Afropolitan

Yida GaoQuote - “Talent is everything for an early stage company and thepeople they hire early on define the trajectory of the company.”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 Yida Gao, Managing General Partner of ShimaCapital; an early stage crypto and Web3 investment firm.Yida holds a BSc in Mathematics and Computer Science fromMassachusetts Institute of Technology. He previously worked in WallStreet for Morgan Stanley in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group.He is passionate about investing in crypto and Web3 companies thatchart new territory.Listen and enjoy as Yida Gao talks to us about his journey with ShimaCapital and insights on the venture capitalist environment.Yida’s Reading ListPlay Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers, and Innovators Create and DominateMarkets by Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lochhead, KevinManeyhttps://amzn.to/3jfIPx0Show Notes2:02 Journey into crypto4:10 Shima’s investment thesis and approach to funding startups6:09 Main criteria to invest in a founder8:34 Fundraising process for Shima Capital10:50 Misconceptions about venture capitalists12:13 VCs inspired by13:09 Recruiting and retaining talent14:48 Navigating the fundraising environment17:25 Process of capital calls20:20 Best guidance that Shima offers for portfolio companies23:47 First encounter with failure and lesson learnt26:25 Reading list28:14 Title of the book about your life29:28 What does being Afropolitan mean to youThe 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/

Fadekemi AbiruQuote - “Afropolitan is daring to be yourself in a rapidly changingworld and not having to ask for permission.”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 Fadekemi Abiru, Head Of Insights at Stears; afinancial data/intelligence company providing subscription-baseddata/insight to professionals/businesses.Fadekemi holds a BSc in Economics from the University of Bristol andan MSc in African Development from the London School of Economics. Shepreviously worked as an economist for the UK government and providedanalysis on various projects.She is passionate about ensuring that decisions whether in business orgovernment in Africa are driven by real time data and insights todrive critical economic developments.Listen and enjoy as Fadekemi Abiru talks to us about her journey withStears and the importance of data-driven insights on Africa.Fadekemi’s Reading ListAll About Love: New Visions by Bell Hookshttps://amzn.to/3EiIoZjHarry Potter Paperback Box Set (Books 1-7) by J. K. Rowlinghttps://amzn.to/3OlqtG7Economics Rules by Dani Rodrikhttps://amzn.to/3As5j3wShow Notes1:55 Founding of Stears and its mission3:10 Plans to cover the 2023 Nigerian elections8:03 Data-driven insights/expectations on the Nigeria 2023 elections10:22 How has technology enabled the Stears Elections product11:12 Significance and likely impact of the Nigerian Electoral Act2022 on the upcoming elections12:29 Conducting polls in the future14:08 Data trends that make this upcoming election different from thelast election15:58 First encounter with failure and lesson learnt16:02 Title of the book about your life18:45 Reading list21:09 What does being Afropolitan mean to youThe 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/

Arese UgwuQuote - “Afropolitan means showcasing the brilliance of Africa on aglobal stage.”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 Arese Ugwu, Founder of Smart Money Africa; anedutainment platform providing financial literacy and education forthe African millennial.Arese is a graduate from Aston Business School and University CollegeLondon and has previous experience with leading African financialservices brands before transitioning to Smart Money Africa.She is passionate about creating content and avenues that break downfinancial barriers for African youths especially women.Listen and enjoy as Arese Ugwu talks to us about Smart Money tribe andher thoughts on financial literacy for the African millennial.Arese’s Reading ListThe Smart Money Woman: An African girl's journey to financial freedomby Arese Ugwuhttps://amzn.to/3UAVTdJThe Rich Are Different: A Priceless Treasury of Quotations andAnecdotes About the Affluent, the Posh, and the Just Plain Loaded byJon Winokurhttps://amzn.to/3AbZSpdSex and Vanity: A Novel by Kevin Kwanhttps://amzn.to/3trG6lDShow Notes1:30 Upbringing and background2:59 Start of Smart Money Africa6:35 Challenges/process of self-publishing a book12:24 Netflix picking up the The Smart Money Woman series16:26 Balancing multiple roles professionally and personally17:50 Financial advice for young people19:11 Season Two of The Smart Money Woman19:57 First encounter with failure and lesson learnt20:45 Title of the book about your life21:45 Reading list23:20 What does being Afropolitan mean to you24:00 Beauty of South AfricaThe 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/

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/

Quote - “Afropolitan means remembering who we were in the lastthousand years at scale”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 Ibi Cookey, Co-Founder of Fitted; a fashion-techcompany revolutionising scalable custom fashion.Ibi is an international business management graduate and a formerinvestment banker. He is passionate about simplifying the customfashion supply chain for all stakeholders.Listen and enjoy as Ibi Cookey talks to us about entrepreneurship,Fitted and transitioning from investment banking to tech.Show Notes1:10 Background and transition from investment banking to tech3:33 Insights gained from private equity4:46 Transition to Fitted6:22 What does Fitted solve8:18 Utilising data from Fitted to solve international measurementchallenges at scale11:11 Fitted’s role in the supply chain ecosystem13:47 Fundraising challenges and insights18:11 First encounter with failure and experience learnt19:56 Title of the book about your life21:53 What does being Afropolitan mean to youThe 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/

Quote - “As a founder of a startup, we have to get to the end goal -to liquidity and huge wealth gains for ourselves, employees and earlyinvestors.”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 Morgan DeBaun, Founder/CEO of Blavity Inc.; aleading digital media company for Black culture and millennials withover 100 million readers per month.Morgan is a serial entrepreneur, executive, corporate advisor, andangel investor. She is passionate about building companies andcommunities.Listen and enjoy as Morgan DeBaun talks to us about entrepreneurshipand Blavity’s incredible journey.Morgan’s Websitehttps://bit.ly/3Tj1TaHMorgan’s Reading ListRich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That thePoor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T. Kiyosakihttps://amzn.to/2NIasgGThe 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People WillFollow You by John C. Maxwellhttps://amzn.to/3VICqJbThe Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovationto Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Rieshttps://amzn.to/3CQouV0Show Notes1:17 Investing in the stock market at 13 years old2:27 Misconceptions of being a founder4:16 Advice/strategies for founders in recruiting/retaining talent7:16 Fundraising as a black woman founder10:08 Managing boundaries12:56 Impact of the pandemic professionally/personally17:40 Remote work vs office work21:25 Dealing with letting people go26:56 First encounter with failure and experience learnt30:42 Reading list31:57 Title of the book about your life33:29 Transition from Intuit to Blavity35:16 What does being Afropolitan mean to youThe 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/

Quote - “Technology is bringing us back all together.”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 Biola Alabi, Co-Founder of Atika Ventures; awomen-led venture fund providing early-stage capital to consumertechnology start-ups in West and East Africa.Biola is a Non-Executive Director at Unilever Nig. Plc. and MontyMobile, an Angel Investor at Lagos Angel Network and the ExecutiveProducer at Biola Alabi Media and Entertainment. She is passionateabout investing in startups that will solve real problems at scale.Listen and enjoy as Biola Alabi talks to us about investing instartups and how the investment landscape has changed over the lastdecade.Biola’s Reading ListCaste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkersonhttps://amzn.to/3EXXWDEBasic Black: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work (and inLife) by Cathie Blackhttps://amzn.to/3Sclh7LTrue North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership by Bill Georgehttps://amzn.to/2AkWI67Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeownhttps://amzn.to/3MH5tstShow Notes1:37 Lagos Angel Network2:43 Changes/challenges in the investment landscape over the last 10 years3:59 Advice to startups in the current regulatory environment5:37 What do you look for in investing in startups7:20 Advice/strategies for founders in recruiting/retaining talent8:54 Managing expectations of Limited Partner (LPs)11:22 First angel investment12:50 First encounter with failure and experience learnt15:44 Transparency as a founder18:09 Background and upbringing23:19 Reading list27:26 Title of the book about your life28:59 What does being Afropolitan mean to youThe 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/

Quote - “Think of all unfortunate experiences as learning experiences.”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 Zeneca, Founder/CEO of ZenAcademy; who was aprofessional poker player for 15 years and has transitioned to being awell respected NFT influencer. He created ZenAcademy to build acommunity and space to educate and help others understand the cryptoand NFT space.Listen and enjoy as Zeneca talks to us about burnout in the techecosystem and offers advice on trading crypto and NFTs.Roy’s Reading ListLetters from a Stoic by Lucius Annaeus Senecahttps://amzn.to/3VkqdKAMeditations by Marcus Aureliushttps://amzn.to/2XsyOQlWhy We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walkerhttps://amzn.to/3CP6tHBMan's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Franklhttps://amzn.to/3g2BIpFShow Notes1:18 Transition from a professional poker player for 15 years to Crypto2:31 Burnout and self-care5:55 Distinction between NFTs and crypto9:01 NFT trading - highs and lows11:47 How to evaluate projects15:10 Meaning of Zeneca17:08 Favorite philosophers18:21 Reading list20:09 Start of ZenAcademy26:45 Future of online platforms in growing online communities30:23 Encounter with failure and lessons learned36:43 Navigating the crypto space and dealing with loss41:34 Title of the book about your life43:24 What does being Afropolitan mean to youThe 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/

Quote - “If you want something really badly, the whole universeconspires to help you get it.”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 Ngozi Dozie, Co-Founder of Carbon; a Pan Africandigital bank based in Nigeria and a leading digital finance platform.Carbon’s mission is to empower all people with the financial accessthey need to pursue a life of dignity and prosperity. The Carbon appwas launched in April 2016 and the business has grown rapidly.A CFA charter holder, Ngozi holds an MBA from Wharton School and hasworked as a financial analyst at Deloitte & Touche and an investmentbanker at JPMorgan in New York.Listen and enjoy as Ngozi talks to us about the importance oftransparency and access to loans in the Nigerian digital financeecosystem and shares tips for new founders to navigate the regulatorylandscape.Ngozi’s Reading ListThe Alchemist by Paulo Coelhohttps://amzn.to/3BSXIMuThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Coveyhttps://amzn.to/3CA05UOThe Prophet by Kahlil Gibranhttps://amzn.to/3ycbiIfShow Notes1:27 Carbon’s vision and mission6:34 Nigerian ecosystem - Type of loans and access to loans5:36 Transparency and execution8:54 Advice for founders navigating the regulatory landscape in thetech ecosystem11:50 Advice for founders fundraising16:56 Impact of the pandemic on Carbon22:15 Recruiting talent and retaining talent25:08 First encounter with failure, dealing with it and lessons learnt29:50 Reading list35:01 Title of the book about your life38:16 What does being Afropolitan mean to youThe 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/

Quote - “Great ideas happen when two old ideas meet for the first time.”The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black community.Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant afterwards. This episode features Fatima Dicko, Founder & CEO at Sugar; a community management platform for apartment building. Sugar has raised over $3.5M in VC funding from some of the leading investors in the property technology sector.Fatima was on a product innovation team as a senior engineer at Procter & Gamble focused on bringing new ideas to market. She is passionate about building products people love and supporting youth to become future leaders in tech. Fatima was named as '18 Inspiring Women to Watch' by Inc and listed on the 2021 Forbes 'Next 1000' list.Listen and enjoy as Fatima talks about the COVID 19 pandemic influence on her business and shares some of her fundraising challenges.Fatima’s Reading List The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho https://amzn.to/3BSXIMu The Founder's Dilemmas by Noam Wassermanhttps://amzn.to/3Siw01fThe Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitzhttps://amzn.to/3raLhVWShow Notes1:36 Impact of Covid-19 pandemic professionally and personally6:34 Fundraising challenges as a founder9:56 Background and upbringing shaping the entrepreneurial mindset17:19 Initial team recruiting process and retaining talent21:17 Reading list 22:06 Breakdown of Web3 27:54 Title of the book about Fatima’s life29:12 First significant encounter with failure and lessons learnt 31:31 Importance of culture34:40 What does being Afropolitan mean to youThe Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan.Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or wherever you get your podcasts.Want to learn more about Afropolitan? Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitanWebsite - https://www.afropolitan.io/