NFL Lessons in Leadership & Black Business Opportunities with Emil Ekiyor

Emil Ekiyor was born in Lagos, Nigeria and came to the US when he was 15 years old with a suitcase and a one way ticket. Since then he has been a catalyst for change to those around him. He played football at the University of Central Florida where he was a 3 year letter winner. Following that he continued to pursue his passion on the gridiron with a 7 year career in the NFL.

After that he settled in Indianapolis where he was an administrator for the public schools, a business owner, and non profit leader. He sits on the board of 3 non profits and is very active in the community.

As a CEO of Innopower, he and his team use seed stage impact investing to drive innovation and to accelerate economic prosperity in black communities in Indiana and sub-Saharan Africa.

Be sure to check out these great clips from the show:

• [8:31] The effects western culture has on Nigerian entrepreneurship
• [15:54] The misconception of successful vs unsuccessful people in America.
• [21:30] What kept Emil and his family in Indiana after his career in the NFL.
• [31:20] The trouble with the grant process.

Get IN. is the show focused on the unfolding stories and most extraordinary innovations happening in the heartland today. Get IN. is brought to you by Powderkeg and Elevate Ventures.

In this conversation you will learn from Emil on:

• Identifying opportunity and how to capitalize on it
• How sports build a framework for business success
• Opportunities for underrepresented founders to achieve entrepreneurial success

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Get IN. is the show focused on the unfolding stories and most extraordinary innovations happening in the heartland today. The show is hosted by Christopher (Toph) Day, CEO of Elevate Ventures and Matt Hunckler, CEO of Powderkeg. Get IN. is brought to you by Powderkeg and Elevate Ventures.

If you have a chance, please leave an honest rating and review on Apple Podcasts by clicking here. It will help the show and its ranking on Apple Podcasts incredibly! Thank you so much!

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