplace Andela and payments company Flutterwave, both of which have been valued at more than a billion dollars. He tells Rob Young he wants to use his wealth to help Africa achieve its economic potential. Presenter / producer: Rob Young Image: Iyinoluwa Aboyeji; Credit: Getty Images

Darren Murph literally wrote the handbook on building remote teams, was named the “Oracle of Remote Work” by CNBC, holds a Guinness world record, and was included on the Forbes Future of Work 50 list, amongst many other accolades. He is currently VP of Workplace Design and Remote Experience at Andela, and via his various speaking and consulting projects, he's become the de facto global expert on remote work. But Darren's identity stack goes well beyond his remote work prowess, and in this episode we dive into how his experiences as a world traveler helped shape him into the leader he is today, first as an individual, then as a couple with his wife, and now as a father with their son. We also reflect on our time together at Running Remote in Lisbon, and discuss some of the emerging future of work trends on both a micro and macro level. Follow Darren's work at https://darrenmurph.com/ and on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenmurph/. This episode is brought to you by Greenback Tax, the #1 company in the world for US expat taxes, and the team I've trusted with my taxes since 2015. If you're an American living abroad or planning to spend significant time outside the US, you need to talk to Greenback! Easy, affordable, and experienced in the specific niche of US expat taxes. Learn more here https://bit.ly/3CKUYkz If you're enjoying the podcast, please consider taking 2 minutes to leave a short review at: RateThisPodcast.com/aboutabroad Sign up for our monthly newsletter at: aboutabroad.com/newsletter

This installment of the Transform Work Podcast features Darren Murph who is the Vice President of  Workplace Design and Remote Experience at Andela.Andela is a platform that specializes in helping their highly skilled, global technology talent community connect with hundreds of the world's leading companiesDarren has been featured in The Forbes Future of Work 50 and cited by CNBC as an Oracle of Remote Work.

Leaders, Andela is a leading marketplace for developers, engineers, product designers, and technology experts. Beyond the platform, Jeremy has spent over 15 years unlocking the power of global, digital networks to drive business change. Jeremy hit on a couple themes that every single one of us needs to be aware of. 1: The blurring of freelance and full time 2: The science of managing remote freelancers at scale 3: The macroeconomic climate, specifically how our space has never been more attractive to Enterprises He also gives us the inside scoop on how their recent acquisition of Qualified.io and Codewars enables them to assess and deliver human potential more effectively. Learn More: http://humancloud.work/jeremy-johnson

Let's see, Ted Lasso is back, St. Patrick's Day is here and March Madness is in full effect. So how exactly are we supposed to muster the strength for a podcast? Well, OK, anything for you, you loyal listening selfish bastard! Here's what's on tap this week: More Silicon Valley Bank drama, Fountain goes after Paradox, Acquisitions by Textkernel and Andela, Who'd Ya' Rather with Upduo and HeadRace A tale of two cities … one in Florida and one in New York (I know, the suspense is killing you). Now, back to the Jameson. Sláinte!

The artist-entrepreneur-investor Mr Eazi has no on-off switch. Who he is in the recording studio, on stage, and on the boardroom are the same. With business and music, Mr Eazi has found parallel industries that allow him to be the same person.He's founded both emPawa Africa and Zagadat Capital to feed his business appetite. The former invests into African artists and helps them scale. Meanwhile, Zagadat Capital invests into tech startups, most of which are inside the continent. Then there's Mr Eazi, the Afrobeats artist. He's collaborated with the likes of Beyonce and J Balvin, and also taken center stage at Coachella. After taking time away from music amid the pandemic, Mr Eazi is back in album mode now. Holed up in Cape Town currently, Mr Eazi has plans for two new albums this year.I caught up with Mr Eazi to cover his never-ending pursuits in music and business. Here's everything we chatted about:[0:22] How Mr Eazi is balancing artistry and entrepreneurship[1:40] Similarities between music and startups[6:19] Taking equity stakes in artists and what an “exit” looks like[10:50] How Eazi measures success for Empawa artists [13:00] Eazi's investment thesis for startups[18:10] Startup success trends in Africa [21:30] Lack of capital is biggest challenge to Africa's startup scene [29:45] Raising awareness within the continent[32:20] Biggest obstacle that African artists face [36:52] Uncleared sample on a Bad Bunny song[40:45] Impact of Western companies investing into Africa[47:35] Mr Eazi is in album modeListen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSSHost: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.coGuests: Mr Eazi, @mreaziThis episode's sponsor is Symphony. Put your fanbase growth on autopilot with the first AI-powered platform that brings all your artist marketing workflows in one place. Learn more at symphony.to/trapitalEnjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapitalTrapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital's free memo.TRANSCRIPT[00:00:00] Mr. Eazi: part of me deciding to be an artist was reading the book, the Jay-Z book, Empire State of Mind. And that was when I saw it clearly and I was like, oh, wait a minute like this music is a business and the music gives you access, it gives you access to capital, access to the network it puts you, gives you a seat at the table[00:00:20] Dan Runcie Intro: Hey, welcome to the Trapital Podcast. I'm your host and the founder of Trapital Dan Runcie, this podcast is your place to gain insights from the executives in music, media, entertainment, and more. Who are taking hip hop culture to the next level.[00:00:48] Dan Runcie: All right. Today we have the one and only Mr. Eazi, the artist, entrepreneur. How you doing man? Welcome to the pod.[00:00:56] Mr. Eazi: I'm good. I'm good. I'm chilling. What's, going on[00:00:59] Dan Runcie: Me. I'm good, man. Trying to keep up with you. Trying to keep up with you, man.[00:01:03] Mr. Eazi: I'm trying to keep up with me, bro.[00:01:06] Dan Runcie: Well, let's talk about that because you are someone who sits at this intersection of artist, investor, entrepreneur, and you are doing all of those three jobs and more. And it's also happening at this moment where the entire continent of Africa is booming from an entrepreneurship perspective, booming from a music perspective.[00:01:29] How does it feel right now? How are you operating being at the center of that?[00:01:34] Mr. Eazi: To be honest, I just feel like it's a blessing to be born or to be existing in this time. where like you said, everything is just like taking shape and, you know, yeah, it's exciting and it is for me. It's like every day I'm seeing opportunity left and right and just figuring out what is fun and what is doable and just, you know, going from thinking, oh, I'm an entrepreneur, to oh, I make music. And, it's similar cause it's products at the end of the day, on the bottom line, it's like you're selling music or you're selling some other product. And I thought they were two different things, but you know, I'm seeing how it's one and the same.[00:02:17] It's just exciting to realize that I don't need to be two different people like I still be the same me and operating both walls.[00:02:27] Dan Runcie: So how are they similar for you approaching both music and startups?[00:02:32] Mr. Eazi: So I feel like every artist is like a. because the artist has a brand, has a feel, it's like a service product, it's an emotional product, right? And every artist, you know, that IP, there's an IP with every artist, and the artist usually needs investment to scale. And like coming from, like when I went outta school straight into an incubator program called 440NG and I kind of, there I learned how, you know your idea and your business, you know, you have the idea, you put it together, you iterate as the business keeps on going. So what you thought was the business at the beginning, you know, your customers could give you feedback and then you realize it evolves, it accelerate and you are trying to be as lean as possible and grow to the point where you have that critical volume to sort of like ask, what's the word as, proof that this is a valid idea either via customers or via revenue. And then you try and get to, you know, you try and scale, and you figure out what's your, unique value proposition is, and that's like where the startup, what's your unique value proposition?[00:03:46] Who are your customers? What's the idea? You take it to market, you test it, you go get investment. And it's the same thing with every artist so at the time where I decided to do music full-time, I was in an incubator program, and so I just started to see the similarities with the music. I'm like, okay, let me test it, put it out, people listen to it, you know, gimme the feedback, you know, and the point where I decided I was gonna take the music as a business was when like I got the first person reach out to me and say, Hey, I want to pay you for a verse. So that was the first signifier to let me know that, okay, maybe I'm onto something.[00:04:22] Then I started to have my early fans then Lauryn Hill reached out and said she wanted me to come play at her show. And I thought it was a fluke until I found myself in America performing in Lauryn Hill, coming out to say, I love you, thank you so much for coming. And like all of that is like with a business, with a traditional startup, it could be different things, but for me, the revenue, the number of users, aka the fans, all of that were signifiers.[00:04:51] And then I just needed, you know, the capital to take it to the next level, right? So I think those are the similarities, and I've tried it when I started emPawa it was at the beginning, it was to test if they were one and the same. So I was like, okay, Y Combinator send, you know, picks a few, start a couple of startups, you know, does incubator program put funding and whatnot to them?[00:05:18] And then maybe 20% of them you know, end up working on, and I did that with 100 artists across 11 African countries, over 30,000 entries then picked 100, then gave them the same amount of money, created the emPawa YouTube channel to host their videos, service it the same way, and in the end, start to see the ones that organically started picking up.[00:05:41] And we had success with that. So for me it was like, oh, wait a minute it's one and the same. I've proved this. And that's when emPawa then turn from, you know, the, program I was doing to actually full service music company, because I had proved that it was the same and in the same way you invest in a song.[00:06:01] I remember the first Joeboy song, the visualizer cost me $500, and then the song ended up having like 30 million views in like a year. And you know, Joeboy just went boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. So, I start to say, okay, there is a process here and perhaps we could do it with other artists, you know? So to answer your question, that's how I see both as, you know, one and the same in a way.[00:06:28] Dan Runcie: That makes sense. And I wanna talk about emPawa specifically because this is you bringing so many of those startup concepts to music like you said, you saw Y Combinator is doing. How could you apply that here? The difference though is that with Y Combinator, the promises of course, an exit, so they're hoping this companies get acquired.[00:06:47] They're hoping that they go public in music though. What does that look like for you as someone that is taking equity stakes in the artist? What does your return look like? What does your exit look like?[00:06:59] Mr. Eazi: So, I mean, first off, the return is like when you invest, you know, you invest to create the content, you put it out, put some marketing, and you start to see, you know, the streams coming, the revenue coming, the artist is now doing live shows, getting endorsement deals, you know, you could get four, 5x, 10x multiples, you know, and time.[00:07:24] so that's, one. But secondly, like on a developmental standpoint, you could develop the artist and then a big label comes and says, oh, we wanna upstream. So upstreaming is like a sale. It's like an exit, and you could still have passive rights to get passive income, on the artist. So those are like the kind of like returns and the kind of like exits.[00:07:48] Plus you could just invest in the IP, buy it up, and next thing somebody wants to sample it and then they have to write you a big check. And it could happen now, it could happen in like 10 years, in 15 years time, you know, you could have a record just lined. I'll give you an example, recently the Joeboy record that didn't make it to the Joeboy is one of my artists.[00:08:09] The song didn't make it to his album, and so we then licensed the song to a guy called Lakizon, you know, he puts out the record, you know, there's not so much thought to that. I wake up one day, Bad Bunny has put out, an album and I'm just listening to the album cause I'm a fan and I hear a record there and I'm like, basically what I was trying to say is, so you have that record that didn't make it to the album, Right? And it's just there and we license it to this guy and the next thing the record appears on a Bad Bunny album.[00:08:43] And that's like the biggest artist in the world last year by a lot of metrics. And so that's like an example, you know, an exit because you make this record and then boom, and the upsides are like, you know, so high. And right now on the market, even if you wanted, you are seeing, you know, my mentor, one of my mentors, Merck Mekadalas, you see how many multiples from 10 to 23, 24xlast year's revenue on, you know, buying rights for music. So I think there's multiple exits and even just the music and music IP as an asset class has been proven to be a valid asset class by Merck and the likes. For instance, I was, I was part of the deal, the KKR deal that bought, I don't know if you saw that some time ago, that bought a law of the rights, including the Weeknd et cetera.[00:09:36] I was part of that deal, via one of the companies, and you could see how you could see what an exit looks like. So there's multiple exits for music, whether it's an upstreaming deal from the label or it's a straight up acquisition of the catalog, or it's just multiples of revenue, the artist is now beginning to earn or if your label, you could get your entire label could become upstreams or you could go into a JV type situation.[00:10:06] Dan Runcie: So that speaks more to the flexibility that's offered with being able to invest in music. It isn't just this one time event that you're hoping for as a startup investor.[00:10:17] Mr. Eazi: Yeah. 100 percent.[00:10:19] Dan Runcie: Yeah. Yeah And with that too, you mentioned that you have a hundred artists that at least came through the first cohort, over 30,000 had applied and when you are measuring your success for them, I'm sure that each of the things you mentioned are the things that you hope for, but along the way, what are some of those key performance indicators or what are some of those things that you're looking for to hope that traction can be gained to hopefully get to the point where you do have, positive financial event that comes.[00:10:51] Mr. Eazi: I mean, it starts with like hyper local recognition. So, you know, I give example, there was this like I think she was 18 or 17 at the time, Nik, her name is Nikita and she's from Kenya. She had joined the program, she didn't make it to the top 10, but we put out the video and you know, that song started to gain local traction in Kenya even though she didn't make it to the Final 10.[00:11:17] And by local traction, I mean like number of downloads, it made it to radio, you know, it made it to press picking it up. And even though she wasn't part of the software and I didn't give her full on funding, she got signed to Universal. So for me that's a testament of like the success and those are like KPIs like, okay, does it get to radio in your local country?[00:11:40] Does it get, you know, that local, you know, appreciation from the fans in your country? And then when does it start to transcend, and there's nothing wrong with you having a popular song in Kenya or in Tanzania, but by the time it starts to go from Tanzania, you know, to rest of East Africa and then comes to the west, you know, those are the things you look out for and, you know, next level is by the time you start getting booked for shows based on the 1, 2, 3 singles you put out,[00:12:11] Dan Runcie: That makes sense. That makes sense. Let's shift gears a bit to startups, because I know that's the other space that you're actively in. What is your thesis for investing in startups?[00:12:22] Mr. Eazi: Right now, what I do is like, you know, I can bring some form of value to. So when I look at like the idea, or like when my team, you know, sends me some deal flow and we kind of walk through it, it's like, okay, aside the money, what else can we bring to this business? You know? And if I'm able to spot some extra form of value I can bring to help the business kill.[00:12:53] Then I want to invest, you know, it could be marketing. Can I add some marketing? Can I add some of my experience here? Can I leverage on my network in this other side? Aside the money, and most of the investments I've been making haven't been personal. They've been via my collectives, Zagadat Capital, and Zagadat Capital is basically, for now, it's 12 people like myself, young, successful African boys or girls who usually, you know, find it boring to speak to the financial guys and you know, have some form of liquidity. And so when we get the deal flow, and I just look at who's in the collective and who can add value, then we bring it to, the collective and then we invest.[00:13:45] So it's majorly been, it's like 90% being Africa focused because I feel like there's so much opportunity, on the continent and also on the sentimental level. The amount of impact the investment does when it's, on the continent makes, is something that's bigger than just the money.[00:14:07] And the money is great like, you know, we've seen a lot of African companies hit and cross a billion dollar evaluations to become unicorns. so you know that, can happen. But at the same time, the impact, and it's always fun when I go to an office that I'm an investor in of the like employees, they're excited that Mr. Eazi is in our office and Mr. Eazi is a shareholder like, you can't buy that. And I think that's what I always wanted because like part of me deciding to be an artist was reading the book, the Jay-Z book, Empire State of Mind. And that was when I saw it clearly and I was like, oh, wait a minute like this music is a business and the music gives you access, it gives you access to capital, access to the network it puts you, gives you a seat at the table and you know your merch, merchandising could be like the three cap that chance the rapper does, or it could be Uber or it could be, you know, Power Pay, which I've invested in that, you know, is the number one mobile money focused payments aggregate on Africa doing over 1 million transactions a day, you know, and so it's, different things and I know how I can bring value beyond my, cash it and just watch it grow. And it's exciting[00:15:28] Dan Runcie: That makes sense. So that collective, that operates a lot like a syndicate. You all are sharing deal soon where you can add value. What stage do you normally invest in and how much money are you normally putting into startups?[00:15:41] Mr. Eazi: You know, it's different like we've done like some seed stage. we did a company that was looking at listing last year on the LSE. We've done growth stage as well, so it really depends, it depends on where it comes to us, and it could be as low as, you know, 25K check, which just gets maybe if it's a 25 K check, I might just take 50% of it and just say, Hey guys, do the rest, and I just put it on the platform we use and boom, boom, boom, everybody just clicks and it's, done. Once it's done, it's done like I just invested in a platform called Ruka Hair, and it is a startup that, you know, provides hair for, people of African descent based out of London.[00:16:30] And that was a small check for, and it is growth stage, you know, so it really varies. and there's no rule. Yeah.[00:16:41] Dan Runcie: That makes sense. Yeah, keeping it flexible and gives you the opportunity to see everything that's coming through. What are some common trends that you're seeing? What are some things that you're seeing from the founders or from the startups that are coming through, especially the ones that are getting markups and getting closer to exits?[00:16:59] Mr. Eazi: I'm seeing like, you know, companies that solve fundamental, problems. You know, and I know there's so much bars on FinTech, it's like everybody just gets a hardon for African FinTech. But like, for instance is, if this products are solving specific, like there's a company called Eden Life, which I invested in.[00:17:26] And what this company does is like, you know, there are a lot of people like myself who, we don't in town enough, like enough for us to like have a chef and all of that. And we have very busy schedules, so we want like meal preps delivered to us and we want like our laundry picked up, you know, that's a very middle class, sort of like early into the job market, like pre family kind of types. And so that kind of product is a product that's like valid because like you're solving a particular need, you know, or PISA for instance, that are invested in. So PISA gives remittance based lending.[00:18:13] to, people in Mexico. So you know, the love Mexicans in the US sending money back to, Mexico to their family and their loved ones. And PISA uses that data of how much you get your current every month like my mom and dad, I put them on allowance. Like I pay them an allowance every month, Right? So we use like, by the way, for clarity they don't need it like they're good, but it's just something I do. And the other people in cultures like African culture, like in Africa, it's a pride for you, even if your dad is a billionaire, like being able to do something for your dad is like, it's like a pride.[00:18:53] It's like you've achieved, right? So you have people sending money back home, you know, either to Mexico or to different parts of Africa to either family that need it or to do stuff with it, like build a house back home or to help the family school fees or whatever, or just out of sentiment, like, it's like paying your tithes.[00:19:15] I don't know if you're Christian, it's like when you pay 10% of your income to the church. It's something like that. and then there's all that data, all that data because it's like salary, right? it comes every month, usually on a certain day. So PISA uses that information to provide loans to people.[00:19:34] And that's like a need, that's a specific need. So that's what we are seeing, Yeah.[00:19:40] Dan Runcie: What are some of the bigger challenges right now for startups in Africa?[00:19:45] Mr. Eazi: I think one of the biggest challenges is, you know, getting funding and you see a lot of, like African startups, YC has been doing a great job, but there are, you know, and like, future Africa, which I'm part of and I'm an advisor, you know, investing in these projects. But raising fund is like so hard.[00:20:07] There's still a hesitance when it comes to African startup raising funds, especially at seed stage. And usually this is not a lot of money. It's like from 20K checks to like even hundred is a lot of money, you know, but that 50 k to, get you into flight mode. So I think that's the biggest issue is not lack of ideas, it's, you know, getting funding, especially local funding that's not a lot of local funding sources. There's few options like the YC's and it's hard to get in generating that local funding is still a problem as a lot of the, you know, organizations and a lot of investors are still trying to understand this whole tech investment and valuation.[00:20:55] I have my uncles ask me, you said this company is, is what, $20 million? Do they have 20 million cash in their account or do they have, buildings? Where's the building? Where's the physical asset, you know, it's that culture going from brick and mortar to technology and understanding evaluation and all of that.[00:21:15] And, then you have sectors that are now like so hot that valuations are going crazy you know, And you have, like, depending on what sector you are, a lot of the countries are just catching up to technology. And in some places there are no laws written for the kind of products you are creating.[00:21:38] So if you're not in sync with the regulators, the regulators might pass a law that is detrimental to your business and all of a sudden you wake up one morning and your successful business is now killed just like the motorbike railing company. I forgotten the name in Lagos. That was really growing and then with one day regulations like no motorbike, transportation in Lagos, boom, dead.[00:22:04] So, I think it's not just in Africa-peculiar problem. It's like, for instance, with crypto and, you know, a lot of, you know, countries trying to understand what is going on. So you're having innovation outpacing regulation and you know, if there's no proper interaction you are having like regulations could just like be the end of use.[00:22:28] So I think access to capital, and in some sectors, depending on your sector, regulation as well could be a major setback.[00:22:38] Dan Runcie: The access to capital piece, I could see that, especially since the friends and family round is such a key piece, or having the angels outta there, such a key piece to help make that happen. But if the people that have the financial means are fewer and far between, you know, whether it's folks like you or others that are in your syndicate or maybe some of the other co-investors you have, that means that the deal flow that you all get is heightened even more so because there's just so fewer other places, which makes you all needing to be even more selective, I can imagine, than you maybe otherwise prefer to be. I mean, how do you feel in that perspective as someone that wants to see the space grow, but you know that you can't back everybody even though you know, I'm sure inherently you wish you would, but you still have your own rubrics. You still have your way that you evaluate things, and that likely has to be even heightened given the number of deals that you're seeing.[00:23:32] Mr. Eazi: Yeah, I mean like, well one of the things I pray, I have some days, fuck you money. Do you understand? To just like, because like 1.2 billion people in Africa on the continent. And it's like, if you think of the amount of money that comes back to Africa from the African Diaspora, it's like, I think it's like over a trillion dollars a year.[00:23:54] So there's so much opportunity. And, but like you said, what this does is it makes things a little bit harder for people, you know, entrepreneurs who need the money and the proof is in the pudding. Like I always say, like although it takes time and things are changing, don't get me wrong, things are changing.[00:24:15] They are more local, VCs, funding, but like I probably know like five people with networks over a hundred million, right? But now, for me to get to the point where, and these are people who've, amass all this wealth with brick and mortar businesses. So now you know, there's a job to do to sort of like show proof, show validity that, hey, I invested at this point, it's not for Gen Z it's not a pyramid scheme.[00:24:50] And like show people and then you get more people, coming in. And I have seen like some of my friends who are like billionaires now start to set up separate funds to say, okay, you know what? I don't really know what this tech thing is about for, but you know, put the money in future Africa or put it in some other fund and try to learn.[00:25:11] So it's more sort of like publicity and sometimes the drop, the setbacks are when there's a big startup out of the continent that then runs into all sorts of scandals and then, you know, it causes five steps backward. And that's not peculiar to Africa like, I mean, you seen what happened to ftx, right? So that happens everywhere.[00:25:35] The only differences, you know, because it's still kind of new. It causes more negative effects, you know, so I think there needs to be more education, more pr to the successes of these companies. Every success is a success and should be, you know, communicated and things would get better because there is capital on the continent.[00:26:00] There is like lose capital on, the continent looking for where to invest, you know? So I mean, things are changing like Future Africa. I always keep mentioning Future Africa, like they've been able to show that, you know, they know what they're doing. There is a method to the madness. They could deliver results in terms of like revenue, you know, they invested in Move, which is a company that provides, you know, the cars for Uber drivers and it's, you know, I think it's now a unicorn and that's like a very particular need because, you know, drivers need cars, but they don't have the capital to purchase the cars, right? And going through the banking routes, you are gonna have to bring collateral, your mom's name, your grandmother's house, plus the high interest, you know, so they've identified, and this has been a problem, it's still a problem to today that they've been able to solve.[00:26:54] So I think the more people know about this, the more education, the more things will open up.[00:27:01] Dan Runcie: The PR piece you mentioned is interesting because from my side, living in the states, I'll see the articles about a company like Carry1st, which I do think has had a fair amount of PR, I feel like one of their announcements got an got an article in the Hollywood Reporter, so I remember seeing things like that, but I feel like it does become fewer and farther between, at least from what you are seeing, from the awareness of some of these[00:27:27] Mr. Eazi: Yeah, you're correct and it's not so much I understand why like there's a lot of PR outside looking PR like you said, you know, New York Times, you know, LA blah, blah, blah, because that's where the money's coming from, right? But like, I'm talking more intra-Africa PR like for the money on the continent, you know, because that's like easily, like it's right there in your face, you know, there's enough money in Lagos for them not to be any need to raise capital from outside . You get what I'm saying? There's so much capital in Lagos, like from Lagos, you feel me? Or from Rwanda, you know, and, Rwanda is trying to position itself as startup, you know, pro-startup investing, you know, so there's money on the continent and it's like[00:28:22] that's what I mean by PR and publicity and awareness. if I wasn't friends with, like, I met in, was co-founder of, Flutterwave with and then Andela, you know, and then Move. So three unicorns, right? And, you know, we've been friends and we've been investing together. if there was not that proximity to him or to Shola the founder of Paystack that got bought by Stripe, I wouldn't know that this was going on.[00:28:50] You feel me? Maybe, you know, I wouldn't have known. So that's what I mean, you know, because like every A-list, Afro-B artist can be you know, can be invested, you know, so that's exactly what I mean.[00:29:08] Dan Runcie: It is interesting you bring up the music piece because I'd be curious to hear how you feel some of these challenges that African startups may face. How do the African artists themselves fare in that regard? Do you think that they have similar challenges with funding or with regulations in that way?[00:29:26] Mr. Eazi: There's regulation issues, like for instance, collecting, publishing revenue on the continent. It's a joke, right?[00:29:34] Dan Runcie: Why is that?[00:29:34] Mr. Eazi: Or collecting streaming revenue because like for you to be able to collect publishing revenue, you need the government to enforce the laws for the radio stations to pay you, you know, publishing royalties on the music they place for the bars to be able to pay for what they play, like for the use of your music. So you need strong in a lot of African countries, these laws are there, but there's no enforcement because I would say it's worse for creatives because people still look at the creative sector as a joke.[00:30:08] The orange economy is like, ah, that's not really business like that's just young people with dreadlocks, just singing and dancing and jumping across the world. Yes, they hear the music everywhere. Yes, now things are getting better because they're seeing teams at the Grammys, they're seeing Burna Boy, you know, and whiskey doing Madison Square Garden, but there's not a lot of education for them to really understand the business of music or creativity.[00:30:36] So even, I remember like two years ago I spoke to almost all the bank MDs, or three years ago, almost all the bank MDs in Nigeria trying to convince them on why music is a business is a valid business, but I couldn't get funding. And that's me being a successful African artist showing the revenue, showing all of that, like I once got on a panel with, you know, a financial institution that was meant that. they have a fund, they have like a 500 million dollar fund for investing in creatives. And I was on a panel with somebody there and the person said, oh, it is impossible to protect music IP, it is difficult to protect music IP, and I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, What? And like, are you kidding me? Like, there's Shazam technology, there's like, every song has an ISRC code and like if you upload the song in Kenya or in in Afghanistan, like on YouTube, like it will pick it up instantly. So when you have a situation where you have an institution that has up to a billion to invest in creatives. But you are having the key stakeholders who decide who gets what telling you or speaking out confidently and saying is hard to protect the IP, you know, then that just shows you where it sucks. So there's still a lot, but I feel like that's why there needs to be more education, you know, just like for startups to music, to let people realize that this is a business, like there's revenue to be earned. Not just live revenue, like streaming revenue, publishing revenue, especially now that the world is looking to Africa. Like you're seeing early starters jumping on Afro Beats records, like, what's that song?[00:32:31] Essence, Essence was a hit song before Justin Bieber jumped on it. It was already a global smash. Peru was a, global smash before, Ed Sheeran jumped on it. So you are having like pure Afro Beats records in our local language produced locally in some hotel room in Lagos, you know, going on to be big songs globally without any major support from without necessarily, you know, I know A and R like support, like his producers locally. And you're seeing this, so you do know that this is the time, or you know, like the example I gave, you know, Bad Bunny, you know, sampling a Joeboy record and putting it on his album, putting an Afro Beats record on his album, you know, that's an ex example.[00:33:18] Dan Runcie: And by the way, that was declared properly and like I'm about to go, you know, go crazy with the lawyers to make sure I get my bread. And more importantly, the writers and the producers get, their due credit and revenue and, you know, Did Bad Bunny's team reach out before this?[00:33:39] Mr. Eazi: No, no, no, I literally just listened to Bad Bunny's album and I just heard Joe Boy's voice at the end of the record, and I was like, I've heard this record before. And then I realized is a record, I didn't make it to his album. And I'm like, wait a minute. And then my team start speaking to them since May of, last year.[00:33:55] And it's just back and forth to the point where I'm like, okay, you know what, you guys have had fun with this. Like, I'm just going brazen on this, let's get lawyers. Let's make it like a proper lawsuit. But what I'm trying to, or you have, you know, Beyonce, you know, doing the Lion King, the gift and having created from all of Africa put it so like, you know, you are having Drake, you know, with Whiskey on one dance you're having Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber jump on multiple Afro Beats records that are Afro Beats records. You're having people more and more people sampling Afro Beats records, you know, and maybe not giving proper credit or do, or you are having, like I once produce. and was on co-produced and wrote and featured on a record involving Bad Bunny on the Joint album and Afro Beats record.[00:34:45] So you're seeing is becoming more global and global. So we need to be able to tell these stories to the funding sources back home to establish that this is indeed a business. So it's education the same way education for the startups, but even more for music because music was never, and creatives, you know, was never looked at as a valid business.[00:35:09] It was looked at as things, people who don't graduate from school or people who just wanna be jokers do. But right now people are sitting, wait a minute, wow, that artist bought car that artist's bought a house. that artist did this, did that or Grammys or this, that, that. So, but there still needs to be more information back home to the business side of the music to know that behind that sold out.[00:35:36] MSG is a check, and behind that billboard is a check, you know, and even the TikTokers, like I was speaking to someone at the bank and explaining to my bank MD friend that, you know, I showed him a lot of payments, like TikTokers in Nigeria are getting paid as much as $10,000 to put up a post on their TikTok.[00:35:59] 17 year old, 18 year old, you know, and I had to show this and he was like, what? Are you serious? And then he went back to ask his kids. And find out that, oh wow, this is a thing, you know? So it's that education, I mean, because there is the capital on the continent, it's just like, how do you get it?[00:36:17] And it is a lot of work to do to basically explain and explain and explain. And one needs to have the patience. And it's hard to do that while still running my label, doing everything I'm doing, putting out music for myself, you know, so, you know, but thankfully I'm not the only one doing it, Don Jazzy is doing it.[00:36:39] Olamide is doing it. They're more examples. So one way or the other people are saying it.[00:36:44] Dan Runcie: How do you feel about the investment in African music that has come from the West? So thinking about Universal Music group opening up record label in Africa and some of the other majors having different concentration in Nigeria or elsewhere, how has that been and what type of impact has that had, if any, on your end?[00:37:07] Mr. Eazi: I mean, I think it's good. It's a good signifier because all these labels were in Africa from the years before Fella, right? You had all these labels in Nigeria before, you know, the nationalization where, you know, the government had passed that all the companies should be nationalized and the labels got sold to local owners.[00:37:26] So you are just having, you have Majek Fashek that was on the late, late show, the late night show in 1991, bro. So when people say, oh, African music is then becoming popular. It's been popular. And it's coming back again with technology and everything. So I think it's good. I think the more, you know, major labels coming to Africa, but not just as, or let's test to see what happens.[00:37:52] But the more investment that comes, the more structure there will be for the business and the more signifiers, you know, to show people who wanna invest, you know, so yeah, I welcome it. And I think there should be more funding and there should be more, like the local companies should be autonomous, you know, I think that's been the only drawback with the majors, pardon of me, I might be wrong. Don't quote me where you are seeing the local, you know, Universal Nigeria or Sony or whatever, you know, that lookout team not having a lot of, autonomy in the checks they're writing to the artists or taking those risks they have to get approval from maybe South Africa or, you know, London or LA.[00:38:43] Meanwhile, everything is happening on the ground in Lagos, so you are having distributors. So I think a lot of the most recent successes have been by more distributors than record label in breaking artists. So more like Empire or ONErpm or the Orchid or emPawa or, you know, Believe, because these distributors are more flexible and have been able to give a lot more autonomy to the local guys who are running, these local companies to write those checks because like, what is somebody in London like with all due respect, like I always say this as a joke. There's no songwriter in the world that would've written, I don't care how many Grammys you've, gotten, you cannot write Soco, Soco, Soco, Soco, Soco, baby.[00:39:42] You. That's the Wizkid song, you can't write that song or, one of my favorite artists Wande Coal, there's a part of his song where he just spits jibberish, like he don't mean anything, like it's a vibe. So like without due respect to your A and R ears, you don't know the music like even me, I'm from Nigeria, but I always have to be updated.[00:40:09] So there needs to be more investment and more autonomy. But I love it like the more labels come in and the more distribution companies come in and there's this competition, the more money is invest invested. And when you invest money, then you start to structure it then you start to say, Hey, why are we not making as much money locally?[00:40:29] Okay, let's invest in touring, you know, in Nigeria, in on the continent. let's go lobby for enforcement of collection of royalties. So, yeah.[00:40:40] Dan Runcie: Have you seen any success stories from the major record label side in Africa yet?[00:40:48] Mr. Eazi: There's none that comes to mind in terms of breaking an artist. So you have Wizkid signed, you have Diplo signed, you have Burna Boy signed. you know, and this is like A-list, A-list, right? But if you look at all the artists that have broken Buju for instance, initially signed to Burna Boy and then Empire, broke him, you know, that's Buju, Fire Boy via Empire and Olamide's YBNteams, you know, independently broke with, her record. I think she's been upstreamed now. So in terms of sort of like carrying that conversation, you know, outside to the rest of the world, yes, I'm sure there's been a lot of success like the Wizkid record, you know, Burna Boy, entire Renaissance.[00:41:44] And you could go on and on, but in terms of actually finding an artist and breaking the artist, there's not a lot of successes. And I think that's down to autonomy because, you know, you have some executives moves from the label to the distributors and do well, you know, we just understanding you know, how to a and r and how to put our music, on the continent, and you can't just bring like somebody who's of Nigerian descent and just expect that they don't understand. Like, I am Nigerian, but every time I go back to Lagos, I'm like, whoa, the sound has changed, you know? So that underground on the ground, you know, and there's a lot of work.[00:42:31] Dan Runcie: Definitely, and yeah, I know that there's so much interest, but like you said, if they don't have the control or the ability to really make decisions on their own, I can easily see why an Empire or some of the other distributors have been able to have success there. But Mr. Eazi, man, this was great. I feel like you gave us a snapshot of where everything is right now on music and investing side.[00:42:53] But before we let you go, for you, what's big on the road for you still beginning of the year? What's big on the deck for you? What do you got coming up?[00:43:02] Mr. Eazi: I mean, I kind of like needed a break from putting out music and touring and when COVID happened I was like, oh, thank God, like because I was battling with, oh, if I should, I pause, like it was just routine doing the same thing and it was like too much for me. So I was able to have that pause, and put some of the attention towards like growing emPawa with my co-founder.[00:43:27] And then leaving it to him to sort of like, you know, and come back to iterate, iterate change the model, blah, blah, blah, build the team. And I just went off and started doing like investment and putting more time in the startups I was investing in. And now, I'm in Cape Town recording. I'm putting out two albums this year, one in September and one in, I think April or May.[00:43:55] So I'm just recording that now and I feel like, and now I want to go back on the road, but not first as my usual live band touring, but first as sort of like a curator, where I bring like, you know, the way Major Lazer tour where they have the sound system with Walshy and Diplo and Ape Drums. But instead of Diplo and Ape Drums, I select like the DJs, maybe one playing Afro Pop, one playing Ama one playing something else.[00:44:27] And I am the Walshy Fire, sort of like putting it together, hype man MC. So that's what I want to tour. The first part of the year once I put out the Chop Life album, so that's called Chop Life. To chop life means to enjoy life. So I'm making an sort of Afro dance album that I'll put out first and then I will talk as Chop Life sound system with doing these parties.[00:44:53] you know, of majorly Afro Beat parties, sound system across the world. And then I dropped the album, the second album, and I taught as, okay, this is my album tour. So that's the plan. Hopefully I'm able to complete the first album. The second album is done, it is just in mixing a mastering, that's the September one.[00:45:13] It's done just in mix. And my string phase and then this first one, I'm recording. That's what I'm recording right now. Recording downstairs.[00:45:21] Dan Runcie: Nice. Nice. Well, looking forward to all of that, man, and thank you. No, this has been a pleasure. And yeah, so people that wanna follow along and keep up with all that, where should they go to follow you?[00:45:30] Mr. Eazi: Follow me everywhere on social media @mreazi, M R E A Z I, Mr. Eazi. Yeah, everywhere, everywhere on social media.[00:45:44] And I wanna see you at one of my shows. You have to come maybe when I do the parties, where are you right now?[00:45:49] Dan Runcie: Me, I'm in San Francisco[00:45:51] Mr. Eazi: Cool. I'm, sure I'll be coming around LA, San Fran, at some point[00:45:55] Dan Runcie: Yeah, come through.[00:45:57] Mr. Eazi: I'd send you an invite,[00:45:58] Dan Runcie: Definitely, definitely. All right, man. We'll talk soon.[00:46:01] Mr. Eazi: All right. Have a good one. Thank you.[00:46:03] Dan Runcie Outro: If you enjoyed this podcast, go ahead and share it with a friend. Copy the link, text it to a friend, post it in your group chat. Post it in your Slack groups. Wherever you and your people talk, spread the word. That's how capital continues to grow and continues to reach the right people. And while you're at it, if you use Apple Podcast, go ahead.[00:46:24] Rate the podcast, give it a high rating, and leave a review. Tell people why you like the podcast. That helps more people. Discover the show. Thank you in advance. Talk to you next week. 

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who's raised funds, who's been acquired and who's on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you by Recruitology.

We know that local economies are not going to create enough jobs or income-generating opportunities for such a rapidly growing African population. But at the same time, for countries in the global north whose working-age population is shrinking, where's the labor going to come from?The solution to both of these problems might be the same:  remote work. In this episode, we're going to explore three buckets of remote work: the sexy, high-skilled remote work for product-led technology companies, the services-based IT work and business process outsourcing, and lastly, the increase of non-technical work that's delivered or fulfilled through digital means.4:39 - Exploring high-skilled remote work for product-led technology companies, with Andela's Jeremy Johnson. 10:18 - Andela's model, and the type of talent they've worked with, has evolved since its founding in 2014.12:30 - Product companies are looking for a specific caliber of talent from an experience level. What does this mean for the future of work in Africa if experience level is such an important requirement? This is where Fred Swaniker and the African Leadership Group come in, which is focused on connecting talent to global services companies. 19:28 - Whereas there's an ever-increasing demand for software developers, it takes a long time to train developer talent. So what about roles that aren't technical, but that can still be fulfilled with technology? We discuss with Shortlist's Paul Breloff.23:11 - The talent networks are going to play an increasingly important role in bridging supply with demand, with a sector-specific focus. Consider the model "Andela for X". 25:03 - One vertical platform creating opportunities for non-technical talent is Caret, the Nigerian-based platform focused on customer success. We speak to its founder, Tolu Agunbiade. 28:22 - A retrospective conversation between The Flip's b-mic Sayo Folawiyo and Justin Norman.Season 4 of The Flip is sponsored by MFS Africa.Follow The Flip on Twitter @theflipafrica and subscribe to our newsletter The Flip Notes at https://theflip.africa/newsletter.

We decided to rerelease this episode to make sure it gets the listenership it deserves.Andela, Jumia, Flutterwave - these are just a few of the African tech startups now worth over a billion US dollars. Foreign money is flowing in. Some people are getting rich. We ask our three contributors whether these tech startups will create significant employment on the continent. Maya Horgan Famodu is a Nigerian-American venture capitalist. She is the founder and managing director of Ingressive Capital. The $10 million venture capital firm targets early-stage tech startups across Sub-Saharan Africa. Gabriel Curtis is the former minister in charge of investments and public-private partnerships in Conakry, Guinea.Samba Bathily is a Malian entrepreneur specializing in sustainable clean energy and solar solutions. He founded Africa Development Solutions (ADS) and partnered with Akon the American-Senegalese hip-hop artist on the Akon Lighting Africa Initiative.The Limitless podcast is made possible with a grant from the U.S. Department of State and the Seenfire Foundation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you have a well rounded Leadership Development Program? My guest this week is Kieran Smith, Senior Manager of Revenue Enablement Manager at Andela. Kieran is going to explain why it's sales enablement who should be involved in shaping the LDP. "I think one the biggest misses most companies make is they just assume their leaders are going to know what is expected of them. So you're not really getting developed, you're stuck in the middle. They need to set an expectation around 'what's the day to day', 'what's your percentage time of joining calls', 'how much time do you want to dedicate to coaching'." 

Quote - “What I like the most about building in Africa and buildingfor Africa is that everything is so greenfield.”The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren't afraid tostep into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hopeto empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potentialand contribute to the development of a bold and progressive blackcommunity.Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts aboutleaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevantafterwards.This episode features Nadayar Enegesi, CEO and Co-Founder of Eden LifeInc.; a tech-driven home management platform in Africa providingservices such as food, laundry and cleaning.Nadayar is a graduate from University of Waterloo in Canada and hasprevious experience at Fora Inc. and Andela before transitioning toEden Life Inc..He is passionate about upgrading the home lifestyle and bridging thegap between service providers and service demanders through tech.Listen and enjoy as Nadayar Enegesi talks to us aboutentrepreneurship, Eden Life Inc. and his guiding life principles.Nadayar's Reading ListReinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspiredby the Next Stage in Human Consciousness by Frederic Lalouxhttps://amzn.to/2Jb3qMEBushido: The Way of the Samurai by Tsunetomo Yamamotohttps://amzn.to/3FSr4ggShow Notes1:32 Journey as an entrepreneur4:56 Time at Andela6:49 Transition into the role as CEO and Co-Founder of Eden life Inc.10:35 Process of assembling the founding team15:48 Fundraising process and advice19:03 Founders who have influenced you in the tech space21:42 Reading list25:12 Recruiting and maintaining talent30:27 Title of the book about your life32:49 What does being Afropolitan mean to you34:38 Impact of Covid-19The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, orwherever you get your podcasts.Want to learn more about Afropolitan?Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitanWebsite - https://www.afropolitan.io/

There are numerous ways to grow your business as a startup, some of which you may be unaware of. Do you know that a Product market fit is one of the most critical components of success? In this episode, we are pleased to have Sean Ellis, the author of Hacking Growth. He's here to impart strategies and information we can apply to our businesses as he begins to share insights into how he expanded Andela in his capacity as Interim VP of Growth. If you're interested about what will happen next on this topic, sit back, unwind, and enjoy this podcast right now! Shownotes [03:15] Plans should be made at an entire company level! [13:00] When it comes to growth, marketing is all about what you do.  [13:48] Product market fit is probably the most critical component in success! [17:19] Sean Ellis says he is motivated to succeed by asking himself why the business is not expanding, what is not working, and how he would address those issues. [18:38] Sean Ellis says that it is essential to be very assertive while as a startup, but why? [22:21] Instead of being impatient at work, choose to use a patient approach to drive the critical changes! [23:35] What are these significant categories that Sean Ellis is referring to? Follow along to find out! [33:54] You can't be great at everything, so choose where you want to excel. [37:23] Pay close attention as Sean Ellis elaborates on a mechanism that you must create to make changes in your business. [41:00] Everything must be focused on the opportunity's cost-effectiveness! [43:28] You need to budget time, resources and try new things for your business. [45:55] Transparency within a company is essential! About Sean Ellis He focuses on his area of expertise, helping companies develop their early growth cycle. With each business he works with, Sean embeds full-time with the founding team to build a growth flywheel based on a deep understanding of the company's unique product/market fit. Resources: If your company has recently attained product/market fit and you'd like to discuss working together to develop your initial growth cycle, you may contact Sean at the links below! Sean Ellis on LinkedIn Sean Ellis on Instagram  Sean Ellis website Hacking Growth Andela

Esse episódio foi gravado em Inglês.Vivian Wu leads impact investment as Managing Partner Ventures at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI).  Founded in 2015, CZI hopes to solve some of society's toughest challenges with a combination of technology, grantmaking, and impact investing.  Vivian has over two decades of experience in venture capital and private equity, and, at CZI, she led investments in education companies such as Descomplica, Age of Learning, Andela, and Byju's. She has an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a dual degree in Finance and History from the University of Pennsylvania. In this episode,  we listen to Vivian's story, as well as discuss CZI Ventures's investment strategies, impact measurement,  and her vision in education and Latin America. Tune in!

In this episode, we talk about how to get into Web3 development, with Nader Dabit, developer relations engineer at Celestia and founder of Developer DAO. Nader talks about how Web3 differs from Web2, when it makes sense to build something as a Web3 app, and what are the tools and concepts a developer needs to know in order to build an app for Web3. Show Links Compiler (sponsor) Stellar (sponsor) imgix (sponsor) Andela (sponsor) Web3 Developer DAO Celestia WordPress PHP HTML CSS AWS Stack Overflow MetaMask SDK Blockchain Ethereum Ethereum Virtual Machine MPM Infura Alchemy QuickNode Anchor Proof of Stake Vs. Proof of Work Solana Avalanche Polygon Ceramic Amazon S3 arweave Node.js Solidity Rust Stablecoin

In this episode, we talk about what it means to be a part of the software development life cycle with Cliff Craig, senior software engineering manager at Samsung. Cliff talks about getting into software engineering over 22 years ago, why it's important for developers at every level to understand the software development life cycle, and what the major stages of the software development life cycle are. Show Links Compiler (sponsor) Stellar (sponsor) imgix (sponsor) Andela (sponsor) Intellivision Basic Python Java Scrum Master Jira Kubernetes Next.js Ruby on Rails Figma Waterfall model Agile software development Git GitHub JUnit Selenium Cypress Fireship.io Udemy LinkedIn Learning SQL

In this episode we talk about what being an apprentice engineer is like with Alison Quaglia, software engineer at Pinterest. Alison talks about switching careers into tech, landing an apprentice engineer role at Pinterest, what that apprenticeship looked like, and leveling up at Pinterest to software engineer. Show Links Compiler (sponsor) Stellar (sponsor) imgix (sponsor) Andela (sponsor) Pinterest Free Code Camp HTML CSS Ruby Rails JavaScript React Redux SQL You Don't Know JS Yet Into the Unknown: Advice for Breaking into the Tech Industry Franken Mutt

Jeremy Johnson has been building globally distributed teams since before it was cool

Onboarding is the process of integrating new hires into the organization, and it helps them adjust to the social and performance aspects of their jobs so they can quickly become productive, contributing members of the organization.But not all companies have onboarding programs that prepare a new hire for success. As a result, many new employees are not ready for work and do not do well.In this episode of Taking the Lead, our host Christina Brady welcomes Carly Lehner, the senior director of RevOps & Enablement at Andela. The two get into the importance of the connection between sales enablement and RevOps and the importance of good onboarding programs. Carly and Christina also discuss RevOps, Andela, and Andela's onboarding programs and the departments involved in them.

Obie Fernandez is a veteran technologist, published author, and serial entrepreneur. Remarkably, he's also an accomplished music producer and DJ, and is currently pioneering the future of the music industry on the blockchain as CEO & Founder of RCRDSHP. Previous accomplishments include his role as CTO of Andela, where he helped the largest VC-backed startup in Africa train 100 thousand young Africans to become world-class software developers.Interact with Obie here: https://twitter.com/obiehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/obiefernandezhttps://obiefernandez.com/Lean more about Lyte.Find more great podcasts from Osiris Media, the leading storyteller in music. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Obie Fernandez is a veteran technologist, published author, and serial entrepreneur. Remarkably, he's also an accomplished music producer and DJ, and is currently pioneering the future of the music industry on the blockchain as CEO & Founder of RCRDSHP. Previous accomplishments include his role as CTO of Andela, where he helped the largest VC-backed startup in Africa train 100 thousand young Africans to become world-class software developers.Interact with Obie here: https://twitter.com/obiehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/obiefernandezhttps://obiefernandez.com/Lean more about Lyte.Find more great podcasts from Osiris Media, the leading storyteller in music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andela, Jumia, Flutterwave - these are just a few of the African tech startups now worth over a billion US dollars. Foreign money is flowing in. Some people are getting rich. We ask our three contributors whether these tech startups will create significant employment on the continent. Maya Horgan Famodu is a Nigerian-American venture capitalist. She is the founder and managing director of Ingressive Capital. The $10 million venture capital firm targets early-stage tech startups across Sub-Saharan Africa. Gabriel Curtis is the former minister in charge of investments and public-private partnerships in Conakry, Guinea.Samba Bathily is a Malian entrepreneur specializing in sustainable clean energy and solar solutions. He founded Africa Development Solutions (ADS) and partnered with Akon the American-Senegalese hip-hop artist on the Akon Lighting Africa Initiative.The Limitless podcast is made possible with a grant from the U.S. Department of State and the Seenfire Foundation. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Title: Iyin Aboyeji: The Challenges are Always The OpportunitiesArtist: Michael Redd Iyin Aboyeji, named one of the Top 100 most influential Africans by New African magazine, and co-founder of Andela, Flutterwave, and Future Africa, joins Michael on the podcast today.“The challenges are always and forever the opportunities.” - Iyin AboyejiThey discussed Iyin's decision to commit his talents and career to the future of Africa instead of Silicon Valley, honing his professional goals, his incredible startup success, building the first “unicorn” company on the African continent, and his childhood growing up as a Pastor's kid.Iyin is a man of true and deep faith, and one who is extremely accomplished in business. His transformative vision for the future of Africa is incredibly inspiring and completely practical. This is a special episode of the podcast.In this episode Michael and Iyin Aboyeji talked about:What betting on yourself means to himHis original desire to be accepted by Silicon ValleyHis ultimate commitment to AfricaThinking about the challenges in AfricaHis incredible success in multiple startupsWhat it's like growing up as a Pastor's kidLessons learned from his mother and fatherHis vision for the future of AfricaBuilding the first “unicorn” company in AfricaThe aggregation of capital and the allocation of capitalThe advice he'd give his sixteen-year-old selfIf you're a fan of the show don't forget to follow to hear new episodes and Rate or Review us wherever you tune in!To ask a question, read the transcript, or learn more, visit MichaelRedd.com.Resources:Iyin Aboyeji on TwitterMichael Redd on Instagram

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, General Partner at Future Africa and co-founder of Andela and Flutterwave, breaks down African innovation and the growth of the mobility-focused entrepreneurial sector in Nigeria. He discusses the policy mobility of trends in new vehicle financing and ownership models, fleet electrification, and urban growth.

In celebration of International Women's Day (March 8), Vitri Bhandari, Chief People Office at Andela, a data-driven tech technology talent platform, joins the HR Works Podcast for a conversation about empowering women in the workplace and creating more diverse employee pipelines at organizations.

In our latest episode of HackerRank Radio, our CEO and Cofounder Vivek Ravisankar spoke with Jeremy Johnson, CEO and Cofounder of Andela. The two dive into everything from the tech talent shortage, the experimental advantage startups have, and the industry shift to building distributed teams.

Today we're talking to Meetesh Karia, CTO and CDO at The Zebra. And we discuss the benefits and practicality of having a full-blown data function in an organization. How Meetesh has utilized Andela to build internationally distributed engineering teams, and why it's important to create a culture where nobody gets in trouble for an honest mistake.  All of this right here, right now, on the ModernCTO Podcast!  To learn more about The Zebra, check them out at https://www.thezebra.com To learn more about Andela, check them out at https://andela.com/ Check out Meetesh's podcast, Tesh on Tap!