Investing in Africa – Page 3

F.I.V.E Questions with Zakiya Harris, Co-Founder & CIO, Hack The Hood

It’s impossible to ignore the way technology is shaping how and what we do every given second. You are most likely reading this article on your phone or computer screen, or listening to the audio version thanks to Amazon Polly and cloud computing. In fact, according to a CNN report in August 2018, technology helped America’s economy way more than we thought because the Bureau of Economic Analysis revamped its gross domestic product calculations. The agency incorporated new information about cloud computing, cell phones, and other rapidly evolving technologies. As technology continues to reshape our future as we know it, equal access to this change agent remains unmet for billions of people. This is where Zakiya Harris, and the team at Hack The Hood hope to make an impact. Zakiya is the co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Hack The Hood, a non-profit that introduces low-income youth of color to careers in technology by hiring and training them to build websites for real small businesses in their communities. Hack The Hood wants to equip graduates of their Bootcamp with the skills and resources to find work and earn an income that enables them to live in the community where they grew up. In 2017, they saw a 92% completion rate of their Bootcamp attended by over 330 youth that built over 250 small business websites.

Zakiya is a seasoned leader and is a part of nationally recognized projects such as Impact Hub Oakland, Grind for the Green, and is a Fellow of Green for All and Bold Food. She is also a singer and author. #BlackGirlMagic #BlackExcellence

1. What is your morning routine and how has it contributed to your development as a leader?

My mornings are the most sacred part of my day. I genuinely believe that a strong start leads to a strong day. My morning begins with meditation, working out and setting intentions for the day. I also try to squeeze in a healthy breakfast and a lot of water. My practice has contributed to my development as a leader because, like most people, my day involves giving a lot of energy to others in the form of speaking, emailing, brainstorming, etc.. To do this my cup has to be full. My morning routine is how I fill my cup so that I can support others.

2. What compelled you to start/join Hack The Hood and what has surprised you the most about your journey thus far?

I was compelled to join Hack the Hood because I wanted to give Oakland youth and youth across the Bay Area the opportunity to access the tools that were shaping their future. What has surprised me most about my journey thus far is how quick this project took off. As a co-founder, I don’t think any of us realized how large the void was in the market. The reality is that mainstream education is failing everyone, especially underserved communities. More organizations and companies like Hack the Hood are going to step in to fill this gap to ensure that all young people are on track to obtain the 21st-century skills needed to thrive in the current economy.

3. Why is the cause you are pursuing or problem you are solving the most important for this generation? How would future generations benefit if it’s successful? What is at risk if you do not succeed?

If we as a country and a planet don’t create a world where all young people have access to the tools to navigate their future, we all fail. Technology is a critical component in the future of work. No matter what job/career young people today aspire to, technology will be at the center of it. Everyone is an expert in something and technology gives you the opportunity to use your expertise and combine it with technology to solve problems. For example, foster care students are going to feel more empowered to create technology solutions for the foster care industry, African Americans are going to feel more empowered to develop technology solutions to address police brutality, etc. If we don’t give everyone the tools, we risk not solving significant problems in the world. We risk not having a planet for future generations to live in.

4. Reflect on all of the key milestones/proudest moments you’ve had so far in building Hack The Hood to what it is today. Which of these milestones/proudest moments would you say is the most pivotal and why?

Our biggest milestone hands down was winning the 2014 Google Impact Challenge. After only one summer and 19 students, we beat out hundreds of other organizations and were awarded $500,000 from Google. That single act accelerated our work, allowed us to scale in 7 cities and build a community of local small businesses, tech companies, community members and youth. We are still benefiting from the social cache and ripple effect of that award.

5. What is the best piece of actionable advice you’ve received that continues to be a source of inspiration in good times and challenging times?

A mantra that I live by is a quote from Nelson Mandela who once said: “It only seems impossible until its done.” That is something that I live by. It reminds me that regardless of appearances, if you have a dream, you have to just go for it. His life like so many others was a true testament to that fact. Whenever I am facing a challenge personal or otherwise, I turn to that quote to remind me that anything is possible.

F.I.V.E Questions with Stephen Ozoigbo, Venture Catalyst

1. Briefly describe your background- education, experience, etc. What is the most exciting or rewarding aspect of what you do now? What could make it even more exciting or rewarding?

I am a generalist. My background is a hybrid of Technology, Finance and Investments, and International Development. I have been fortunate to live and work in four continents and I consider these experiences to be the backbone of my current status as a Venture Catalyst.

I was born in Nigeria and grew up with an admiration of global affairs. When I emigrated to the US as a young adult, I chose the path of embracing knowledge and learning through any means possible and I immersed myself in a variety of learning activities both online and offline. This propelled me through my first Master’s degree and led me to my career in Banking

With the help of a good friend and mentor, I joined Smith Barney as an Investment Associate intern and worked for four years through the Banking realms of Citigroup. I completed my MBA within the same period and transitioned to Foreign Direct Investment activities with the Government of Catalonia in Europe in 2009. This experience shaped my Venture and International development as it allowed me to design, implement and manage a variety of investment activities across macro and micro environments. Particularly, I started working with Startups and saw the power of entrepreneurship as a key variable for economic development.

I took that experience back to Africa and it has become a core aspect of my day to day as an early stage investor in venture activities, a stage agnostic advisor to venture stakeholders, and an active stakeholder in Africa’s entrepreneurial future.

The most exciting part of what I do now is applying my knowledge and experience on the African continent with a full exploitation of my generalist tendencies and approach. My personal and professional background in Science, Technology and Finance allows me to sit within convening and offer a full appreciation of the levers that need to be pulled in driving African innovation ecosystems forward.

My roles get more exciting as I meet more young Africans that are just as driven and willing to do the same. My perspectives on this and more were shared in my recent TED Talk.

2. Flash back and then fast forward to the present, what has surprised you the most about your journey thus far? What advice do you have for others looking to take a similar path? Is there something you could have done differently to get to where you are quicker?

I have fond memories of great projects, activities and sometimes disappointments. On a personal note, having the opportunity to work with key public sector partners and friends from the Obama White house and Administration, to the US State Department after serving within the Government of Catalonia for five years stands out as one of my most pleasantly surprising paths. On a daily basis, working with young African entrepreneurs to build solutions of the future and seeing THEIR journeys from a lens of venture creation and acceleration is always a thrill.

For anyone else seeking to follow a similar path, I will strongly advise them to embrace THEIR generalist tendencies and characteristics. It comes in very handy in fast paced, international and multidimensional business environments. I also advise that they have good friends that are specialists!

Entrepreneurship is hard. Entrepreneurship in the African context is even harder. I encourage anyone within the ecosystem (or seeking to enter it) to come in with a stomach of steel, strive hard to leave their mark and never relent on their mission towards empowering others.

3. Why is the cause you are pursing or problem you are solving the most important for this generation? How would future generations benefit if its successful? What is at risk if you do not succeed?

The Lions@frica initiative and the DEMO Africa platform and all other programs that we currently have embedded within the African Technology Foundation are quite important in the broader sense of promoting entrepreneurship in Africa. For a generation of Africans that are media entrepreneurs, I also consider our Edutainment Africa platform to be an essential tool for story tellers to amplify the business elements of their craft.

As the African media and technology ecosystems merge and digital entrepreneurs continue to rise from their self taught ecosystems across the continent, their ability to build a product, tell their story and sell it across the world will be a critical aspect of their venture pathways.

There isn’t a viable risk to not succeeding with these initiatives. Rather, I consider that like many others, some stakeholders will be pioneers and not direct beneficiaries – and we will all continue to strive for the Africa that we believe in.

4. Reflect on all of the key sacrifices and trade-offs you’ve had to make to get to where you are today. Which of these would you say was the most pivotal and why?

My personal sacrifices have mostly been around my inability to say NO to service or causes I believe in. From China to Catalonia to Colombia to multiple locations in Africa, I have made a myriad of trade-offs that were sometimes a burden to my personal life but ended up with a rainbow at the end.

Answering a call to service and working alongside key stakeholders at the US State Department’s Office of Global Partnerships on the Lions@frica initiative as well as supporting key public sector activities for the Obama Administration would stand out. Working with my good friends at the Government of Catalonia’s Trade and Investment Office will also stand out. These public sector experiences have enforced my core beliefs that governments are people, and given me a comfort win providing policy guidance to governments all over the world.

Working with young startup founders is very rewarding for me. They are Africa’s future and I am always honored to be a page in their book through mentorship, advisory and investment related activities. Building technology solutions with all of these founders remains a key motivation for me as well.

5. What is the best piece of actionable advice that you’ve received that continues to be source of inspiration in good times and challenging times?

I have a daily dose of these, especially since my daily activities are quite amorphous and touch on many parts of the innovation ecosystem. I have a healthy network of mentors and advisors that I reach out to on a regular basis for guidance. I look to my family to stay grounded – my mother and my wife and are biggest fans and critics alike. I seek inspiration in well meaning and self driven innovators from Africa and listen intently to their visions and motivations. Above all else, I am a willing learner – I have grown to learn from all my experiences, both good and bad.

Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn!

F.I.V.E Questions With Deon Greyling, Partner, BTS Middle East & Africa

Briefly describe your background.

I started life as the son of a policeman and a typical upbringing in South Africa – at the time the country was divided along racial lines with major divisions and inequalities. Although my father was a policeman in the old government, he taught me the value of the human being, and treating people of all walks of life with the same focus on potential rather than circumstance. I attended a local university studying B.Comm Law – a unique combination of law and commerce. I completed my LLB (Honours in Law) as well as my MBA along the way. Seeking knowledge, interacting with people and being curious about the world around me has driven my work experiences. I started out as a commercial lawyer (largely the fault of the portrayal of lawyers in a US TV Show of the mid 80’s, called LA Law). I soon realized that life was more precisely worded contracts and endless hours in courtrooms and meeting rooms. I joined BTS in 2000 and started a life of consulting. Working for BTS over the last 18 years has presented me with an amazing opportunity to work with some of the most inspiring people (both internally as well as our clients and partners) and continually satisfy my curiosity on how the world works, how strategies are translated into reality and how great leaders inspire and motivate people to be their best.

Flashback and then fast forward to the present, what has surprised you the most about your career trajectory and what tips do you have for other embarking on similar path?

My career trajectory had me as a managing director of a company at the age of 26 and partner in a global consulting company by 35. A couple of learning along the way:

People are as important as performance – care about your relationships with people as much as you care about results.
Never say “no” to learning opportunities that will stretch you.
Focus on your faith, your family and the future – having something that you deeply believe in, that drives your decision-making and value system creates stability and direction in your life, finding purpose in a cause bigger than you and your meager existence helps keep you humble and grounded in the course of life – focusing on family and the future (and not varnishing the past) helps me understand the reason and motivation for getting through the tough times, and for celebrating the small victories in life. Work and life in general would surely be of little or no value if you only lived for yourself and had no cause or direction
Know your values…never sacrifice or trade your values – no matter what your victory, if you have traded your values, you will always feel empty
Know your value – don’t settle for less than you are worth. People will pay you for the job you do – this is defined by market value for the services performed – but never let your job define your worth.

Why is the cause you are pursuing or problem you are solving the most important for this generation?

Helping people do the best work of their lives by providing them and their organization with the required alignment, mindset and capability ultimately helps build more sustainable businesses, and a better planet. By helping leaders see the long-term impact of their decision-making, and then equipping them with the business, leadership and functional acumen to make the right decisions faster will shift not only companies, but countries and markets. The Middle East and African market contains some of the biggest differentials between the “Have’s” and the “Have nots” – reducing this differential and increasing people’s opportunity to actively and meaningfully participate in a global economy lies in developing people and companies in these markets to continue to grow in competitiveness. What we do at BTS helps accelerate this by innovating how companies and their leaders change, learn and improve.

Why is now the right time for the world to pay attention to the Africa market?

The growth in Africa, as with many other growth markets, is not evolutionary – but rather revolutionary. The biggest misconception about growth economies is that they follow the same learning curve as more mature economies. The rate of learning in these growth economies is accelerating and tends to be more “step-changes” and skipping technology and learning curves as the global economy becomes more integrated and virtual. Companies will be able to immediately introduce new products and solutions – removing some of the barriers for smaller companies (and making markets more accessible). At the same time, Africa is an extremely entrepreneurial continent with amazing diversity of people and thinking – and the global economy now affords a more global contribution both inbound and outbound.

What is the best piece of actionable advice you’ve received that continues to be a source of inspiration in good times and challenging times?

The best advice I have received is to focus on your passion and what ignites your soul – money, fame or other worldly achievements will follow. Do the work you love, and you will never work a day in your life.

Connect with Deon on LinkedIn.

Learn more about BTS.

3 Actions Successful Salespeople Take After Losing A Deal

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” Henry Ford

Salespeople enjoy reliving their victories play by play; in fact, it’s hard to contain their enthusiasm when they get going. However, when talking about a lost deal, the story tends to get abbreviated. I’ve been guilty of this! 😉

Losing is tough, and one could lose twice if no time is spent learning how and why it happened. As such, it’s important to be deliberate about your next moves following a lost deal. Here are three common actions I’ve observed successful salespeople take after losing a deal:

1. They Reflect: Taking a few minutes to reflect and process the events that led up to the loss allows them to draw insights while the event is fresh in their minds. The process of reflection is two-fold:

Self-reflection: The key is to not sulk in the loss. Rather, with self-compassion as guard rails, they jot down their mistakes, trace every step, and commit to refining their approach the next time. This simple act of self-reflection can be the difference between winning sporadically versus winning consistently. An example of the power of self-reflection occurred with a top salesperson I interviewed. After losing a deal she worked hard to win, she felt defeated and decided to do some self-reflection. After reflecting, she realized she didn’t spend as much time as she should have on enabling a key influencer who at the last-minute swayed the decision in favor of her competitor. Following this realization, she committed to creating stakeholder maps to ensure she invested adequate time with all the key decision makers and influencers.

Team reflection: According to research by Alison Reynolds and David Lewis published on HBR, the best problem-solving teams treat mistakes with curiosity and share responsibility for the outcomes. The idea is to be solution-oriented in the reflection instead of pointing fingers. Successful salespeople realize that one should never lose a deal alone. And if a loss does occur, the team collectively comes up with ideas to improve and hold each other accountable.

2. They Research: Successful salespeople connect with customers to understand their decision to go with an alternative solution. These top salespeople are diplomatic in their request and make it a point to understand the perspectives of all the key stakeholders involved in the decision. This process is difficult, but it’s also rewarding, especially when the customer is candid with their feedback. If it’s a product, service, or pricing issue, the salesperson can route the feedback directly to the team responsible which could be the catalyst for change within their organization. Research is especially valuable in technology sales because if a customer decides not to select your solution because of a missing critical feature, the salesperson can work with the product team to influence the product roadmap which could help win back the deal.

“Statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers (and salespeople) ought to get excited about it. The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business.” – Zig Ziglar

3. They Re-engage: Change is the only constant in business, and if the customer chooses a solution to solve a problem they have today, the successful salesperson anticipates problems the customer could face tomorrow. They re-engage the customer with new business models, industry insights, case studies, and innovative ideas to improve the customer’s business. They add value in their follow-up and follow-through, which often leads to them winning back the business. A good example of this was a Sales Leader who always followed up at least once a month to ask how things were going with the vendor the customer selected. He asked questions such as: are you achieving the goals you intended, is the vendor delivering on what they promised, are you achieving the right business results, is your team happy with the decision, and where / what are the gaps in the current solution. This Sales Leader has won back multiple deals by being persistent and consistent in delivering value even after losing the initial deal. He encourages salespeople not to assume everything is okay with the customer; instead, focus on anticipating challenges and positioning your solution to solve those challenges.

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is to try just one more time.” – Thomas Edison

When next you lose a deal, don’t fret, just remember the three R’s: Reflect, Research, and Re-engage!

I bade thee Godspeed selling! 🙂

F.I.V.E Questions With Chike Nwoffiah Founding Director, Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF)

“Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” Chinua Achebe

When you let someone else tell your story, they’re likely to leave out important details. It matters who controls the narrative; so whatever you do, work hard to control your narrative and tell your truth.

Chike Nwoffiah is on a mission to change the narrative of Africa which is what compelled him to start Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF) nine years ago. Chike permeates an intense amount of positive energy and belief that fuels his drive to get Africans to tell their authentic stories. He has brilliantly guided SVAFF from just an idea to international recognition. As SVAFF heads into its 9^th year (Oct. 4-7, 2018) of screening films from Africa created by African filmmakers, I caught up with Chike to learn more about his drive and what actionable advice he can pass on to us.

1. Briefly describe your background and how you got started.
I was born and raised in Nigeria. I grew up in a very loving home where education was a priority. My love for the creative industry started very early in my life at about the age of 4 when I starred in my very first stage play. I still have very vivid memories of the rehearsals, costumes and the performance to the entire school community of students, parents, and teachers. From then on, I was immersed in theater and this continued through college and beyond. Although in college, I was in business school, my heart was on stage and so for all my years in college, I starred in every play that was mounted by our student theater company. Years later, as fate brought me to Silicon Valley California for further studies and work, I slowly found myself consumed by the chore of a corporate career and while I was making good money as a young (24-year-old) corporate strategic planner, I knew something was missing. My heart yearned for a creative outlet which the hustle and noise of corporate America weren’t giving me. So after about six years in the Silicon Valley corporate world, I began my transition to the creative industry and have never been happier. Today, I run a California based full-service media production company, Rhesus Media Group, with offices in Cape Town, South Africa and Lagos, Nigeria. We provide end-to-end media services to private and corporate clients as well as produce our content. We presently have a feature film, A Rose for Freddy, which I directed, scheduled for release in theaters across Nigeria in August of this year. I also founded the Silicon Valley African Film Festival, an annual showcase of films by Africa’s talented seasoned and emerging filmmakers. The festival was started to confront the sad reality that after over half a century of independence in Africa, most of the continent’s narratives are still told by people who are so many degrees removed from the continent. These historically distorted narratives have led to blurred interpretations and blurred perceptions of Africa, and our way of life. I am convinced that by creating a platform for Africa’s content creators to share their authentic stories with the world, we can engage the global community in a different dialogue about Africa. The film festival has grown in 9 years to become an annual destination event that draws international filmmakers, celebrities, and visitors to Silicon Valley. What I find most exciting and rewarding for me is that I have found a way to live my passion and make an impact in the process. My business school training continues to give me the professional discipline to successfully run my businesses and execute projects, while my talent and skills in the creative arts allow me to share my African heritage on a global stage. I wake up every day excited to go to work. Outside of my beautiful wife and son, I couldn’t ask for a better blessing than the opportunity to make a living doing what I love.

2. Flashback and then fast forward to the present, what has surprised you the most about your journey (with SVAFF) thus far?
The pleasant surprise or the “happy story” about SVAFF is the pace of growth we have achieved in such a short amount of time. The festival has grown from a one-day event that showcased 16 films to a full three days of programming last year with 93 films from 30 countries. Our offering has now expanded to include a fashion show, live performances, food, African market, and in 2018, we will debut our “Virtual Africa” lounge where guests can experience virtual reality content from Africa. The community support has also been stellar as several individuals and organizations rallied around the idea from the very first year and made sure that we kept it going even during the challenging times. SVAFF has become a community-owned event, and this is what I always wished it to be – no one person’s event, but our event.

3. Why is the cause you are pursuing or problem you are solving the most important for this generation, how would future generations benefit if it’s successful, and what is at risk if you do not succeed?
Africa can no longer be ignored in the global economic, social and political space. With a population of more than 1 billion people, expected to double by mid-century, Africa offers an enormous potential market. While the rest of the world is aging, Africa is young with about 20% of the population between the ages of 15 and 24. And while the global workforce may be shrinking, in a few years Africa’s workforce will number some 1.1 billion, surpassing that of China and India.

This huge slice of the global population cannot be reduced to myopic soundbites that only perpetuate historical stereotypes. I am humbled that I have been able to dedicate my work to challenging the complex networks of ignorance, prejudices and stereotypes underpinning Africa’s pernicious misrepresentation in the media as a place of turmoil, deprivation, wildlife, ethnography, the spectacular, bewildering, ambiguous, haunting, and casting Africans as simple folks in need of guiding hands or, belittling noble savages. The recent US president’s characterization of African nations as “s#*#hole countries” is a prime example of this kind of ignorance driven bigotry.

To allow the myopic single story narratives of Africa to dominate our understanding of Africa deprives our children the opportunity to engage with the world’s brightest, most diverse and vibrant minds. Stories inform our perceptions, and our perceptions inform our behavior. Until the global community stops seeing Africa and Africans as “less than”, the balance of social, political and economic power will remain tilted against Africa. In this, therefore, failure is not an option for me.

4. Reflect on all of the key milestones you’ve had so far in building SVAFF to what it is today. Which of these milestones would you say is the most pivotal and why?
We are at a very critical juncture right now at SVAFF as we present our 9th season with an eye on our 10th anniversary next year. In reflection, I think the biggest milestone was year one. Birthing an idea is always the biggest step, getting it out of one’s head and giving it life. Not being sure if it will work, even though one has planned and prepared. We have indeed come a long way, and I feel blessed to be a vehicle that God has used to bring this to my community. There is always a moment at each festival when I stand in total wonder and humility as I watch the sea of people, shuffling about the festival grounds, laughing, chatting, hugging, just carrying on and being animated about films they have just seen or about to see. Those are the priceless moments when I appreciate how something that was once a thought in my head has become a gift to the community.

5. What is the best piece of actionable advice you’ve received that continues to be a source of inspiration in good times and challenging times?
My father always used to tell me – “If you are really passionate about something, commit to it. If you commit, be willing to give it ten years.” He always taught me to take the long view and stick it out. I am not sure SVAFF could have lasted this long if I didn’t have those words of wisdom constantly ringing in my head.

You can contact SVAFF by sending an email to office @ svaff.org

Stay connected and up to date on the latest from SVAFF via Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

F.I.V.E Questions with Ade Adesanya, Co-Founder of Moving Analytics

Multiple studies show that 90% of startups fail. As the co-founder of Moving Analytics, Ade Adesanya takes on this hard truth every day. He calls it “de-risking” his startup. He does this by having a laser focus on solving his customer’s problems while drawing inspiration from the impact his company is having on many lives. I met Ade during a talk about technology and entrepreneurship hosted by the Umu Igbo Unite chapter of Los Angeles. Ade was named a Forbes 30 under 30 and his company has raised $2M in VC funding. We invite you to get into the mind of Ade in this F.I.V.E questions feature:

1. Briefly describe your background and how you got started.

I grew up in Lagos and came to US in 2007 to study Electrical Engineering at the University of Houston. I always had a passion for building things and caught the technology bug early in my college days. In my junior year in college, the Social Network movie detailing Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook’s story came out. The movie inspired me and my friends to find more problems in our community that technology could solve. We agreed to tackle a problem many college students battle with every semester, buying textbooks. We founded a company called Givepals to serve as a marketplace for students to trade textbooks with each other. The idea expanded to other items including, DJ services, cars, boats, and much more. At its peak, Givepals had over 3000 active users at UH; however, the company closed after we graduated and were unable to expand to other campuses due to engineering challenges.

The experience at Givepals inspired me to move to California and immerse myself in an environment where I could learn how to commercialize technologies and improve my project management skills. I enrolled in the Engineering Management program at University of Southern California (USC) and I also got a job at the USC’ Stevens Center for Innovation where I worked with researchers to commercialize their intellectual property into startup companies. Through my job at Stevens, I met my business partner Harsh, who was a postdoctoral fellow who had secured 2 patents for tracking and improving physical activity for chronic disease management. Harsh was looking to commercialize his patent into a commercial product and was looking for some business help in identifying a customer, fundraising and forming a team. Through our research which consisted of interviewing over 200 clinicians, hospital administrators, and non-profits like the American Health Association we discovered a business opportunity in the cardiac rehabilitation industry.

For those lucky to survive a heart attack, cardiac rehabilitation is a program designed to help patients improve their physical fitness, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, quit smoking, and improve other cardiovascular-related risk factors. Research shows patients who do rehab double their 5-year life expectancy and cut their risk of a second heart attack by up to 50%. The challenge is less than 15% of patients enroll in CR programs because there are very few programs which are located far away from people’s home and work. As a result, health systems are also shuttering their brick and mortar CR programs due to the high operating costs and unprofitability. This leads to more cardiac patients dying and getting readmitted within 12 months. Our team realized that there was an enormous opportunity in delivering cardiac rehab digitally through telehealth. This is how we founded the company, Moving Analytics.

2. Flashback and then fast forward to the present, what has surprised you the most about your journey (with Moving Analytics) thus far?

What has surprised me so far is the long sales cycles in healthcare. Our customers are large health systems. When you start, you have this conviction that since you have a solution to such a big problem, they would want to move fast to make something happen. That is unfortunately not the case since our sales cycle takes about a year, and could be longer for more complex agreements. It can be challenging at times because you still need to keep the business going while negotiations are progressing. Managing your expectations for the type of business you are in is important to your long-term success. Activities like the hundreds of demos we used to do when we first started that we thought weren’t working back then are now leading us to get more qualified leads and slowly chip away at the length of the sales cycle.

3. Why is the cause you are pursuing or problem you are solving the most important for this generation?

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death. 1 in 10 people die from heart disease – more people die from heart disease than cancer. However, heart disease doesn’t get as much attention. Our platform and program help reduce the risk of dying from heart disease. As millennials, we live for experiences and want to continue to do that for a long time. If we can solve this problem, it means we would live longer and our parents would live longer. We would spend more time with our loved ones. The fact is there is a benefit to being healthy and there is a cost associated with it as well. Heart disease and heart failure are expensive diseases, and we are committed to fighting and preventing it with our platform.

4. Reflect on all of the key sacrifices and trade-offs you’ve had to make to get to where you are today. Which of these would you say was the most pivotal and why?

Running a startup is a huge commitment of your time, and personal relationships could suffer. We’ve been running the business for 4 years and in those 4 years, I’ve had some special personal relationships that didn’t work out. I’ve had to learn to manage my personal relationships better and realize it’s marathon, not a sprint. I’ve also started paying a lot of attention to my physical and mental health. When it comes to mental health, I try to share what’s going on in my life so my family and friends can help. It’s like you’re bringing them along on the journey.

5. What is the best piece of actionable advice you’ve received that continues to be a source of inspiration in good times and challenging times?

“Don’t build your idea in a vacuum.” Get out of the building and get in front of your customers.

A lot of people have ideas they want to hoard and not talk about for various reasons. The reality is most people do not care about your idea. Knowing this, I always try to socialize my ideas and in the process, I often determine what it is I need help with to take the idea to the next level. It’s interesting because when I share my ideas and where I need help, people would find ways to help me.

For more details, contact Moving Analytics.

F.I.V.E Questions with Evita Grant: From Ivy League Engineer to Silicon Valley Lawyer

When you realize your career is a journey rather than a destination, inspiration often comes when you least expect it. Some of us are wired to think that when I get “X” title or “Y” title, I would have achieved my career objective. Then when we get there, we still feel unfulfilled. Evita’s story is a reminder to keep an open mind, follow our curiosities, and be open to learning a new skill. I’m excited to feature Evita Grant on the first F.I.V.E Questions of 2018. It brings me joy to celebrate #BlackExcellence, and even more joy to celebrate #BlackGirlMagic.

Briefly describe your background- education, experience, etc. What is the most exciting or rewarding aspect of what you do now?

My name is Evita Grant. I was born and raised in Ghana. I was fortunate to attend Ghana International School which exposed me to diverse people of different backgrounds and cultures.

I moved to the US in my late teens to attend MIT for my undergraduate studies. I majored in Chemical Engineering because it encompassed my favorite courses from secondary school – Math, Physics, and Chemistry, and it provided me with a skill set that I believed I could apply in Ghana to contribute to its economic development.

For the summer following my sophomore year, I conducted research in the lab of one of MIT’s 12 Institute professors, Professor Daniel Wang. The following year, I interned at a major pharmaceutical company. Both experiences piqued my interest in bio-engineering and academia. Upon graduation, I enrolled in the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology (HST) program for my doctoral degree, instead of working at a major consulting company.

The HST program is indeed one of a kind. Its Ph.D. students take first- and second-year medical school coursework with Harvard Medical School students, and intern for several weeks at a Harvard-affiliated hospital, in addition to satisfying the traditional engineering program requirements. I learned a great deal about medical sciences and the US healthcare industry. The HST program also afforded me the opportunity to work with the late Norman Letvin on HIV vaccine development. Even though I was an engineer amongst immunologists, virologists, and physicians, my lab members were incredibly supportive and collaborative. My thesis focused on the use of Polyethylenimine, a type of polymer, to modulate immune responses to DNA vaccines.

During my doctoral studies, I realized that I did not want to pursue a path in academia or research. So to satisfy one of my HST medical requirements, I volunteered for four weeks at a public maternity hospital in Rabat, Morocco. My time in Morocco allowed me to focus on what I truly wanted for my career – to assist in Africa’s development, which was a burning passion of mine.

When I returned to the US, I focused on completing my doctoral program while exploring alternative careers. I was drawn to Intellectual Property (IP), in particular patent law, because it spurs and supports innovation. Sadly, most African countries have a weak patent protection system. I believed I could contribute to building new legal and non-legal infrastructures, and strengthening existing ones to support innovation and technology transfer in Africa.

After graduating, I worked as a scientific advisor at an IP boutique law firm for a year, then enrolled at Harvard Law School. Law school was very different from my STEM bubble of MIT and Harvard. For the first time in my life, I was forced to think more critically about race, social constructs, global trade, and Africa’s future. It was enlightening, and provided personal meaning to the popular word “woke.”

After I graduated, I moved to Silicon Valley to join Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC as an intellectual property attorney. My practice focuses on working primarily with startups in the Life Sciences and MedTech space to develop and monetize their IP portfolio. It is incredibly rewarding to work with founders and inventors who are passionate about improving people’s lives through their inventions. It brings me great joy and satisfaction to assist them in achieving their goals.

Flash back and then fast forward to the present, what has surprised you the most about your journey thus far? What advice do you have for others looking to take a similar path?

I am most surprised by how unpredictable my journey has been. I went from being a chemical engineer to being a medical engineer, to being a lawyer. I would never have predicted this journey when I left home in my late teens.

My advice will be to be open to new uncharted paths. My experiences have been instrumental in my personal evolution. And I don’t think I would have done it any differently.

Why is the cause you are pursuing or problem you are solving the most important for this generation? How would future generations benefit if it’s successful? What is at risk if you do not succeed?

I am currently interested in using mobile technologies to better connect African countries, and non-African countries for trade purposes. Connected African economies should contribute to the growing economic development of Africa. Frankly, there is no risk of failing because it will be an enriching experience that will add to my growth and expose me to new opportunities.

Reflect on all of the key sacrifices and trade-offs you’ve had to make to get to where you are today. Which of these would you say was the most pivotal and why?

I think the greatest sacrifice is living in the US away from my family. I miss home (Ghana) all the time. That said, I have gained many personal and professional experiences during my stay in the US. It has been worth it.

What is the best piece of actionable advice that you’ve received that continues to be a source of inspiration in good times and challenging times?

Bet on yourself! I cannot remember who or when I received this piece of advice. I may have heard it on a sports podcast. I always remember it whenever I have doubts about myself and/or the future. Choosing to believe in me and to put myself in the position to succeed has been a source of motivation and inspiration.

You can connect with Evita via LinkedIn!

F.I.V.E Questions with Ismail Maiyegun, Co-Founder of Hingeto

Hidden in the credits of any successful entrepreneurial story are small fonts of close calls, pivots, rejections, adversities, doubts, failures, etc. Ismail’s entrepreneurial story is no different. He is quick to tell you that the journey is just as important as the destination and having an unshakable self-belief, surrounding yourself with like-minded people, and working your a$$ off will get you farther than you’d expect. Ismail and his team are building a venture called Hingeto, to tackle inventory risk in retail. The Oakland, CA based startup has raised $1.9M in seed round funding to date, and are backed by Y Combinator (W16), Kapor Capital, Cross Culture Ventures, Precursor Ventures, Stanford University / StartX (S16), Comcast Ventures, Andre Iguodala, #blessed & Base Ventures. Hingeto launched with a limited-edition collection of bomber jackets designed by Oakland Raiders superstar, Marshawn Lynch. Ismail was kind enough to make time to share his story with the hopes of uplifting and inspiring other entrepreneurs. Enjoy!

1. Briefly describe your background- education, work experience, etc. What is the most exciting or rewarding aspect of what you do now? What could make it even more exciting or rewarding?

I attended Stanford University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering with a focus on Computer Software. In High school, I got my A Levels in Computer Science, Math, Chemistry & Physics. I started programming in my early teens. After graduating from university, I worked for a financial-technology company in San Francisco that was co-founded by Bill Harris (former CEO of Intuit & interim CEO at PayPal). After spending four years there, I decided it was time for me to work full-time on my own ventures given the success I had enabled for those I had consulted and advised on the side.

My focus is now on Hingeto, a YC company I co-founded. We’ve raised ~ $1.9M to tackle inventory risk in retail.

I also serve as Chairman of the Board of Big Wolf Games, a company I co-founded before Hingeto.

One of the most exciting & rewarding aspects of my current role is to see how the solutions we build based on our customer’s feedback make a difference in their livelihoods. I also, admittedly, love the power I have in being able to bring any idea to life (it remains exhilarating even after almost 20+ years of programming). What would make it more exciting & rewarding is to look in the room and see more people that look like me, armed with the skills to pursue their dreams the way I have been able to.

2. Flashback and then fast forward to the present, what has surprised you the most about your journey thus far? What advice do you have for others looking to take a similar path? Is there something you could have done differently to get to where you are faster?

My biggest surprise has been how methodical building a successful company can be, once you master certain core principles and strategies.

The biggest thing I would have done differently is that I would have saved a lot more money before going on the entrepreneurial journey so that I could avoid contract work while building my ventures. Luckily, while it’s worked out so far for me, I had way too many close calls earlier in the journey that could have been avoided had I invested in having 6 months – 1 year of income stashed away.

But at the same time for me, knowing my personality, not having that cushion, created the urgency I needed back then to be able to build fast, iterate fast, close deals, etc. I don’t think I’d advise other entrepreneurs to do the same, because for me, my “worst case” was that I would find a mini-gig to “re-up” if needed – which would derail me for a few weeks/months but I knew that if need be, I could hypothetically continue finding contract work indefinitely until I figured out the long-term money maker – although that would not have been ideal. I built relationships with some agencies that sent me opportunities all the time specifically for this purpose.

For others looking to take a similar path, I would tell them to start small right now. I’d advise them to begin absorbing everything they can about starting/building a business and to begin surrounding themselves with positive/like- minded-people. Most importantly, I’d advise them to start putting their learnings into action immediately, even if on a small scale. I’d advise them to focus on building mini ventures that can make $10/month, then $100/month, then $1000/month then $10,000/month then $100,000/month and so forth.

It is extremely difficult to predict the future success of your company, but what is more within your control is what happens within the next few months. Then after that, focusing on the next few months after that. And after that. And when you look back 1-2 years later, you’ll find a few things will have happened.
You will have achieved product-market fit on one of the experiments you were running
You will have success on some small (or even large scale)
You will fail, but those learnings will make you more enlightened for the next thing you work on.
You will have built confidence in variety of competencies that empowers you to be a better entrepreneur (or employee or employer)

Hingeto builds no-risk inventory solutions for large retailers & small brands, mainly in the fashion/apparel niche (primarily Streetwear).

A lot of people express their identity by what they wear on a daily basis. Even those not looking to make a fashion statement, express a lot about themselves by what they decide to wear and what not to wear. When my co-founders approached me with the idea they were kicking around (they previously worked at a $130M online retailer and understood the industry very well), I was somewhat hesitant about if this would be something I would be passionate about because I am not one that cared much about fashion at the time.

However, after discussing the idea a few more times & digging deeper into the macro & micro economic implications of the issues such as excessive waste due to excess inventory, shifting consumer shopping habits, business process & logistics issues experienced by large retailers, predatory sales practices that severely impact small brands (many of which were being run by minorities), my interest was piqued. I also realized that streetwear was arguably the biggest driver of fashion trends & culture, outside of luxury.

While these issues were multi-faceted & complex, we identified what we believed was the root cause of many of them: Inventory Risk. To that end, we are building valuable solutions to solve this from a few angles as it isn’t a one-size-fits-all problem.

I hope the work & impact we achieve with Hingeto will leave a lasting legacy & change the way small brands & large retailers work together and to foster a healthy ecosystem that allows all involved to thrive in the modern economy.

I am also the Chairman of the board of Big Wolf Games, a 6-person gaming venture I co-founded before Hingeto. While on the surface, gaming feels as though it provides no direct societal impact, one of the reasons I’m so passionate about games, is their ability to reach a wide audience across all socioeconomic/cultural/ethnic/language backgrounds.

Games also provide a temporary escape/reprieve from the day-to-day hardships many go through. I started programming in my early teens because I loved games so much & wanted to learn how to build them, so games have changed my life.

One thing about games is that building them requires the ultimate blend of a variety of highly skilled competencies (art, animation, engineering – client side & server side, psychology, emotion, user experience, product, etc.). Building a successful game is arguably one of the most difficult things to do, and hence, it is a challenge that stimulates me intellectually (even if I’m not the one writing the code).

Games we’ve built (both internally & as part of joint-ventures) are played by millions around the world which is really awesome. The revenue is also very nice (lol).

4. Reflect on all of the key sacrifices and trade-offs you’ve had to make to get to where you are today. Which of these would you say was the most pivotal and why?

I’ll speak about one big moment for me I had in addition to more general sacrifices/tradeoffs I’ve had to make during my entrepreneurial career.

The big moment was when I liquidated my 401(k) at the time (hence incurred early withdrawal penalties) as well as liquidating the FB stock I had at the time (which I bought right at IPO).

One on hand, these investments would have been worth a nice chunk of change today had I left them alone. However, at the time, I NEEDED the cash to get through another month of payroll, so I did what I had to do. I also always felt that the biggest investment I could ever make was in myself / ventures, and I wholeheartedly believed that I would make 5-10x whatever I was sacrificing by being able to “stay alive” for a few more days/months/years.

At that moment, I felt that it was best for me to withdraw from the stock market entirely and focus on $AIM (my initials & personal stock ticker :-p) & forego any upside I had from holding those positions.

Thankfully, that worked out for me. And thanks to the hustle, I put myself in a position where I’ve been able to generate several orders of magnitude more than what I forewent, but it was very very risky & I would never recommend anyone else do that (unless you have the same mindset and skills to be able to execute).

The next set of sacrifices is around lifestyle. Randi Zuckerburg posits that you can only pick 3 out of Work, Sleep, Family, Fitness, or Friends.

My biggest lifestyle sacrifices have revolved around my lack of balance across these 5 things, particularly early on in my career. In my early 20s, I neglected sleep, fitness and focused mostly on Work, Friends, and Family. I have paid the price for the lack of focus on my fitness & sleep (in the form of random health issues here and there), and I never got to focus on my family as much as I thought I would.

My rationale was always to work hard now (i.e. be in a position to retire in my 30s), so that I could focus on everything else later.

I realized the naiveté of this approach and shifted things in my late 20s where I sought to have more balance across all five areas because the journey was just as important as the destination. I have only recently (I am now 32) been able to feel like I am making real deliberate moves to achieve more balance across these key areas.

All in all, I disagree with Ms. Zuckerburg, and I believe there is a way to achieve balance across all five areas if one is deliberate about their time.

5. What is the best piece of actionable advice you’ve received that continues to be a source of inspiration in good times and challenging times?

One of my early clients from my consulting days once told me that the most powerful I could do with my ventures, is to give myself the financial runway to figure things out because it was just a matter of time before things start to click/work and that it wasn’t an “if it works” but more of a “when it works”. That has stuck with me.

A similar piece of advice I got during my track days at Stanford (unrelated to business) was during a time we were doing a stadium steps workout.

I was struggling badly & felt like quitting the workout, and one of my good friends/teammates said “Just take one more step man. And then one more after that & you’ll get there. Don’t think of how much more we have to do. Just focus on getting through the next step.. then next set and before you know it we’ll be done.”

I’ve taken that mindset shift and applied to many things that feel insurmountable at first.

Other things I do to get me through difficult times is to recite

If by Rudyard Kipling
See it Through by Edgar A Guest

I have those two poems memorized completely and will recite them once or twice a week at any given point.

Connect with Hingeto

Mezie Avu! Elevating Higher Education Even Higher

The following post is from my e-book, The Most Interesting Thing About Investing in Africa.
***

Investment: Education in Jomeka Commercial Academy, AVU, Owerri – Elevating Higher Education

***

Chief Dan Obiyo was an early investor in Jomeka Commercial Academy. Chief Obiyo is also the CEO of AVSECO NIGERIA LIMITED. AVSECO’s mission is to eliminate all security challenges through an aggressive training development of hands and minds in the aviation workplace. Recent civil aviation experiences pose the rhetorical question of which way forward for emerging economies. Government efforts cry out to be complemented through supportive private expertise… now provided by AVSECO.

SITUATION

Avu town is located about four miles west of Owerri municipality in Imo state, Nigeria. Avu Community Secondary school, the town’s only secondary education facility was not easily affordable to most parents. The subsistence farming community was poor, requiring a more affordable alternative for the teeming applicants in Avu and environs. Professor J.O.C. Obiyo took on this challenge head-on upon his retirement after a successful career in Abuja. Jomeka Commercial Academy was established to provide primary school rejects as well as secondary school dropouts with placements in a vocational school to realize their dreams. Students whose guardians could not cope with the exorbitant fees at the public school, students who do not have the aptitude for formal education, and indigent students became the target demographic for Prof Obiyo’s vision.

For everyone everywhere, literacy is…a basic human right.
– Kofi Annan, Former UN Secretary-General

ACTION

Away from downtown Avu but within easy reach of the cluster of houses bordering the village to the north, Prof. Obiyo secured an ideal location for the academy. Registration formalities with the Ministry of Education, construction of temporary structures at site of classrooms and basic facilities to kick start the project were primarily

funded by Prof Obiyo’s retirement benefits. Notices were put up in church services to canvass for students and skilled staff. Volunteers and National Youth Service Corps members were requested to beef up the staff strength. Cash Crunch-Provision was made for students with special cases to pay their fees in several installments without interrupting studies. The vision was actualized.

RESULT

Igbo Kwenu! Mezie Avu! Twilight gradually changed to dawn for the tiny town which separates the city of Owerri from the large food producing areas of Ohaji. Education in Avu gradually became less of an effortless privilege and more of an earned right. Avu town discovered that vocational school graduates were more readily employable. The National Basic and Technical Education Board certificate gained popularity in Avu opening up a wider horizon for higher education. Knowledge is power which opens doors for greater opportunities to do even greater things.

Investment: Education in Jomeka Commercial Academy, AVU, Owerri – elevating higher education

L = 50

I = 50

C = 30

Business Idea Metric: 130

7 Igbo Proverbs To Boost Your Sales Skills

As I reflect on what inspired me to pursue a career in sales, I’m reminded of some timeless Igbo proverbs I heard growing up in the bustling streets of Owerri in Imo State, Nigeria (#IgboKwenu). Fascinating tales of gutsy protagonists, crafty villains, and crazy plot twists helped contextualize these proverbs. I remember my siblings and I listening as my late grandma swirled our imaginations and skillfully imparted wisdom in our minds. Thanks, grandma!

Below I share seven Igbo proverbs that have continued to be a source of inspiration through my sales journey. I’m still learning about each skill and improving my mastery every single day.

1. O Re-Ere Bụ Eze; O Zu-Azụ Bụ Eze – The seller is King; the buyer is King. This proverb reminds us that we earn mutual respect. As a salesperson, the best way to earn respect is to prioritize understanding your customer. When a client believes you understand them, they reciprocate with respect and trust. If a sale goes as it should, no party should feel disrespected or misunderstood, simple as that. Plus, we are both Kings, let’s act as Royals since we have empires to govern.

2. Ejighi Ụtụtụ Ama Njo Ahịa – You shouldn’t measure the success of a day by what happens in the morning alone. In essence, you have to wait until the end of an allotted timeline to evaluate your performance. Often, we may have a rough start but finish with a positive result because of our perseverance. As my father always says, you can’t be triumphant without trying. On the other hand, celebrating too early may result in disappointing defeats in the end. Nonetheless, in every defeat, there is an opportunity to learn. And for every victory, there is a strategy that works; enhance and repeat it.

3. Ahịa Ukwu Armagh Na Otu Onye Abiagh – A big market does not miss someone that is absent. Essentially, if you don’t show up, your competitor will. If you fail to delight your customer, your competitor is around the corner ready to charm and convince your clients to forget you. So, show up. Be present. And do your best.

4. Izu Ahịa Wu Ezhi Ihe Ma Ewere Egwu Chineke – There should be a higher purpose to whatever you do. #Enoughsaid.

5. Erefu Otu, Erema Ọzọ – You sell your products (or do things), one after the other. This proverb goes at the heart of effective time management. Research cautions us that multitasking doesn’t work. When someone tells you they can multitask, they are just deluding themselves. The key is to prioritize not multitask for effective time management. Luckily, here are 15 apps and tools from Lifehack to help.

6. Ahịa Oma Na-Ere Onwe Ya – A great product sells itself. You have a great product when your customers purchase without any complicated sales pitch, and then proceed to promote your goods or services without you asking. Ultimately, these clients become some of your top salespeople and rarely ask for a raise or more commission. 🙂 The reality is not many want to be sold to, but everyone loves to buy.

7. Onye Nwere Mmadụ Ka Onye Nwere Ego – A person with a robust network of people is stronger than an individual with only money. This proverb encourages us to focus on building and fostering the right relationships. As a salesperson, a robust network leads to more customers, more referrals, more luck, more happiness, more mentors, and more attractive job opportunities. Plus, money can be finite, while healthy relationships last a lifetime. Here are five ways to start building valuable relationships now.

Bonus: Akwukwo juru n’ohia, ma a baa a choba okazi – There are various leaves in the bush, but people go in to look for okazi leaves. Okazi leaf, botanically known as Gnetum Africanum, can be used in two ways – edible consumption and medicinal purposes. It is considered a wild vegetable and available all year round, which means it’s also good source of income for rural farmers. As you can see, the leaf is multi-purpose and valuable to whoever is in possession of it, from the farmer, to the local doctor, to the person (me) enjoying a delicious plate of Okazi soup. In the context of selling, when a customer has a challenge or problem they are trying to solve, they are often overwhelmed by the various choices (or leaves) in the market. The most successful salespeople partner with their customers to sift through the noise (other leaves) and help them understand how their solution (okazi leaf) is differentiated and best aligned to surpass the customer’s most critical objectives and goals.

Thanks for reading. I hope one of the above proverbs serve as a boost or refresher to your sales acumen.

Happy Selling!

A very special thanks to my father, Chief Dan Obiyo, for his contribution to this article.