Founders Unfound

Megan Graham - Ries

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 23:14:20 GMT

Megan Graham is the Founder and CEO of Ries, a new brand addressing single-use plastic waste in the beauty industry with refillable, reusable travel-size bottles designed for beauty.

Megan spent her formative years in Atlanta, where her father was an anchor for CNN. She attended Florida State University, choosing to major in Textile Science and Fashion Merchandising. Megan translated this into a career in media and fashion, ultimately helping to run beauty marketing at Vogue. Her roles over those years involved extensive travel. And it was this context that led to her insight around wasteful plastics in personal care items, particularly those used on-the-go. She would discover that 150 billion pieces of plastic are created by the beauty industry annually, and 30% of single use plastic ending up in the landfill comes from personal care and grooming products. So, as the saying goes, she thought there had to be a better way. And so Ries was born.

Megan was part of the inaugural cohort of the Sephora Accelerate. Ries has gone to be carried by Sephora and Goop, and be recognized by Glamour and Cosmopolitan magazines as one of the hottest innovations in the industry.

Megan has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Megan and Dan discussed:

The realization that she appreciated looking at fashion more than creating
The growth the comes from hard environments
How Ries ended up featured at Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop
Why success for her is defined by pushing the industry forward in sustainability
What a trend forecaster actually does

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Founders Live

the global venue for entrepreneurs to experience events, content, and community.

Check out founderslive.com to join and to find a live event near you.

Naza Shelley - CarpeDM

Sat, 19 Aug 2023 19:25:33 GMT

Naza Shelley is Founder and CEO of CarpeDM, an exclusive member-only dating community, created for singles seeking meaningful relationships with professional Black women.

Naza is the daughter of military parents, so she lived in many places growing up. She eventually settled down in Virginia for high school, and then the University of Virginia for college. From a young age, she had aspirations to become an attorney. She pursued this journey, with a law degree from Howard University. Naza says it was a year post law school teaching in China that reinforced her desire to practice. And so she did when she returned to the US. As a successful black professional woman in DC, she still found something missing.

As she explored the various online dating experiences, she became more and more frustrated: why wasn’t there anything for her specifically? And so, the idea for CarpeDM was born. Fast forward through milestones, like landing a co-founder, going through Techstars, and launching a truly unique hybrid service that is part online dating and part matchmaker service. Naza has closed an oversubscribed pre-seed round, gaining her membership into the group of black women founders who’ve raised over $1M in venture capital.

Naza has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Naza and Dan discussed:

Growing up in a military family
The impact of spending a year in China after law school
How dozens of dates in a year left her exhausted, with no real connections
The power of 'friends and family' signals
Why $86,000 was the right amount for her first fundraise

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

BLCK VC

A focused community built for and by black investors.

If you ever thought about getting into Venture, you definitely want to connect up at blackvc.com or

follow @BLCKVC for more about their exceptional programs and events.

Juneteenth 2023: Flashback 2020 part 2 - Black Women Founders

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 13:05:19 GMT

JUNETEENTH 2023 - Part II

In honor of Juneteenth and the 3rd anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, we thought we’d do something a little different this month. Back in June 2020, we did two episodes with black men and black women founders, capturing their raw thoughts, emotions, and insights at the time. These were two of our most popular episodes of all time. And the sentiments shared, and vulnerability shared are as powerful today as they were then.

This is part two, where we were honored to have Dr. Ivor Horn step in as guest host, moderating a panel of black women founders:

Helen Adeosun, Stella Ashaolu, Cherae Robinson, and Ashlee Wisdom

In some ways, that time in 2020 was a catalyst for progress. Unfortunately, though - with an extended pandemic, a tough economy, and frankly the passage of time – we have not seen enough continued focus, and a loss of priority. One thing that history teaches us…its that where society’s gaze lands, progress and achievement follow. The founders from these episodes certainly show a representative slice of the founder journey. Some have startups that are prospering with investment capital. Some have pivoted. And some have sunset. But all of these founders are still wise and fierce leaders today.

Take time to ponder on what you hear...

In this throwback episode from June 2020, we discussed:

How it feels to be a black woman in America
Moving between exhausted and determined
Honoring the moment: with voice, intention, and self-care
The desire to reach back and lift up
How office hours are a poor substitute for a check

Audience References:

Follow Founders Unfound : Like and share - help us grow.

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Juneteenth 2023: Flashback 2020 Part 1 - Black Men Founders

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 13:01:17 GMT

JUNETEENTH 2023 - Part I

This is part I, with me moderating a panel of black men founders: Kahlil Ashanti, Bara Cola, AK Ikwuakor, and Claudius Mbemba.

In some ways, that time in 2020 was a catalyst for progress. Unfortunately though - with an extended pandemic, a tough economy, and frankly the passage of time – we have not seen enough continued focus, and a loss of priority. One thing that history teaches us…its that where society’s gaze lands, progress and achievement follow. The founders from these episodes certainly show a representative slice of the founder journey. Some have startups that are prospering with investment capital. Some have pivoted. And some have sunset. But all of these founders remain wise and fierce.

Take time to ponder on what you hear...

In this throwback episode from June 2020, we discussed:

How it feels to be a black man in America (June 2020)
What it's like to be a black entrepreneur in the midst of two American crises
What steps are they taking, in light of the protests, George Floyd, and their own mental health
Recommendations for others, including allies

Audience References:

Follow Founders Unfound : Like and share - help us grow.

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kofi Gyekye - Lane

Fri, 26 May 2023 15:25:58 GMT

Kofi Gyekye is a serial entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Lane, the world's largest and most innovative workplace experience platform, connecting 300+ properties across 22 cities and 8 countries.

We are trying something a little different with this episode. Kofi along with his cofounder Clinton, has actually built and sold Lane, so not really still unfound.

But he was so interesting and the journey so compelling, I couldn’t resist sitting down with him as a guest.

Kofi grew up in Europe with African parents. He was good at school and realized that he loved the dual pursuit of creativity and analysis - the perfect foundations for his journey as product visionary. A serendipitous meeting at university party, resulted in Kofi’s partnership with his co-founder Clinton across 3 separate ventures. It was when Kofi was considering an RFP for a marketing campaign, for office buildings, that he decided to do something he had never done before in his career – see what’s like to work in a office. So, he spent a day exploring and observing at big skyscraper office. The epiphany hit him: why can’t the office environment be as convenient and seamless as home. And so Lane was born.

In the whirlwind that followed, the company did Techstars, grew from 10 to 200 people, landed clients all over the world, and then in late 2021, sold for $200M to unicorn Proptech company VTS.

Kofi has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Kofi and Dan discussed:

Growing up as an African in Italy
How the combination of analytical and creative make him great at product
The evolution of fulfillment and its connection to impact
The journey of selling your company
The future of work, and oh the way, real estate

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

AfriBlocks

The global pan-African freelance marketplace and collaboration platform.

More at afriblocks.com

Melissa Brogdon - FourthParty

Fri, 28 Apr 2023 15:00:52 GMT

Melissa Brogdon is Co-Founder and CEO of FourthParty, a justice technology company that increases access to mediation services so that people can resolve legal conflicts outside of court.

Proud to hail from Oakland, Melissa was raised by an incredible role model - her great grandmother. Despite opportunities to stay local for college at Berkeley, she followed the urging of a mentor and went to Spelman, a premier HBCU in Atlanta. Emerging from undergrad with confidence and curiosity, Melissa was initially a teacher, but ultimately pursued a successful career in the nonprofit sector. But then came the opportunity to work with her partner and husband to build his law practice. It was there that Melissa saw firsthand the impact of mediation, AND the clear needs mediators had. And so FourthParty was born.

Melissa has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Melissa and Dan discussed:

Growing up in Oakland
Her journey from teaching to philanthropy to entrepreneurship
How the pandemic drove an explosion in the need for mediation
When she found out she was part of the first Google for Startups class
Why "first" isn't always best

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Founders Live

the global venue for entrepreneurs to experience events, content, and community.

Check out founderslive.com to join and to find a live event near you.

Chiko Chingaya - Talisman

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 23:44:43 GMT

Chiko Chingaya, Co-Founder and CEO of Talisman, a company building the next generation of software management, offering companies a centralized overview of all their software and SaaS.

Born in post-colonial Zimbabwe, Chiko moved to the US when he was 7, growing up in and around Dallas. With parents always working, Chiko developed a sense of independence, pursuing early passions for writing and the arts. He entered college under the premise that he would pursue law potentially, But, a trip to his homeland midway through undergrad left him humbled and determined. What followed was a masterclass of career stints - product, marketing, sales, and client success. Then one evening, watching Shark tank with a glass on wine in hand, he had the epiphany that would become Talisman. Keep listening to hear how it happened.

Chiko and Talisman have a great story.

In this episode Chiko and Dan discussed:

What changed when he moved from Zimbabwe to the US
How a $500 trip to Costco landed Talisman its first investors
Is it me or is it my business? The black founder inner question
The power of relationships and your network
Why everyone should learn to code

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

AfriBlocks

The global pan-African freelance marketplace and collaboration platform.

More at afriblocks.com

Donald Boone - BoxedUp

Fri, 17 Mar 2023 22:35:30 GMT

Donald T Boone, Founder and CEO of BoxedUp, a B2B equipment rental marketplace, similar to the Airbnb for camera gear.

Growing up in Maryland, Donald came from humble beginnings and followed his older brother in pursuit of an engineering degree at the HBCU North Carolina A&T. Donald had distinguished roles at companies like Exxon and Amazon. But as a 3-time founder, the call of entrepreneurship has always been loud in his ear. And talk about conviction. He has borrowed against his 401k for a previous startup and taught himself how to code from scratch. And get this, in the middle of the pandemic, with an incredible compensation in Amazon in hand, he decided to take BoxedUp’s early insights and traction, quit his job and set out to make his company the success he knew it could be.

Donald has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Donald and Dan discussed:

Growing up in Maryland
How following his brother led to an HBCU education
The stark reality of giving up Amazon-level comp to be a founder
How COVID 19 changed his business almost instantly

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Entrepreneur Struggle

A compelling podcast with host Chris Colbert from DCP Entertainment.

Listen anywhere you get podcasts or go to dcpofficial.com/entrepreneurstruggle

February Flashback Clips: Kistein Monkhouse

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 16:05:10 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Kistein Monkhouse is Founder and CEO of Patient Orator, a startup that improves healthcare access and breaks down health inequities through an easy-to-use app.

Original Episode: No.16, July 2020

foundersunfound.com/patient-orator-founder-profile-podcast

MORE ON KISTEIN AND PATIENT ORATOR

Kistein:

@KisteinM

linkedin.com/in/kisteinmonk45/

vimeo.com/ondemand/humanizinghealthcare

Patient Orator:

patientorator.com

linkedin.com/company/patientorator/

twitter.com/PatientOrator

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

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February Flashback Clips: Wole Ayodele

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 16:05:51 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Wole Ayodele is Co-Founder and CEO of Fincra (formerly Fliqpay), a startup that makes it easy for fintech firms, platforms and global businesses to accept local and international payments through an easy-to-integrate API and merchant portal.

Original Episode: No.14, June 2020

foundersunfound.com/fliqpay-founder-profile-podcast

MORE ON WOLE AND FINCRA

Wole:

twitter.com/AyowoleOA

linkedin.com/in/woleayodele/

Fliqpay Pitch on Techstars Demo Day

Fincra:

fincra.com

linkedin.com/company/fincrahq

twitter.com/FincraHQ

instagram.com/fincrahq

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

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February Flashback Clips: Roger Roman

Sun, 26 Feb 2023 16:05:07 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Roger Roman, Co-Founder of AfriBlocks, the global Pan-African freelance marketplace and collaboration platform. They are building THE resource for devs, designers, and virtual assistants.

Original Episode: No.39, July 2021

foundersunfound.com/afriblocks-black-founder-profile-podcast

MORE ON ROGER AND AFRIBLOCKS

Roger:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogerroman/

https://twitter.com/RogerLRomanII

AfriBlocks:

https://www.afriblocks.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/afriblocks/

https://twitter.com/afriblocks

https://www.instagram.com/afriblocks/

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

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February Flashback Clips: Patrice Darby Neely

Sat, 25 Feb 2023 16:05:16 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Patrice Darby Neely is Founder and CEO of GoTackle, the first automated consulting and data analytics platform for small business owners and the vast network of small business supporters.

Original Episode: No.40, August 2021

foundersunfound.com/gologic-black-founder-profile-podcast

MORE ON PATRICE AND GOTACKLE

Patrice:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrice-darby-neely

GoTackle:

gotackle.app

linkedin.com/company/join-tackle/about

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

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February Flashback Clips: Kirt Debique

Fri, 24 Feb 2023 16:05:22 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Kirt Debique is the Co-Founder and CEO of SyncFloor, a company revolutionizing discovery and acquisition of music for productions of all types – from advertising to podcasting, filmmaking to fitness, TV to eSports.

Original Episode: No.22, November 2020

foundersunfound.com/syncfloor-founder-profile-podcast

MORE ON KIRT AND SYNCFLOOR

Kirt:

linkedin.com/in/kirtdebique/

twitter.com/katewayo

twitter.com/BrickLaneRecs

instagram.com/katewayo/

SyncFloor:

songsforpodcasters.com

syncfloor.com

linkedin.com/company/syncfloor/

twitter.com/SyncFloor

instagram.com/syncfloor/

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

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February Flashback Clips: Evan Leaphart

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 16:05:22 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Evan Leaphart is the Founder and CEO of Kiddie Kredit, a mobile chore tracking app that teaches kids about credit.

Original Episode: No.29, March 2021

foundersunfound.com/kiddie-kredit-black-founder-profile-podcast

MORE ON EVAN AND KIDDIE KREDIT

Evan:

linkedin.com/in/evanleaphart/

twitter.com/evanleaphart

instagram.com/evanleaphart/

blackmentalktech.com

Kiddie Kredit

kiddiekredit.com

twitter.com/kiddiekredit

instagram.com/KiddieKredit/

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

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February Flashback Clip: Amira Rasool

Wed, 22 Feb 2023 16:05:31 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Amira Rasool is the Founder and CEO of The Folklore, a conglomerate of B2B, consumer, and media products that enable the global ecosystem to seamlessly discover, connect with, and shop African and diasporic designer brands.

Original Episode: No.33, May 2021

foundersunfound.com/the-folklore-black-founder-profile-podcast

MORE ON AMIRA AND THE FOLKLORE

Amira:

instagram.com/amirarasool

twitter.com/amirarasool

linkedin.com/in/amira-rasool-52359855

The Folklore:

instagram.com/TheFolklore

twitter.com/TheFolklore

linkedin.com/company/the-folklore

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February Flashback Clips: Kwame Boler

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 16:05:38 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Kwame Boler is Co-Founder and CEO of Spritz (formerly Neu), an app that helps house cleaners automate and grow their business.

Original Episode: No.2, April 2019

foundersunfound.com/coming-soon-neu-founder-profile-podcast

MORE ON KWAME AND SPRITZ

KWAME:

linkedin.com/in/kwameboler

twitter.com/KwameBoler

instagram.com/kwameboler

Spritz (Neu):

usespritz.com

linkedin.com/company/usespritz

twitter.com/useSpritz

instagram.com/usespritz

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February Flashback Clips: Cheraé Robinson

Mon, 20 Feb 2023 16:05:13 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Cheraé Robison is Founder and CEO Tastemakers Africa, a company that connects black millennials to culture forward experiences.

Cheraé is also the Head of Community for Flybridge Capital Partners

Original Episode: No.11, April 2020

foundersunfound.com/tastemakers-africa-founder-profile-podcast

MORE ON CHERAÉ

twitter.com/sasyrae

linkedin.com/in/cheraerobinson/

instagram.com/sasyrae/

flybridge.com/cherae-robinson

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

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February Flashback Clips: Serge Amouzou

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 18:13:13 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Serge Amouzou is Founder and CEO of Datatrixs (formerly Finmod), a startup building the best data-capture and analytical reviews software for accounting firms, financial institutions, and beyond.

Original Episode: No.45, November 2021

foundersunfound.com/finmod-black-founder-profile-podcast

MORE ON SERGE AND DATATRIXS

Serge:

linkedin.com/in/serge-amouzou-65b76841

twitter.com/sergeamouzou

instagram.com/amouzou.serge

Datatrixs (Finmod):

datatrixs.com

linkedin.com/company/datatrixs

twitter.com/datatrixs

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

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February Flashback Clips: Melanie Akwule

Sat, 18 Feb 2023 17:56:19 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Melanie Akwule is Founder and CEO of MINWO, an economic development tech company that helps organizations provide culturally informed business development support to the Black founders they serve.

Original Episode: No.37, July 2021

foundersunfound.com/minwo-black-founder-profile-podcast

MORE ON MELANIE AND WINWO

MELANIE:

linkedin.com/in/melakwule

twitter.com/mel_anuchi

instagram.com/mel_anuchi

MINWO:

minwo.co

linkedin.com/company/minwo

twitter.com/minwo_co

instagram.com/minwo.co

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

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February Flashback Clips: Baratunde Cola

Fri, 17 Feb 2023 19:39:08 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Baratunde Cola is Founder and CEO of Carbice, a company revolutionizing thermal cooling for the global electronics market.

Original Episode: No.4, September 2019

foundersunfound.com/carbice-founder-profile-podcast

MORE ON BARATUNDE AND CARBICE

Baratunde:

linkedin.com/in/baratundecola

twitter.com/baratundecola

Carbice:

carbice.com

twitter.com/carbice

linkedin.com/company/carbice

https://youtu.be/m7jCPyNzF4Q

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

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February Flashback Clips: Ashlee Ammons

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 16:01:57 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Ashlee Ammons is the Co-Founder of Mixtroz, a company that creates serendipity at live and virtual events using real-time surveying along with their unique algorithm.

Original Episode: No.30, April 2021

foundersunfound.com/mixtroz-black-founder-profile-podcast

MORE ON ASHLEE AND MIXTROZ

Ashlee:

linkedin.com/in/ashleeanneammons

instagram.com/shemixalot87

Mixtroz:

mixtroz.com

twitter.com/Mixtroz

instagram.com/mixtroz

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

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February Flashback Clips: Kevin Dedner

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 00:37:36 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Kevin Dedner is Co-Founder and CEO Hurdle (formerly Henry Health), a platform that provides culturally sensitive self-care and mental health services.

Original Episode: No.10, April 2020

https://foundersunfound.com/henry-health-founder-profile-podcast/

MORE ON KEVIN AND HURDLE

KEVIN:

https://twitter.com/kdedner

linkedin.com/in/kevin-dedner-mph-

HxD Conference Video

HURDLE:

hurdle.health

twitter.com/hurdle_app

linkedin.com/company/hurdleapp

instagram.com/hurdle.app

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February Flashback Clips: Dr. Sonja Ebron

Tue, 14 Feb 2023 16:05:32 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Dr. Sonja Ebron is Co-founder and CEO of Courtroom5, a company that makes an automated legal toolbox that helps people represent themselves in court.

Original Episode: No.34, June 2021

https://foundersunfound.com/courtroom5-black-founder-profile-podcast/

MORE ON SONJA AND COURTROOM5

Sonja:

linkedin.com/in/sonjaebron

twitter.com/SonjaEbron

Courtroom5:

courtroom5.com

instagram.com/courtroom5legal

twitter.com/courtroom5legal

linkedin.com/company/courtroom5

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February Flashback Clips: Wemimo Abbey

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 16:05:25 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Wemimo Abbey is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Esusu, the leading financial technology platform that leverages data solutions to empower tenants and improve property performance.

Original Episode: No.23, November 2020

https://foundersunfound.com/esusu-founder-profile-podcast/

MORE ON WEMIMO AND ESUSU

WEMIMO:

linkedin.com/in/wemimo-abbey-62382a2a/

ESUSU:

esusurent.com

esusurentrelief.com

linkedin.com/company/esusu/

twitter.com/getesusu

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

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February Flashback Clips: Tiffany Kelly

Sun, 12 Feb 2023 18:54:40 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Tiffany Kelly is Founder and CEO of Curastory, a company that allows anyone to shoot and edit high-quality video, monetize shows, and distribute to all of their video channels, 100% free.

Original Episode: No.17, August 2020

https://foundersunfound.com/curastory-founder-profile-podcast/

MORE ON TIFFANY AND CURASTORY

TIFFANY:

twitter.com/tiffmkell

instagram.com/tiffmkell/

linkedin.com/in/tiffmkell

CURASTORY:

curastory.co

twitter.com/curastoryus

instagram.com/curastory/

linkedin.com/company/curastory/

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February Flashback Clips: Khalid David

Sat, 11 Feb 2023 21:48:20 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Khalid David is Founder and CEO of TracFlo, a company with a predictive financial management platform that is empowering America’s contractors.

Original Episode: No.41, August 2021

https://foundersunfound.com/tracflo-black-founder-profile-podcast/

MORE ON KHALID AND TRACFLO

Khalid:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/khalid-david-34a55824/

https://www.twitter.com/kdpegasus

https://www.instagram.com/kdpegasus

TracFlo:

https://tracfloapp.com

https://republic.co/tracflo

https://www.linkedin.com/company/tracflo

https://www.instagram.com/tracfloapp

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February Flashback Clips: Stella Ashaolu

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 17:00:08 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Stella Ashaolu is Founder and CEO of WeSolv, a company using performance data and predictive analytics to help companies reduce bias and hire a more diverse workforce.

Original Episode: No.1, April 2019

https://foundersunfound.com/stella_ashaolu_wesolv_diversity/

MORE ON STELLA AND WESOLV

Stella:

linkedin.com/in/stellaashaolu

twitter.com/StellaAshaolu

WeSolv:

WeSolv.com

Twitter

Medium

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February Flashback Clips: Marcus Bullock

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 16:05:41 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Marcus Bullock is Founder and CEO of Flikshop, a company which helps families stay connected to their incarcerated loved ones.

Original Episode: No.12, May 2020

https://foundersunfound.com/flikshop-founder-profile-podcast/

MORE ON MARCUS AND FLIKSHOP

MARCUS:

twitter.com/_marcus_bullock

Marcus TED talk

FLIKSHOP:

flikshop.com

twitter.com/flikshop

linkedin.com/in/flikshop/

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February Flashback Clips: Shanel Fields

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 16:32:13 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Shanel Fields is Founder and CEO of MD Ally, a platform that allows emergency personnel to triage non-emergency callers to telemedicine.

Original Episode: No.13, May 2020

https://foundersunfound.com/mdally-founder-profile-podcast/

MORE ON SHANEL AND MD ALLY

SHANEL:

linkedin.com/in/shanelfields/

New York Times feature

MD ALLY:

mdally.com

twitter.com/mdallyinc

linkedin.com/company/mdally/

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February Flashback Clips: Su Sanni

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 18:02:45 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Su Sanni is Co-Founder and CEO of Dollaride, a mobility company for communities under-served by public transit.

Original Episode: No.18, August 2020

https://foundersunfound.com/dollaride-founder-profile-podcast/

MORE ON SU AND DOLLARIDE

SU:

@TheSuSanni [TW]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sulaimansanni/

Startup Grind Fireside Chat

DOLLARIDE:

@Dollaride [TW]

@Dollaride [IG]

https://www.linkedin.com/company/dollaride/

https://republic.co/dollaride

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February Flashback Clips: Kameale Terry

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 16:01:05 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Kameale Terry is Co-Founder and CEO of ChargerHelp!, a company that enables on-demand repair of electric vehicle charging stations, a company that helps individuals coming out of code schools, land incredible jobs.

Original Episode: No.15, July 2020

https://foundersunfound.com/chargerhelp-founder-profile-podcast/

MORE ON KAMEALE AND CHARGERHELP!

KAMEALE:

@KamealeC

linkedin.com/in/kamealecterry

CHARGERHELP!:

chargerhelp.com

@ChargerHelp

linkedin.com/company/chargerhelp

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February Flashback Clips: Stephen Ajayi

Sun, 05 Feb 2023 17:05:30 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Stephen Ajayi is the Co-Founder and CEO of YearOne, a company that helps individuals coming out of code schools, land incredible jobs. But getting jobs for Bootcamp grads is not all they do.

Original Episode: No.32, May 2021

https://foundersunfound.com/yearone-black-founder-profile-podcast/

MORE ON STEPHEN AND YEARONE

Stephen:

linkedin.com/in/stephenkajayi

twitter.com/stephenkajayi

YearOne:

joinyearone.io

linkedin.com/company/yearonecareers/about/

twitter.com/YearOnecareers

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February Flashback Clips: Ezinne Iroanya-Adeoye

Sat, 04 Feb 2023 16:59:05 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Ezinne Iroanya-Adeoye is the Founder and CEO of SKNMUSE, the premium beauty brand dedicated to elevating the beauty experience for the modern black woman.

Original Episode: No.35, June 2021

https://foundersunfound.com/sknmuse-black-founder-profile-podcast/

MORE ON EZINNE AND SKNMUSE

Ezinne:

twitter.com/ZMuse_

linkedin.com/in/ezinne-iroanya-adeoye-567a6515b/

instagram.com/avenue_z/

SKNMUSE:

sknmuse.com

instagram.com/sknmuse/

twitter.com/sknmuse

linkedin.com/company/sknmuse/

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February Flashback Clips: Kahlil Ashanti

Fri, 03 Feb 2023 19:52:45 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Kahlil Ashanti is the founder and CEO of weshowup, a company that brings the concept of "pay what you want" to entertainment and events. Kahlil has since gone on to also found Mantis XR,

a company that creates 3D fan engagement and commerce experiences for the metaverse accessible by URL from any device. No wearables, downloads or extra equipment required!

Original Episode: No.8, March 2020

foundersunfound.com/weshowup-founder-profile-podcast

MORE ON KAHLIL AND WESHOWUP

Kahlil:

twitter.com/kahlilashanti

kahlilashanti.com

TED talk

weshowup:

weshowup.io

Mantis XR (his new company):

mantisxr.com

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February Flashback Clips: Jim Gibbs

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 18:04:04 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Jim Gibbs is Co-founder and CEO of MeterFeeder, a company that predicts parking availability, and enables vehicles to pay for parking with no human interaction.

Original Episode: #20, October 2020

foundersunfound.com/meterfeeder-founder-profile-podcast

MORE ON JIM AND METERFEEDER

JIM:

twitter.com/heezo

linkedin.com/in/james-gibbs-4ab8/

METERFEEDER:

meterfeeder.com

twitter.com/meterfeeder

instagram.com/meterfeederapp

linkedin.com/company/meter-feeder-inc

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February Flashback Clips: Ashlee Wisdom

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 19:32:51 GMT

For the month of February, we are publishing flashback clips from some of our wonderful past episodes. Please a take some time to enjoy (again) the full episodes from these founders.

Season 4 of Founders Unfound starts in March!

Ashlee Wisdom is the Founder and CEO of Health in Her HUE, a digital platform connecting black women to culturally competent healthcare providers, health content, and community.

Original Episode: #28, March 2021

foundersunfound.com/healthinherhue-black-founder-profile-podcast/

MORE ON ASHLEE AND HEALTH IN HER HUE

Ashlee:

linkedin.com/in/ashlee-wisdom-mph-7114a040/

twitter.com/AshleeWisdom

instagram.com/ashleejwisdom/

Health in Her HUE:

healthinherhue.com

twitter.com/HealthInHerHUE

instagram.com/healthinherhue/

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bhm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anthony Gantt Jr - atease

Fri, 16 Dec 2022 18:59:58 GMT

Anthony Gantt is Founder and CEO of atease, a company that qualifies and lists temporary lodging rental inventory which enables per diem government travelers to stay in accommodation types beyond hotels.

Anthony grew up in Miami, in a large family with modest means. He had gifts for math, STEM, and athletics. When he got to Florida A&M University, he was quickly hit with the sticker shock of college expenses, even at public HBCU like A&M. Urgency for solutions led him to take up the suggestion of the military as a way to subsidize his college experience.

What followed is a 22+ year distinguished career in the United States Marine Corp. Thank you so much for your service Anthony!

It was during his military tenure that he discovered that a number of the lodging options you and I now take for granted, weren’t allowed for those working in the various areas of the US government. As a father of six, he realized that small hotel rooms don’t meet the need when called to move across the country for a new assignment. And so, atease was born.

Anthony has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Anthony and Dan discussed:

Growing up in Miami and attending an HBCU
How he tried to enlist in two other branches before landing in the Marines
Why he thinks it's hard for civilian companies to appreciate veterans' experience
How his military experience and training prepared him for entrepreneurship
What he has in common with Jeff Bezos

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Entrepreneur Struggle

A compelling podcast with host Chris Colbert from DCP Entertainment.

Listen anywhere you get podcasts or go to dcpofficial.com/entrepreneurstruggle

Chantal Emmanuel - LimeLoop

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 14:30:02 GMT

Chantal Emmanuel is Co-Founder and CTO of LimeLoop, a company that is delivering a world without waste with their reusable smart packaging.

Chantal grew up in Queens, in a neighborhood without many people of color, but with a strong sense of her Caribbean heritage, surrounded by a large extended family. She brought a calling to serve with her after college, leading to work in AmeriCorps, but it was her analytical and logic-driven intellect that soon brought her to data, and software.

With a pivot through coding bootcamp and relocation to the Bay Area, Chantall found herself working for Red Clay Design, a company developing software to bring together industrial designers and retail companies. It was at Red Clay that Chantal would come across both the core idea for Lime Loop, and her co-founder Ashley. This would lead to the start of her founder journey years later.

Chantal has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Chantal and Dan discussed:

Growing up with a supportive, big family
Going from AmeriCorps to software development
How she joined the small club of black women who've raised $1M
The inefficiencies and cautions of how we ship today
What wakes her up at 2am

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Entrepreneur Struggle

A compelling podcast with host Chris Colbert from DCP Entertainment.

Listen anywhere you get podcasts or go to dcpofficial.com/entrepreneurstruggle

Oluwasoga Oni - MDaaS Global

Sat, 27 Aug 2022 01:45:29 GMT

Oluwasoga Oni is Co-Founder and CEO of MDaaS Global, a company that is building Africa's largest network of physical and virtual diagnostic and primary care facilities, ultimately to provide quality and affordable healthcare for the continent's next billion.

Soga, as he’s known, grew up in a rural town in Nigeria, surrounded by a family of doctors and medical professionals. And while he didn’t have the calling himself, he saw firsthand the gaps and challenges faced by providers. His love of tinkering and problem solving led him to software development and work in the US. But it was his time at MIT where he was challenged by one of his professors: come up with a business that will impact a billion people. And so MDaaS was born.

Since inception the company has pivoted from a medical equipment supplier to a full stack of diagnostic and testing centers, where MDaaS focuses on patient experience on site, and prevention and wellness when patients are at home and on the go. The company is backed by the likes of Techstars, Google for Startups, and the Jack Ma foundation.

Soga has a great story. You will want to listen in.

In this episode Soga and Dan discussed:

Seeing medical care's challenges from his dad's doctor office
Adjusting to life and college in the US from Nigeria
Why African healthcare has nowhere to go but up
Life as husband-wife co-founder team
Reading signals - from investors and customers

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

The Plug

Delivering clear analysis and powerful insights on what's shaping the Black innovation economy.

Get your annual subscription to The Plug at tpinsights.com

MORE on SOGA and MDAAS

Soga:

linkedin.com/in/oluwasoga

twitter.com/sogatemi

typeshare.co/ogasoga

MDaaS:

mdaas.io

twitter.com/mdaasglobal

linkedin.com/company/mdaas

instagram.com/sentinelx.io

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #healthtech #nigeriastartups

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rod Johnson - BLK & Bold

Fri, 15 Jul 2022 12:15:31 GMT

Rod Johson is Co-Founder of BLK & Bold, the preeminent black-owned coffee company in America. Black & Bold was founded with the desire to unite coffee and tea lovers worldwide through a common interest of investing in community.

Rod grew up in the working-class city of Gary Indiana and eventually went on to Indiana University and a career in development and giving. But he soon developed a restlessness that only business ownership could fix. Along with lifelong friend Pernell, Rod set out to find their entrepreneurial calling, one that could match purpose with profit.

And so BLK & Bold was born in 2018. Since then, Rod and Pernell have grown BLK & Bold into a national brand carried by the likes of Target and Whole Foods. They have a rare licensing deal with the NBA and have been celebrated by Dwanye Wade on the Ellen show. All this, completely bootstrapped from their headquarters in Des Moines Iowa.

Rod has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Rod and Dan discussed:

Growing up in Gary and the Midwest
How a basketball hoop brought Rod and his Co-Founder together
Why starting a business built on giving back is so important
How the fire department was a part their early product development
Tradeoffs when doing a start up with a 'day job'

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

AfriBlocks

The global pan-African freelance marketplace and collaboration platform.

Tell them "Dan sent you" for 10% off your first order. More at afriblocks.com

MORE on ROD and BLK & BOLD

Rod:

linkedin.com/in/johnsonrod2342/

BLK & Bold:

blkandbold.com

instagram.com/blkandbold

linkedin.com/company/blkandbold

twitter.com/BlkandBold

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #blackowned #coffee

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy 3rd Anniversary Founders Unfound!

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 19:46:54 GMT

SPECIAL EPISODE! OUR 3RD ANNIVERSARY 🎉🎆

What an amazing three years!

Since we started in 2019, we’ve had 50 episodes interviewing 50 founders from 48 companies. As of mid-2022, our guests employ close to 500, and have collectively raised over $213M in outside funding. Incredible when you think about the challenges in fundraising that have faced all entrepreneurs, especially founders of color.

They would make a pretty great portfolio!

To celebrate our anniversary, we decided to go back to the beginning, 2019, and catch up with the 5 founders we had on the show that first year:

Stella Ashaolu of Wesolv, Kwame Boler of Neu (Spritz), Ikechi Nwabusi of TRiBL, Bara Cola of Carbice and Coack AK Ikwuakor from E-LETE Styles

I wanted to find out what the world of 2022 looked like compared to 2019, from their eyes.

Thanks to Stella, Kwame, Bara, Ikechi and Coach AK for catching us up and reflecting on their journeys.

Make sure to listen in.

In this episode:

We review the last three year and where our past guests are collectively
Updates from the 5 guest founders who first came on the show in 2019
Insights from our 2019 guests on being a black founder in 2022 vs 2019

EPISODE GUESTS

Stella Ashaolu:

linkedin.com/in/stellaashaolu

twitter.com/StellaAshaolu

wesolv.com/

Kwame Boler:

linkedin.com/in/kwameboler

twitter.com/useSpritz

usespritz.com

Bara Cola:

linkedin.com/in/baratundecola/

twitter.com/baratundecola

carbice.com

AK Ikwuakor:

linkedin.com/in/akikwuakor

instagram.com/ak.ikwuakor

sociatap.com/coachak

Ikechi Nwabuisi:

linkedin.com/in/ikechi-nwabuisi

twitter.com/buisi_x

jointribl.com

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Francisco Baptista - TeamSportz

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 13:01:35 GMT

Francisco Baptista is Founder and CEO of TeamSportz, a company building an AI sports platform to help team athletes enhance their performance.

Francisco was born in Angola, growing during a period of civil war in that country. He used basketball as an escape from this harsh environment, first by watching his mother play, and then finding sanctuary on the courts himself. Francisco moved to Brazil for his teenage years, then to Portugal, and finally now in the UK. All the while pursuing his dual passions for hoops and software development. It’s the meeting of these two loves where TeamSportz, with a zed as they say, was born. The company now boasts notable investors including Mark Gainey, co-founder of Strava and Rand Fishkin of Moz fame.

Francisco has a great story. You will want to listen in.

In this episode Francisco and Dan discussed:

growing up in war and in different countries
how his upbringing matured him past his contemporaries while in school
how Portuguese differs from Angola, to Brazil, to Portugal
how asking for advice, led to an investor, and another, and another...
playing university-level basketball as a teen, by "being Francisco Sr"

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Founders Live

the global venue for entrepreneurs to experience events, content, and community.

Check out founderslive.com to join and to find a live event near you.

MORE on FRANCISCO and TEAMSPORTZ

Francisco:

twitter.com/tomboa

linkedin.com/in/baptistafrancisco

TeamSportz:

teamsportz.pro

linkedin.com/company/teamsportz

twitter.com/teamsportz_

instagram.com/teamsportz

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #sportstech

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keara Kindelynn - Foreverly

Fri, 20 May 2022 12:30:26 GMT

Keara Kindelynn is Founder and CEO of Foreverly, a company with a mission to make dealing with death--a little less stressful. Foreverly helps organizations support their employees who have experienced the death of a loved one.

Kera was born to a family with deep roots to her hometown of Brooklyn. She emerged from college and business school, climbing the corporate ladder. Leading all the way to Seattle and Microsoft. But it was her calling to volunteering and service that led her to the world of hospice, end of life, and the underserved season of bereavement. Kera saw that the death of a loved one is an unguided, stressful, and lonely experience - for those grieving and for those who want to support them. It’s from this transformative understanding that Foreverly was born. We spoke with Kera recently just after finishing the Techstars program.

Keara has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Keara and Dan discussed:

growing up in Brooklyn
parents who supported continuous curiosity
being mind-blown by her first experience with affluent black America
the "tragedies in 3's" that spurred on starting Foreverly
pivoting from selling service to customers, to a benefit for companies

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Trajectory: Startup - Ideation to Product/Market Fit

A new book by entrepreneur and investor Dave Parker.

This hot-off-the-presses publication is THE playbook for those at the earliest stages of the startup journey.

Or even if you are just contemplating the jump to entrepreneurship. To get this great resource, go to dkparker.com or find anywhere you buy books.

MORE on KEARA and FOREVERLY

Keara:

linkedin.com/in/kearakindelynn

instagram.com/kearakindelynn

Foreverly:

foreverly.co

linkedin.com/company/foreverlyco

twitter.com/foreverlyco

instagram.com/foreverlyco

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bereavement

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sabrina Williams - SEED

Fri, 06 May 2022 18:07:24 GMT

Sabrina Williams is Founder and CEO of SEED, a company that helps consumers and underserved farmers grow smart and feed more by democratizing access to agriculture technology.

Sabrina is a native Californian, born and raised in Compton. Her curiosity and passions led her to pursuits in architecture, law, and urban planning. Through her non-profit, she dedicated herself to social justice challenges in urban communities. It was in this arena that Sabrina discovered the core issue that would lead to SEED: food insecurity amongst the most vulnerable, lower income populations. Now her company is bringing together technology, climate policy, and food equity to create more and better access to growing.

Sabrina has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Sabrina and Dan discussed:

the journey from architecture to law to urban planning
how SEED started as a big idea and morphed into a huge one
the link from food equity and social justice
the connection between Elvis, Karl Marx, and the Blues
balancing the startup life by playing in a ska band

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

The Plug

Delivering clear analysis and powerful insights on what's shaping the Black innovation economy.

Get your annual subscription to The Plug at tpinsights.com

MORE on SABRINA and SEED

Sabrina:

linkedin.com/in/sabrina-l-williams

twitter.com/SabWill

instagram.com/sabwilll

SEED:

seedbox.systems

linkedin.com/company/seed-sustainable-entrepreneurial-ecosystem-development

twitter.com/seedboxsystems

instagram.com/seedbox.systems

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #agritech

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sean Bovell - Invidica

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 14:01:13 GMT

Sean Bovell is Founder and CEO of Invidica, a company building a marketplace platform that is transforming the reseller economy one product at a time.

Sean has an amazing background. Born in the UK, raised in predominantly white communities in Utah and Idaho, before landing in Oakland for his formative year. A natural at math and STEM, Sean has been drawn to tech from an early age. He built his first ecommerce company from the ground up, alternately celebrating and struggling with the highs and lows of rules and technology that seem to change constantly. But it was through this bootcamp of sorts that Sean zeroed in on the key insights that would lead to the creation of Invidica. With funding from 500 Startups, and comparisons to the likes of Aliba and eBay, it’s no wonder he has many investors filling up his inbox these days.

Sean has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Sean and Dan discussed:

realities of being one of the few black kids in a white school
the spark of his entrepreneur ambition in college
starting his first ecommerce company from his bedroom
a lucky encounter with a mentor from 500 startups
how ecommerce today is broken, and why he wants to fix it

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

AfriBlocks

The global pan-African freelance marketplace and collaboration platform.

Tell them "Dan sent you" for 10% off your first order. More at afriblocks.com

MORE on SEAN and INVIDICA

Sean:

linkedin.com/in/sean-bovell-22094880

twitter.com/collatzconject

Invidica:

invidica.com

linkedin.com/company/invidica

twitter.com/invidica_

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #ecommerce

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Chapman - Plain Sight

Fri, 19 Nov 2021 14:15:53 GMT

James Chapman is Founder and CEO of Plain Sight, a company that helps you make the right connections at events and workspaces, or connect online from anywhere.

James started as an aspiring NBA player from Chattanooga Tennessee. He made it to the NBA’s D-league, but that's where that dream ended, and the next season began. Basketball’s loss was entrepreneurship’s gain. James started loading boxes for FedEx. His hustle led him to new opportunities, and eventually starting two different businesses. All along the way sharing his amazing hustle inspiration on Twitter, later turning the collection into a book, aptly named #TheHustle. But it was a chance to work with legendary Detroit businessman Dan Gilbert that led to his 3rd startup journey, Plain Sight.

James has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.

In this episode James and Dan discussed:

growing up a passionate athlete
going from the basketball court to the warehouse
hard lessons from his first startup
insights from running a coworking space
his connection to Dan Gilbert
why Plain Sight has no profile pictures

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Founders Live

the global venue for entrepreneurs to experience events, content, and community.

To get Founders LiveFest 2021 tickets

Check out founderslive.com to join and to find a live event streaming from your city.

MORE on JAMES and PLAIN SIGHT

James:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/plainsightceo/

https://twitter.com/iwrotethehustle

https://www.instagram.com/iwrotethehustle/

IWrotetheHustle (on Amazon)

Plain Sight:

https://www.plainsight.app/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/plain-sight-app/

https://twitter.com/plainsightapp

https://www.instagram.com/plainsightapp/

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #networking #futureofwork #eventtech

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Serge Amouzou - Finmod

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 13:30:47 GMT

Serge Amouzou is Founder and CEO of Finmod, a startup that helps companies forecast financials 10X faster. Finmod’s predictive-financial projection technology uses company data sources to give decision-ready data and actionable next steps for growth.

Serge was born and raised in Togo. He came to the US at age 12, determined and curious. He set out to master English and assimilate. He thought he would be a neurosurgeon, but a pursuit of coding and tech led him to a career of being a repeat tech founder, starting his first company while still in High School. It was a pain point he personally experienced at one of his past startups that sparked the idea that would become Finmod.

Serge has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Serge and Dan discussed:

moving from Togo to the US at 12
mastering English as a 3rd language
building his first coding company in high school
how the dream of being a doctor was overtaken by his startup chase
whether you should wear your ambition out loud

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

AfriBlocks

The global pan-African freelance marketplace and collaboration platform.

Tell them "Dan sent you" for 10% off your first order. More at afriblocks.com

MORE on SERGE and FINMOD

Serge:

linkedin.com/in/serge-amouzou-65b76841

twitter.com/sergeamouzou

instagram.com/amouzou.serge

Finmod:

finmod.io

linkedin.com/company/finmodhq

twitter.com/finmodhq

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #fintech

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Navalayo Osembo - Enda

Fri, 15 Oct 2021 13:45:39 GMT

Navalayo Osembo is Co-Founder and CEO of Enda, a company that is building on Kenya’s reputation as the global leader in distance running. With “Run Kenyan” as its motto, Enda makes running shoes in Kenya, for runners around the world.

Navalayo is the first guest we’ve had on from the place of my ancestral heritage - Kenya. She grew up with a military father and a teacher mother, which meant strong themes of discipline and excellence. Combined with her gifts of curiosity, intelligence, and grit, she set out to master accounting, law, and global development. But it was her return to Kenya from the US and UK, that helped her find the calling where she could make her impact. “Run Kenyan.” And so Enda was born.

Navalayo has a great story, you’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Navalayo and Dan discussed:

growing up in Kenya
convincing her dad to start farming fish
here experience working with the UN
How the Williams sisters inspired her to start a Kenya tennis academy
the power of "Run Kenyan"

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Aperture Venture Capital

VC for the Multicultural Mainstream

Aperture is the new $75M fund that wants to amplify the voices of diverse founders

Share your story at aperturevc.com/founders

MORE on NAVALAYO and ENDA

Navalayo:

navalayoosembo.com

linkedin.com/in/navalayoosembo

twitter.com/NavalayoOsembo

instagram.com/navalayoosembo

Enda:

endasportswear.com

linkedin.com/company/enda

twitter.com/endasportswear

instagram.com/endasportswear

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounder #founderstories #founderofafricandescent #kenyafounder #consumerfitness

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jarrett Wright - Higher Rewards

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 13:45:13 GMT

Jarrett Wright is Founder and CEO of Higher Rewards, a company that offers nonprofits and faith-based organizations the ability to provide their members a self-branded credit card where a percentage of every purchase goes back to the organization.

Jarrett is from several generations deep in the San Francisco Bay Area. Jarrett showed drive and ability from an early age. Reading by 2 years old. Doing the family’s grocery shopping at 6. But the pace and structure of school frustrated him. So instead of putting his intellectual horsepower to work in college right away, he started a property development company at 19. And within a few years, he was nationally recognized and bringing in millions in revenue. And that’s just the start of his story. The rest is amazing. you’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Jarrett and Dan discussed:

growing up in Richmond California
the powerful influence of his family and his heritage
rapidly building a business that was decidedly not recession-proof
going to college with folks 10+ years your junior
the 'aha' moment for Higher Rewards during a conversation with a financial exec
the advantages within the UC Berkeley startup ecosystem

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Trajectory: Startup - Ideation to Product/Market Fit

A brand new book by entrepreneur and investor Dave Parker.

This hot-off-the-presses publication is THE playbook for those at the earliest stages of the startup journey. Or even if you are just contemplating the jump to entrepreneurship. To get this great resource, go to dkparker.com or find anywhere you buy books.

MORE on JARRETT and HIGHER REWARDS

Jarrett:

linkedin.com/in/jarrett-wright

instagram.com/wrightjarrett

Higher Rewards:

higherrewards.com

linkedin.com/company/higher-rewards

instagram.com/higherrewards

twitter.com/higherrewards

facebook.com/higherrewards

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #fintech #UCBerkeley

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Isaac Lymon - Raxplay

Sat, 11 Sep 2021 01:10:50 GMT

Isaac Lymon is Co-Founder and CEO of Raxplay, a company that enables music artists to perform live real/time concerts via virtual reality. Raxplay puts fans in the front row, VIP, and backstage - all in the comfort of their homes.

Isaac was born and raised in Detroit. At an early stage, he felt called to music. But after a taste of the grind artists endure, Isaac gravitated to what made music happen behind the scenes. It was then that he really came to appreciate the power that technology could have on the industry. And like many famous tech entrepreneurs before him, he made the tough call to pursue his startup dream instead of focusing on college. A hustled-for internship, a hack-a-thon, and a call from Google Startups followed, changing everything. And so Raxplay was off and running.

Isaac has a great story, you’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Isaac and Dan discussed:

growing up in a Detroit suburb
how he relentlessly pursued an internship in music
perspectives on raising money in the LA ecosystem
his thoughts on the future of VR

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Aperture Venture Capital

VC for the Multicultural Mainstream

Aperture is the new $75M fund that wants to amplify the voices of diverse founders

Share your story at aperturevc.com/founders

MORE on ISAAC and RAXPLAY

Isaac:

linkedin.com/in/isaac-lymon-24ab9515a/

twitter.com/Isaaclymon

instagram.com/isaaccorey___/

Raxplay:

raxplay.com

linkedin.com/company/raxplay

twitter.com/raxplayxr

instagram.com/raxplayxr

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Khalid David - TracFlo

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 23:17:15 GMT

Khalid David is Founder and CEO of TracFlo, a company with a predictive financial management platform that is empowering America’s contractors.

Originally from the Bronx, Khalid was born into a family of tradesmen with a deep connection to his Afro-Caribbean roots. So it’s no surprise that, even with education from Morehouse, Columbia, and MIT, Khalid ended up in the construction industry. And it was those experiences that opened his eyes to the opportunity to better track the dynamic cost changes happening on today’s construction sites. And so TracFlo was born. Khalid is a passionate speaker and advocate, and has won competitions at MIT, Harvard, and Stanford business schools.

Khalid has a great story, you’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Khalid and Dan discussed:

representing the Bronx
His Saint Kitts and Nevis heritage
Emerging from college during the Great Recession
Building software inside a traditional construction firm
How TracFlo replaces the pad and pencil in the field
Wearing the mantle of pioneering black entrepreneur

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

AfriBlocks

The global pan-African freelance marketplace and collaboration platform.

Tell them "Dan sent you" for 10% off your first order. More at afriblocks.com

MORE on KHALID and TRACFLO

Khalid:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/khalid-david-34a55824/

https://www.twitter.com/kdpegasus

https://www.instagram.com/kdpegasus

TracFlo:

https://tracfloapp.com

https://republic.co/tracflo

https://www.linkedin.com/company/tracflo

https://www.instagram.com/tracfloapp

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrice Darby Neely - GoLogic

Fri, 13 Aug 2021 13:01:00 GMT

Patrice Darby Neely, Founder and CEO of GoLogic, a data aggregation and economic development platform helping small businesses accelerate growth and reduce failure, while increasing the capacity and capabilities of the organizations that support them.

Patrice spent many years in childcare before starting her first startup, GoNanny, to address the fragmentation of care occurring with the busy schedules of families on the go. Timing wasn’t on her side, unfortunately, as her company fell victim to the whipsaw of the US economy that came with COVID-19. With GoNanny, Patrice had a front-row seat during the height of the pandemic and she saw how vulnerable small businesses are and how inefficient the ecosystem can be in connecting them with timely and impactful resources. And so GoLogic was born. Patrice is an alum of 1871 in Chicago, TechStars, and has been funded by the likes of Pipeline Angels and Google for Startups Black Founder Fund.

She has a great story, you’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Patrice and Dan discussed:

growing up with two parent entrepreneurs
what drew her originally into the childcare industry
the devastating impact of COVID on her first company
how GoLogic rose from the ashes of 2020
the beauty and power of data, even for the small business

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

The Plug

Delivering clear analysis and powerful insights on what's shaping the Black innovation economy.

Get your annual subscription to The Plug at tpinsights.com

MORE on PATRICE and GOLOGIC

Patrice:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrice-darby-neely

https://www.gologicsolutions.com/our-founder

https://www.gologicsolutions.com/pitch2win

GoLogic Solutions:

https://www.gologicsolutions.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/gologicsolutions

https://twitter.com/gologic_solves

https://www.facebook.com/gologicsolutions

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #futureofwork

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Roger Roman - AfriBlocks

Fri, 30 Jul 2021 17:09:55 GMT

Roger Roman, Co-Founder of AfriBlocks, the global Pan-African freelance marketplace and collaboration platform. They are building THE resource for devs, designers, and virtual assistants.

Roger hails from Chicago, and in his home neighborhood there the Roman name is well known. He was pre-ordained to be a lawyer, but Roger took a different path: business. He leveraged his degree from Howard University to immerse in industries as varied as construction, video game development, and eventually marketing. Roger has been spotlighted in The New York Times, Black Enterprise, and VentureBeat. But it was when co-founder Tongai Choto came calling that Roger saw a chance to take on a massive opportunity: the emergence of Africa in the global tech marketplace. The continent has over 450M Gen Z and young millennials, all eager, ambitious, and tech-enabled. Fertile ground for a startup like AfriBlocks.

Roger has a great story, you’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Roger and Dan discussed:

growing up in Chicago
how a chance encounter at graduation led to his first job
the opportunity for law school - avoided repeatedly
how one mentor changed his career
why Africa should be on everyone's mind

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Founders Live

the global venue for entrepreneurs to experience events, content, and community.

Check out founderslive.com to join and to find a live event streaming from your city.

MORE on ROGER and AFRIBLOCKS

Roger:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogerroman/

https://twitter.com/RogerLRomanII

AfriBlocks:

https://www.afriblocks.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/afriblocks/

https://twitter.com/afriblocks

https://www.instagram.com/afriblocks/

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #futureofwork

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Jones - Ownors

Fri, 16 Jul 2021 22:44:54 GMT

James Jones, Co-Founder and CEO of Ownors, an AI-driven Fintech platform that helps artists retrieve payouts from streaming services.

Ownors isn’t James’ first startup. Inspired by his upbringing, James became an attorney. But he saw the gaps in the system. The fundamental way that legal services are sold and distributed is a straight-up disconnect with the vast majority of people who need it. So he and his wife formed Court Buddy, where he became Black Enterprise Entrepreneur of the Year. After successfully fundraising and scaling that business, James was eager to scratch the startup itch again. Leveraging his legal experience and personal passion for music, he set out to solve a different inefficiency he saw: creators being paid equitably and timely for their music. And so, Ownors and its flagship brand Bump was born.

James has a great story, you’ll want to listen in.

In this episode James and Dan discussed:

growing up with a brilliant father
learning about justice by visiting courtrooms as a seven-year-old
turning an IT job in college into an entrepreneurial venture
his first startup and what's different with his latest journey
how his clients as an attorney opened him to the inefficiencies for creators

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

BLCK VC

A focused community built for and by black investors.

If you ever thought about getting into Venture, you definitely want to connect up at blackvc.com or

follow @BLCKVC for more about their exceptional programs and events.

MORE on JAMES and OWNORS

James:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-jones-jr-esq/

https://twitter.com/jjoneslaw

Ownors:

https://www.usebump.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/ownors

https://www.twitter.com/ownors

https://www.instagram.com/ownorsinc

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #entertainmenttech #hbcualum

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Melanie Akwule - MINWO

Fri, 09 Jul 2021 14:30:12 GMT

Melanie Akwule is Founder and CEO of MINWO, a DE&I tech company that connects companies with organizations that have a specific mission to support Black-owned businesses on their path to scaling.

Originally from Virginia, Melanie was an NCAA track athlete who did her undergrad at Georgia Tech.She worked and excelled in the corporate world with GE. But it was at the Haas School, Cal Berkeley where she built her startup muscle. She used her time in school to conceptualize and develop MINWOA. Melanie is off to a great start in 2021 completing the Techstars program and gearing up for the launch of MINWO's flagship product Rialto.

Melanie has a great story, you’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Melanie and Dan discussed:

life as an NCAA student-athlete
competing in the Olympic trials
developing a passion for using tech to help businesses succeed
how one rejection led to her pursuit of an MBA
the highs and lows of early stage entrepreneurship
the serendipity of the stumble

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Trajectory: Startup - Ideation to Product/Market Fit

A brand new book by entrepreneur and investor Dave Parker.

MORE on MELANIE and MINWO

Melanie:

linkedin.com/in/melakwule

twitter.com/mel_anuchi

instagram.com/mel_anuchi

MINWO:

minwo.co

linkedin.com/company/minwo

twitter.com/minwo_co

instagram.com/minwo.co

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #dei #haasberkeley

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Daricus Releford - StoreCash

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 09:32:40 GMT

Daricus Releford is Founder and CEO of StoreCash, a company that provides mobile banking for teens, as well as for unbanked and underbanked adults.

Daricus is the twin son of a mom in the military. And as you just heard, he came home one day as a kid to find that his dad had taken everything from the house. Since that fateful event, Daricus has been on an entrepreneurial journey, that's gone from cutting lawns to building a FinTech startup in Silicon Valley. Along the way, he's had to persevere through college, hustle his first company into getting promotion by Steve Harvey, to landing roles with Google, Facebook, and Apple.

Daricus has a great story, you’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Daricus and Dan discussed:

driving hours with his mom to buy a hotdog stand
getting through Penn State, initially without a dorm room or place to sleep
finding a crafty way to get his products on the Steve Harvey show
working for THREE or the big five tech giants
how a chance request from his nephew led to his current startup

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Trajectory: Startup - Ideation to Product/Market Fit

A brand new book by entrepreneur and investor Dave Parker.

MORE on DARICUS and STORECASH

Daricus:

daricusreleford.com

linkedin.com/in/daricusreleford

twitter.com/daricusreleford

StoreCash:

storecashapp.com

linkedin.com/company/storecash

twitter.com/storecashapp

instagram.com/storecash_banking

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #fintech

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

State of Black Entrepreneurship and Fundraising in 2021: Have we made progress?

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 06:57:04 GMT

Black Entrepreneurship & Fundraising in 2021- have we made any progress?

In this special episode, we bring you the fireside chat moderated by Dan with:

Amira Rasool, CEO of The Folklore

Daricus Releford, CEO of StoreCash

Kwame Boler, CEO of neu

In the session we talked about the state of black entrepreneurship and fundraising in 2021.

As we experience Juneteenth for the first time as a National holiday, we ask:

What has changed? What has remained the same?

Where are the opportunities for improvement?

The panel kept it real, as the conversation covered everything from exasperation to optimism, and everything in between.

This event took place on June 24, 2021 and was hosted by the Techstars Seattle Accelerator and Managing Director Isaac Kato

Audience Resources and Shout outs:

Kwame's episode
Amira's episode
Daricus' episode - coming soon
Techstars Seattle, office hours
shoutout: Marlon Nichols, MAC Venture Capital
shoutout: Paystack
shoutout: fellow black Techstars alum Ikechi Nwabuisi

Follow Founders Unfound : Like and share - help us grow.

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ezinne Iroanya-Adeoye - SKNMUSE

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 22:03:37 GMT

Ezinne Iroanya-Adeoye is Founder and CEO of SKNMUSE, the premium beauty brand dedicated to elevating the beauty experience for the modern black woman.

Ezinne was born and raised in Nigeria. After graduating from high school at 15 and ace-ing her SATs, she came to the US for college. She thought she was going to be a petroleum engineer. Lucky for the rest of us, that didn’t happen. Ezinne never forgot the joy she found in the soothing remedies her mom and grandmother prepared for her dry skin. She’s paying it back now, with her luxurious balms, oils, and body butters. For Ezinne, beauty is culture, and she’s on a mission to make the beauty counter reflect more inclusively.

Ezinne has a great story, you’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Ezinne and Dan discussed:

Changing majors 3 times in college
How her brand wants everyone to feel like "Omalicha Nwa" (beautiful one)
The day her brand was featured by Beyoncé
How her mom is even more of a fashionista than she is
Her vision to create a space that re-imagines beauty for black women

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

AfriBlocks

The global pan-African freelance marketplace and collaboration platform.

Tell them "Dan sent you" for 10% off your first order. More at afriblocks.com

MORE on EZINNE and SKNMUSE

Ezinne:

twitter.com/ZMuse_

linkedin.com/in/ezinne-iroanya-adeoye-567a6515b/

instagram.com/avenue_z/

SKNMUSE:

sknmuse.com

instagram.com/sknmuse/

twitter.com/sknmuse

linkedin.com/company/sknmuse/

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #beauty #blackskin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Sonja Ebron - Courtroom5

Fri, 11 Jun 2021 16:15:28 GMT

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Founders Live

the global venue for entrepreneurs to experience events, content, and community.

Check out founderslive.com to join and to find a live event streaming from your city.

In this episode Sonja and Dan discussed:

growing up in Durham NC
The call to engineering
The career arc between academia and entrepreneurship
Why the legal system can feel rigged
How African Americans are, by necessity, innovative and entrepreneurial

Dr. Sonja Ebron Co-founder and CEO of Courtroom5, a company that makes an automated legal toolbox that helps people represent themselves in court.

Sonja has one of the amazing backgrounds, engineering academia, a repeat entrepreneur, but it took a challenging experience of our own with the legal system to unleash your mission and passion for the startup life. She has a strong conviction that fairness and the justice system shouldn't depend on inequitable access to knowledge or resources and our conversation. She talked about the allure of engineering doing a startup in Durham, North Carolina, and so much more.

Sonja has a great story. Be sure to listen in.

MORE on SONJA and COURTROOM5

Sonja:

linkedin.com/in/sonjaebron

twitter.com/SonjaEbron

Courtroom5:

courtroom5.com

instagram.com/courtroom5legal

twitter.com/courtroom5legal

linkedin.com/company/courtroom5

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #legaltech

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amira Rasool - The Folklore

Sat, 29 May 2021 00:49:54 GMT

The Plug

Delivering clear analysis and powerful insights on what's shaping the Black innovation economy.

Get your annual subscription to The Plug at tpinsights.com

In this episode Amira and Dan discussed:

growing up in the same town as Zach Braff and SZA
The blog that explored Bobbie Austin's Closet
Her college experience in CapeTown South Africa
How her vision for The Folklore originated long before the company
Her great advice for other black women founders

Amira Rasool is the Founder and CEO of The Folklore, an omnichannel platform that is bringing luxury and emerging designer brands from Africa online for the first time.

Amira has that fearlessness that just draws you in. She says it got her in trouble when she was younger, but we're betting it will help her succeed as a founder. She and The Folklore have been featured everywhere from Forbes and Fast Company, to Vogue and Essence. Amira has just recently completed the Techstars program here in Seattle. Dan sat down with her to talk about The Folklore and how she sees it as so much more than a fashion brand.

Amira and The Folklore have a terrific story.

Make sure to listen in.

MORE on AMIRA and THE FOLKLORE

Amira:

instagram.com/amirarasool

twitter.com/amirarasool

linkedin.com/in/amira-rasool-52359855

The Folklore:

instagram.com/TheFolklore

twitter.com/TheFolklore

linkedin.com/company/the-folklore

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #ecommerce #fashion #Africadesigned #Africainspired

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stephen Ajayi - YearOne

Thu, 13 May 2021 22:54:50 GMT

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Trajectory: Startup - Ideation to Product/Market Fit

A brand new book by entrepreneur and investor Dave Parker.

In this episode Stephen and Dan discussed:

growing up in an Oregon suburb
how a chance elective sent his life on a new path
working with his brother as co-founders
why a developer's non-coding background matters

Stephen Ajayi is the Co-Founder and CEO of YearOne, a company that helps individuals coming out of code schools, land incredible jobs. But getting jobs for Bootcamp grads is not all they do. YearOne also supports new employees through their early careers within technology companies - setting them up for long-term success as well.

Stephen knows the journey of the YearOne community, intimately. He moved away from a pre-med track in college to pursue programming, all from the chance selection of taking an elective course in computer science. He went on to dive headfirst in a coding school and ultimately emerged as a Sales VP for a Silicon Valley startup. So, he’s seen from both sides the challenges and friction in the hiring process. And YearOne is particularly focused on coders coming from less traditional backgrounds. And to him, those backgrounds are a major strength. YearOne has a great journey - through the Portland tech ecosystem, to Techstars, and now with backing from great investors like Zeal Capital Partners and Black Founders Matter.

Stephen and YearOne have a terrific story.

Make sure to listen in.

MORE on STEPHEN and YEARONE

Stephen:

linkedin.com/in/stephenkajayi

twitter.com/stephenkajayi

YearOne:

joinyearone.io

linkedin.com/company/yearonecareers/about/

twitter.com/YearOnecareers

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #techplacement

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrick Paul - Ikos

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 22:51:40 GMT

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Trajectory: Startup - Ideation to Product/Market Fit

A brand new book by entrepreneur and investor Dave Parker.

In this episode Patrick and Dan discussed:

growing up in a Haitian household with 6 older siblings
serendipitous customer discovery in a coffee shop
the dynamics of a diverse founding team
the attraction of the Pittsburgh tech scene

Patrick Paul is the Co-Founder of Ikos, a start-up using data and information to allow property owners to execute and manage the vital, day-to-day tasks of investment property ownership. Patrick was raised with a strong Haitian heritage starting in New Jersey and ending up in Southwestern Florida. He grew up an athlete, ended up going to a military academy, then college, and into the world of finance and real estate. Now based in Pittsburgh, Patrick has helped to transform the modern rental experience with Ikos, along the way raising millions and weathering an industry hard hit by the economic crisis from COVID-19.

Make sure to listen to his incredible story.

MORE on PATRICK and IKOS

Patrick:

linkedin.com/in/patrick-paul-2524257a

Ikos:

ikos.rent

linkedin.com/company/ikos-holdings-inc

twitter.com/meetikos

Follow Founders Unfound: Like and share - help us grow!

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #renttech

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ashlee Ammons - Mixtroz

Tue, 20 Apr 2021 18:29:36 GMT

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

AfriBlocks

The global pan-African freelance marketplace and collaboration platform.

Tell them "Dan sent you" for 10% off your first order. More at afriblocks.com

Cascadia Cleantech Accelerator

powered by VertueLab and CleanTech Alliance

This 15-week program delivers mentorship, connections, funding opportunities, and more.

For early-stage cleantech startups looking to launch and scale their businesses. Checkout at cascadiacleantech.org

In this episode Ashlee and Dan discussed:

Interning for LeBron James
How an awkward networking event gave birth to Mixtroz
Working alongside her mom as Co-Founder
The journey from Cleveland to NY to Nashville to Birmingham
Where to find the best rollercoasters in the world

Ashlee Ammons is the Co-Founder of Mixtroz, a company that creates serendipity at live and virtual events using real-time surveying along with their unique algorithm. Ashlee has an amazing journey - from Ohio to New York, Tennessee, and eventually to Alabama. She’s gone from interning with Lebron James to becoming one of the first few African American Women to raise over $1M in venture funding. She's also been named as Entrepreneur Magazine's "100 Powerful Women" of 2019.

To top it all off, Ashlee has known her co-founder literally her whole life (spoiler alert, they're related!).

Make sure to listen to her incredible story.

MORE on ASHLEE and MIXTROZ

Ashlee:

linkedin.com/in/ashleeanneammons

instagram.com/shemixalot87

Mixtroz:

mixtroz.com

twitter.com/Mixtroz

instagram.com/mixtroz

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #eventtech

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Evan Leaphart - Kiddie Kredit

Fri, 26 Mar 2021 03:16:08 GMT

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Cascadia Cleantech Accelerator

powered by VertueLab and CleanTech Alliance

This 15-week program delivers mentorship, connections, funding opportunities, and more.

For early-stage cleantech startups looking to launch and scale their businesses.

Applications are open until April 16th. Don't miss out, apply today at cascadiacleantech.org

AfriBlocks

The global pan-African freelance marketplace and collaboration platform.

Tell them "Dan sent you" for 10% off your first order. More at afriblocks.com

Special Guest Co-Host:

Veronica Parks from Maveron (@VPinVC)

In this episode Evan, Veronica, and Dan discussed:

Growth from having side hustles as a kid
Why it took years to start Kiddie Kredit
Evan's three filters to vet investors
How credit score has such influence but is so misunderstood
Whether Miami really is the next tech hub

Evan Leaphart is the Founder and CEO of Kiddie Kredit, a mobile chore tracking app that teaches kids about credit. The company is out to demystify credit scores with fun, but analogous habits and rewards. They currently focus on young children but their goal ultimately is to serve anyone new to credit.

Evan grew up in the Baltimore area and is one of those founders seemingly born to be just that, a founder. His mom was a flight attendant and he was an only child. So Evan learned at a young age how to be self-sufficient and confident. From lemonade stands and snow removal to cleaning services and auto transport. Evan has been fearlessly taking on venture after venture.

He has called Miami home for over 15 years, so he's definitely an OG in the newly blossoming Miami tech scene. In addition to Kiddie Kredit, Evan is a Co-founder of the Miami-based Black Men Talk Tech Conference.

Make sure to listen to his compelling story.

MORE on EVAN and KIDDIE KREDIT

Evan:

linkedin.com/in/evanleaphart/

twitter.com/evanleaphart

instagram.com/evanleaphart/

blackmentalktech.com

Kiddie Kredit:

kiddiekredit.com

twitter.com/kiddiekredit

instagram.com/KiddieKredit/

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #finhtech

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Ashlee Wisdom - Health in Her HUE

Thu, 11 Mar 2021 16:11:42 GMT

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

The Plug

Delivering clear analysis and powerful insights on what's shaping the Black innovation economy.

Get your annual subscription to The Plug at tpinsights.com

In this episode Ashlee and Dan discussed:

Growing up in the Bronx - and still living there!
Her personal experiences with healthcare inequity
How her view working 'inside' healthcare moved her to launch her startup
The legacy of courageous and inspirational women in her family
How even Serena Williams was not immune to inequity in care

Episode Shout Outs:

Eddwina Bright (Co-founder)

Females Founders Alliance

Vital Voices

Dr. Ivor Horn

Ashlee Wisdom is the Founder and CEO of Health in Her HUE, a digital platform connecting black women to culturally competent healthcare providers, health content and community. Ashlee has Jamaican and Bahamian roots, but grew up in New York where she diehard represents her home burrow - the Bronx. Her career AND startup reflect a deep passion and dedication to tackling healthcare inequity. It's immediately evident in her voice, her writing, and all of her efforts. Ashlee's work has been recognized by Female Founder Alliance, Vital Voices, and the one-and-only Serena Williams. A true founder to watch!

Make sure to listen to her compelling story.

MORE on ASHLEE and HEATH IN HER HUE

Ashlee:

linkedin.com/in/ashlee-wisdom-mph-7114a040/

twitter.com/AshleeWisdom

instagram.com/ashleejwisdom/

Health in Her HUE:

healthinherhue.com

twitter.com/HealthInHerHUE

instagram.com/healthinherhue/

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #healthtech

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Genevieve Leveille - AgriLedger

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 05:22:26 GMT

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Multicultural Mainstream: Reimagining Humanity and Technology

A virtual venture conference hosted by the Columbia Venture Community

Access great content and breakouts with venture capitalists. March 5-6th 2021

Check out bit.ly/CVCMM for tickets. Don't miss out!

In this episode Genevieve and Dan discussed:

Starting life in Haiti
How she's combined science and finance into a career
The lessons of "timing" from 2000 and 2008
How distributed blockchain can INCREASE trust
What happens to mangoes shipped to the US

Genevieve Leveille is the Founder and CEO of AgriLedger, a company that is revolutionizing the agriculture value chain using distributed ledger and blockchain technology.

Born in Haiti, Genevieve came to the US and New York for high school. She was a science major and researcher, and eventually found her way into banking and over to the UK. Genevieve burst onto the blockchain world with force a few years ago. And it all started with a crypto hackathon. She’s been nominated by the Financial Times to the top 100 BAME in UK technology, and was a winner of the ComputerWeekly 2020 Women in Software. She is also currently the Vice-chairman of TechUK’s Distributed Ledger Technologies Working Group.

Genevieve is now building a company that is using distributed ledger to RE-distribute value and reallocate margin and wealth across our food supply chain. All with the source -- the farmer -- at the core.

Make sure to listen to her compelling story.

MORE on GENEVIEVE and AGRILEDGER

Genevieve:

linkedin.com/in/genevieveleveille/

twitter.com/GinouInLondon

AgriLedger:

agriledger.io

linkedin.com/company/agriledger/

twitter.com/Agriledger

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #blockchain #agritech

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Ayinde Alakoye - nēdl

Thu, 11 Feb 2021 21:47:46 GMT

WE ARE BACK!

WELCOME TO OUR NEW SERIES FOR 2021

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Multicultural Mainstream: Reimagining Humanity and Technology

A virtual venture conference hosted by the Columbia Venture Community

Access great content and breakouts with venture capitalists. March 5-6th 2021

Check out bit.ly/CVCMM for early-bird tickets. Don't miss out!

In this episode Ayinde and Dan discussed:

Growing up in DC
How his name is as much an 'American' name as anyone else's
That radio mimic mom's voice in the womb (what!?)
nēdl as his THIRD startup in mobile radio
Crashing a private party for a shot at pitching a prospect CEO
His perspective on the latest Clubhouse hype

Episode Shout Outs:

WOTP

Backstage Capital

Sweet Capital

Ayinde Alakoye is the Founder and CEO of nēdl (as in 'the haystack'), a company that lets anyone create their own live call-in talk radio station in seconds and make money while they broadcast. nēdl gives everyone a chance to grab the mic, and be live to the world in moments.

Ayinde proudly wears his name, which means “we gave praise and he came." He grew up in DC in a single-parent household, after losing his father at an early age. From a young age, Ayinde has had a lifelong appreciation for the escape and 'theater of the mind' provided by radio. And his entrepreneurial spirit has been evident throughout his journey - from excellence in sales, to television, speech-writing for Obama, and a career spanning 20+ years in the radio media world.

All preparing him for the epiphany that would become nēdl.

The company's app lets users set up their own radio stations - complete with instant share links, audience call-in support, and a clever feature that allows listens to tip. Ned'l is Ayinde's THIRD startup focused on mobile radio. He's been ahead of the curve with each endeavor. And given the amazing growth of experiences like Clubhouse and Instagram Live, his timing for this latest effort seems right on the mark.

Ayinde has raised over $1.6 Million in funding from investors including Backstage Capital and Sweet Capital.

Make sure to listen to his compelling story.

MORE on AYINDE and nēdl

Ayinde:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nedlceo/

nēdl:

nedl.com/about

linkedin.com/company/nedlapp/

twitter.com/nedlapp

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #founderAfricandescent

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2020 Updates Epsiode PART 2

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 21:54:48 GMT

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Founders Live

the global venue for entrepreneurs to experience events, content, and community.

Check out founderslive.com to join and to find a live event streaming from your city.

In this episode:

We review 2020 and where our past guests came from
The effects of George Floyd on these founders, their companies and communities
To be a black founder in 2020 is to be...
Founders speak with optimism about plans for 2021

For our last episode of the year, we've brought together a handful of founders from our first 20 plus episodes. In this two-parter, we cover everything from fundraising, and running a business, to motivating employees, to finding time for self care and mental health. All against the backdrop of Coronavirus, George Floyd, and a climate of political tension.

Thanks to Kala, Marcus, Kwame Claudius, Bara, Kameale and Wole for catching us up and reflecting on this historic year that is 2020.

Make sure to listen in.

EPISODE GUESTS

Bara:

https://twitter.com/baratundecola

carbice.com

Ways you can help: stay tuned for 2021

Kala:

https://twitter.com/thekalafleming

diasporaai.com

Ways you can help: refer clients who need help managing

water infrastructure not connected to the grid

Kameale:

https://twitter.com/kamealeC

chargerhelp.com

Ways you can help: looking for investors

to close out their seed round

Kwame & Claudius:

https://twitter.com/mbembaships

useneu.com

Ways you can help: referrals to rental hosts

in Phoenix, Scottsdale, or Seattle

Marcus:

twitter.com/_marcus_bullock

flikshop.com

Ways you can help: become a Flikshop Angel

flikshopangels.com

Wole:

twitter.com/AyowoleOA

fliqpay.com/

Ways you can help: refer clients who do

cross-border financial transaction settlements

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2020 Updates Episode PART 1

Sat, 19 Dec 2020 07:16:02 GMT

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Founders Live

the global venue for entrepreneurs to experience events, content, and community.

Check out founderslive.com to join and to find a live event streaming from your city.

In this episode:

We review 2020 and where our past guests are collectively
Updates from 7 previous guest founders
Insights on COVID-19's impact for: business, employees, fundraising

Thanks to Kala, Marcus, Kwame Claudius, Bara, Kameale and Wole for catching us up and reflecting on this historic year that is 2020.

Make sure to listen in.

EPISODE GUESTS

Bara:

https://twitter.com/baratundecola

carbice.com

Ways you can help: stay tuned for 2021

Kala:

https://twitter.com/thekalafleming

diasporaai.com

Ways you can help: refer clients who need help managing

water infrastructure not connected to the grid

Kameale:

https://twitter.com/kamealeC

chargerhelp.com

Ways you can help: looking for investors

to close out their seed round

Kwame & Claudius:

https://twitter.com/mbembaships

useneu.com

Ways you can help: referrals to rental hosts

in Phoenix, Scottsdale, or Seattle

Marcus:

twitter.com/_marcus_bullock

flikshop.com

Ways you can help: become a Flikshop Angel

flikshopangels.com

Wole:

twitter.com/AyowoleOA

fliqpay.com/

Ways you can help: refer clients who do

cross-border financial transaction settlements

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PREVIEW : 2020 Updates Episode

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 07:07:25 GMT

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A preview of our Updates episode. We caught up with former guests to see where they are today and where they are headed for 2021. And we reflected on what will certainly be considered an historic year, 2020.

Be sure to listen in.

EPISODE drops December 18th!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Founders Unfound Podcast Trailer

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 09:42:39 GMT

Founders Unfound tells the stories of exceptional entrepreneurs and tech founders from underrepresented backgrounds – starting with founders of African descent. We have a regular podcast and complimentary blog created to shine a light on the broad spectrum that reflects all the diversity in startups today.

Hosted by season tech entrepreneur Dan Kihanya (@dkihanya), the show explores the origin stories of under-the-radar tech entrepreneurs working on venture-worthy, big opportunity ideas.

We know behind every founder is a story that deserves to be boldly told.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Abbey Wemimo - Esusu

Thu, 26 Nov 2020 13:30:27 GMT

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Founders Live

the global venue for entrepreneurs to experience events, content, and community.

Check out founderslive.com to join and to find a live event streaming from your city.

In this episode Abbey and Dan discussed:

Growing up in the slums of Lagos Nigeria
Key philosophies: fall forward + you are enough
The transition from balmy Nigeria to frigid Minnesota
his first startup which gave access to water for quarter-million people
Pitching 300+ investors

Episode Shout Outs:

Samir Goel (Co-founder)

Zeal Capital Partners

Impact America Fund

Abbey Wemimo is the Co-founder and Co-CEO of Esusu, a revolutionary fintech platform transforming the connection between data, tenants, and property. Esusu empowers renters around an important financial identity: the credit score.

Abbey was born in Nigeria, and as he puts it, "raised in the slums" of Lagos. His mother sacrificed over half her salary to make sure Abbey was able to reach beyond and attend the best schools. He studied alongside the children of the country's elites, taking him to the US, with stops and degrees from the University of Minnesota and NYU. His early career covered politics, finance, and international development. And his first entrepreneurial endeavor led him to providing clean water for over a quarter of a million people in developing regions.

Abbey and his co-founder Samir started Esusu with a major innovation at its core: using rent payments to enhance credit score. By tracking and using data, Esusu can transform the credit prospects for the 70 million Americans who have little or no credit history. Meanwhile, Esusu provides property managers with insights, analytics, and tenants who are motivated towards timely payments.

The company is now in half a million rental units, across 40 US states. Abbey and Samir have raised over $4 Million in funding from investors like Impact America Fund, Zeal Capital, and Global Good Fund.

Esusu is a word with origins in Nigeria. It essentially means a form of societal cooperation where groups of individuals together contribute for their mutual benefit. But if ask Abbey he will tell you a much simpler version:

"If you want to go fast, you go alone. But if you want to go far, you fundamentally go together"

Make sure to listen to his wonderful story.

MORE on ABBEY and ESUSU

Abbey:

linkedin.com/in/wemimo-abbey-62382a2a/

Esusu:

esusurent.com

esusurentrelief.com

linkedin.com/company/esusu/

twitter.com/getesusu

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PREVIEW: Abbey Wemimo - Esusu

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 12:45:46 GMT

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Abbey Wemimo is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Esusu, the leading financial technology platform that leverages data solutions to empower tenants and improve property performance. Abbey was raised in Lagos Nigeria, came to the US for college, worked on Obama’s re-election campaign, launched his first start up, and even did a stint with Goldman Sachs - all this before starting Esusu with his co-founder Samir.

Make sure to tune in to hear his wonderous story.

FULL EPISODE drops November 26th!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kirt Debique - SyncFloor

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 13:45:45 GMT

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Black Women Talk Tech

a collective of black women tech founders that exists to identify, support and encourage black women to build billion dollar businesses.

BWTT is hosting Face of the Founder Summit on November 17th, bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, and partners for an exciting gathering. Registration is free, but spots are limited. You don’t want to miss it!

In this episode Kirt and Dan discussed:

Growing up in Trinidad
Coming to the US to study computer science in college at 16
What gives him empathy for the indie music creator
His spin on creating a music label
How music fits in the creator economy
His approach to the chicken-and-egg of building a marketplace

Episode Shout Outs:

Kirby Winfield - Ascend VC

Brick Lane Records

Steven Wolfe Pereira

5-star reviewer: Jessica, sySTEMic flow

Kirt Debique is the Co-Founder and CEO of SyncFloor, a company revolutionizing discovery and acquisition of music for productions of all types - from advertising to podcasting, filmmaking to fitness, TV to eSports.

Kirt is an entrepreneur and a renaissance man. A native of Trinidad, Kirt started college at sixteen. He passed on grad school at Stanford to work at Microsoft. His career there paralleled some of that company's major milestones, But after a successful 20-year stint at the tech giant, Kirt decided to take his career in a different direction. He founded Brick Lane Records, an Indie music label. He started Brick Lane with a set of principles that made the artist the priority - a key opportunity he recognized hanging out in the local Seattle music scene. Oh, and by the way, Kirt is also an artist on his label.

Today Kirt leads his own tech startup, SyncFloor, which is an amazing fusion of his expertise: music and technology. Listen in to hear more about Kirt startup journey.

MORE on KIRT AND SYNCFLOOR

Kirt:

linkedin.com/in/kirtdebique/

twitter.com/katewayo

twitter.com/BrickLaneRecs

instagram.com/katewayo/

SyncFloor:

songsforpodcasters.co m

syncfloor.com

linkedin.com/company/syncfloor/

twitter.com/SyncFloor

instagram.com/syncfloor/

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PREVIEW: Kirt Debique - SyncFloor

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 13:45:37 GMT

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Kirt Debique is Co-Founder, CEO and CTO of SyncFloor, a company revolutionizing discovery and acquisition of music for productions of all types - from advertising and podcasting to filmmaking, TV and eSports. Kirt is a former, fast-rising exec at Microsoft and a founder of his own Indie music label. He has an amazing story that starts with coming to the US to attend college at 16!

Make sure to tune in.

FULL EPISODE drops November 12th!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bee Law - Quirktastic

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 11:45:19 GMT

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Founders Live

the global venue for entrepreneurs to experience events, content, and community.

Check out founderslive.com to join and to find a live event streaming from your city.

In this episode Bee and Dan discussed:

Being the only young black girl who liked Japanese Anime
What derailed her journey to be a doctor
How blogging uncovered a community, and a business
Quirktastic's reset from COVID-19
Working with HBO's Lovecraft Country

Episode Shout Outs:

Digital Undivided

Snap's Yellow Accelerator

UNC Charlotte

5-star reviewer: Jean-Que, Artiste Pro

Bee Law is the Founder and CEO of Quirktastic (soon to be QuirkChat), a networking platform where geeks and hobbyists can join fandom communities and create collaborative social video. If you are into Manga, Marvel Universe, or Cosplay - they have a place for you.

It's no wonder Bee created Quirktastic (from quirky + fantastic). She grew up in North Carolina as the only young black woman she knew who liked Anime and metal rock. Bee felt the sting of bullying and the struggle for acceptance. As an adult, she tapped into her uniqueness, and once online she realized there were large communities who wanted to connect and share the joy of their fandom. This epiphany led her to start Quirktastic - a community now 200,000+ strong. Bee and her company have been featured in TechCrunch, Essence, and Forbes. And she's been backed by Digital Undivided, SoGal Ventures, and Snap Inc's prestigious accelerator Yellow.

Come hear Bee's journey, which goes from Anime enthusiast and non-profit pioneer in high school, to cytogenetic scientist and aspiring doctor, and now to fast-moving tech founder. Her energy and positivity are simply inspiring.

Listen in!

MORE on BEE AND QUIRKTASTIC

Bee:

twitter.com/bossassbee_

instagram.com/bossassbee

linkedin.com/in/bryanda-law

Quirktastic:

quirktastic.co

wefunder.com/quirktastic

twitter.com/QuirkChat

instagram.com/quirkchat

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PREVIEW: Bee Law - Quirktastic

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 12:30:14 GMT

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Bee Law is Founder and CEO of Quirktastic, a social video and networking platform where geeks and hobbyists can join fandom communities and create collaborative video. Bee is a former cytogenetic scientist turned entrepreneur, and Quirktastic with its 200,000+ online followers has been featured in Essence Magazine, TechCrunch and Forbes. Tune in to hear her amazing story.

FULL EPISODE drops October 29!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

October - Quick Break

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 12:45:45 GMT

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Hey Unfound Nation! Can't believe it's already October, 2020. What a year...relentless. At Founders Unfound, we've been working hard to consistently put out episodes all year. The team wanted just a brief break before we finish strong for the year. Don't worry, we will have a new episode ready to go at the end of the month. In the meantime, please take the opportunity to listen to one of our first 20 episodes that you haven't enjoyed yet. They are all gems!

As always, thank you for your support and for listening in.

We'll be back soon...

NEXT EPISODE drops October 29!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jim Gibbs - MeterFeeder

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 12:31:17 GMT

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

The Plug

a media company that lives at the intersection of data and diversity for the startup and tech communities.

Check it out at tpinsights.com ; Use code UNFOUND to save $10 on an annual subscription.

In this episode Jim and Dan discussed:

Going from Long Island to Pittsburgh
Life at Carnegie Mellon
His first job as a coder
How an inspiration at a lunch meeting lead to MeterFeeder
Jim's approach to paying it forward

Episode Shout Outs:

Branding Brand

Y Combinator

Startup Boost

Brookhaven National Laboratory

Jim Gibbs is Co-founder and CEO of MeterFeeder, a company that predicts parking availability, and enables vehicles to pay for parking with no human interaction. Jim is a brilliant coder and visionary, with Carnegie Mellon and development work for the likes of USA Today and America Eagle on his resume. And even though he's originally from New York, he wants to convince us that Pittsburgh is the place to be; it isn’t even a question. Jim wants to build the next billion-dollar tech business in Pittsburgh. And in doing so, he's happy to wear the mantle of being a scrutinized black entrepreneur. As Jim sees it, if he can have a big win, it will make it that much easier for the next black founder coming up next. Make sure to listen in to hear his awesome story and great insights.

MORE on JIM AND METERFEEDER

Jim:

twitter.com/heezo

linkedin.com/in/james-gibbs-4ab8/

MeterFeeder:

meterfeeder.com

twitter.com/meterfeeder

instagram.com/meterfeederapp

linkedin.com/company/meter-feeder-inc

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy International Podcast Day 2020

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 04:09:37 GMT

Happy Podcast Day everyone!

A big shoutout to all the great podcasters out there. And thanks to our audience, staff, and our great founder guests!

- Dan Kihanya, Host

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PREVIEW: Jim Gibbs - MeterFeeder

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 12:45:23 GMT

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Jim Gibbs is Co-founder and CEO of MeterFeeder, a company that predicts parking availability, and enables vehicles to pay for parking with no human interaction. Jim is a brilliant coder and visionary. And he’s out to convince us that...it isn’t even a question - Pittsburgh is the place to be! Make sure to listen in to learn how this developer, who’s built code for the likes of USA Today and America Eagle, set out to re-imagine the parking meter.

FULL EPISODE drops October 1!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Salau - Guide

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 14:05:36 GMT

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

The Plug

a media company that lives at the intersection of data and diversity for the startup and tech communities.

Check it out at tpinsights.com ; Use code UNFOUND to save $10 on an annual subscription.

In this episode Tim and Dan discussed:

His journey from Nigeria to Houston
Tim's passion for design and serving others
How he handled losing a co-founder
Guide's 'all-in' pivot during COVID-19
Tim's vision for where Guide can go

Episode Shout Outs:

Taban Cosmos

Backstage Capital

Tim Salau has that crazy positive energy. It comes through like a smile over the microphone. Tim is one of those folks...after a conversation with him, you just feel ready to go.

Tim's mission is to aim his passion for design at building things that serve others. So it's easy to see why he wears so many hats. He is a dynamic speaker, tech influencer, innovator, and content producer. And he’s known as Mr. Future of Work for his visionary perspective on the subject. He's even got his own tea brand coming out!

On top of all that, Tim is co-founder, and CEO of Guide, a platform for bite-sized learning and talent development for Enterprise remote teams. Guide allows companies to put training and corporate learning directly and easily into the hands of the creators and the learners. How it began, and how it evolved is quite a tale.

Make sure to listen in.

MORE on TIM AND GUIDE

TIM:

@timsalau [TW], [IG]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsalau/

https://www.timsalau.com/

GUIDE:

guideapp.co

@GuideHQ_ [TW]

https://www.linkedin.com/company/mentorsmentees/

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PREVIEW: Tim Salau Guide

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 12:45:56 GMT

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Known as Mr. Future of Work,Tim Salau is founder and CEO of Guide, a platform for bite-size learning and talent development for enterprise remote teams. Tim has built a movement around learning and growth, with a Facebook community topping 300,000 worldwide. He's got his own live show and is a much-sought after speaker and workplace consultant. In the meantime, Tim share's his founder journey with us. You don't want to miss it!

FULL EPISODE drops September 17th!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Su Sanni Dollaride

Thu, 27 Aug 2020 12:45:58 GMT

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

VertueLab

a nonprofit fighting climate change by providing funding and holistic entrepreneurial support to cleantech startups.

This September their annual summit, Fuel 2020, is going digital, spanning over two weeks with short events every day.

At Fuel 2020 you'll connect with future-focused entrepreneurs, investors, researchers and more.

Founders Unfound listeners: Use the code FOUNDERSFRIEND for 20% off your ticket.

Learn more at 2020fuel.org

The Plug

Check it out at tpinsights.com ; Use code UNFOUND to save $10 on our annual subscription.

In this episode Su and Dan discussed:

His baby son (who joined us in the background)
Going from Brooklyn to the CA coast for high school
Having dollar van entrepreneurs in his family
Agency v. serendipity (aka making it happen vs. luck)
What he learned from startups #1 and #2
Why he chose crowdfunding

Episode Shout Outs:

Cate School

Boy's Club of New York

43North

WeDidIt

Republic

Growing up, Su Sanni thought he was going to be a doctor. Once out of college, it was music entrepreneur. Then the world of sales came calling. Su believes all these experiences and aspirations led him to where he ended up...a tech startup founder. His first company: folded. The second, WeDidIt: acquired. So now he's back at it for a 3rd time, with his biggest vision yet.

Su (short for Sulaiman) Sanni is Co-founder and CEO of Dollaride, a mobility company for communities that are under-served by public transit. Su points out that there are over 100 Billion trips globally every year facilitated by informal transit systems. These informal alternatives arose to fill the 'transit deserts' left under supported by formal, public transportation options.

Yet, within the informal transit ecosystem, there aren't tools to efficiently match rider demand with the supply of drivers and vehicles. Dollaride wants to change that with their new app. They are starting in Su's backyard - the boroughs of New York City. And they are working with the well-known dollar vans who canvas the areas 'between' the subway stops. Guess where the company got its name?

Su is our second founder in a row who is crushing his fund-raise using crowdfunding!

Listen in to hear his story.

MORE on SU AND DOLLARIDE

SU:

@TheSuSanni [TW]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sulaimansanni/

Startup Grind Fireside Chat

DOLLARIDE:

@Dollaride [TW]

@Dollaride [IG]

https://www.linkedin.com/company/dollaride/

https://republic.co/dollaride

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

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PREVIEW: Su Sanni Dollaride

Tue, 25 Aug 2020 15:45:20 GMT

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Sulaiman "Su" Sanni is founder and CEO of Dollaride. a company helping to solve mobility and transportation for communities that are under-served by public transit. Dollaride is starting in New York, helping to make routes and pickups much more efficient for the city's famous Dollar Vans. Su estimates that there 100 BILLION trips annually through these informal transit vehicles across the globe. He's out to That is why his crowdfunding campaign is trending up on Republic. He's got a great story - you'll want to listen in.

FULL EPISODE drops August 27th!

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Tiffany Kelly Curastory

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 12:45:12 GMT

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

VertueLab

a nonprofit fighting climate change by providing funding and holistic entrepreneurial support to cleantech startups.

This September their annual summit, Fuel 2020, is going digital.

At Fuel 2020 you'll connect with future-focused entrepreneurs, investors, researchers and more.

Founders Unfound listeners: Use the code FOUNDERSFRIEND for 20% off your ticket.

Learn more at 2020fuel.org

BLCK VC

Connect up at blackvc.com or follow @BLCKVC for more about their programs and events.

In this episode Tiffany and Dan discussed:

Her passion and connection to sports and data
Being one of only five to present to thousands at an MIT hack-a-thon
Her journey through working at ESPN
How an NCAA new rule changed everything for her startup
Getting fuel from being underestimated

Episode Shout Outs:

Wefunder

Indie Hackers

MVP Institute [Travis Brodeen]

Y Combinator Startup School

Tiffany Kelly loves sports. And she’s a rock star data scientist. She combined these into a dream job with ESPN. She got to dig deep into the sports analytics and data that preoccupy teams, fans, and fantasy devotees alike. She even invented a new stat! It was while at ESPN, however, that Tiffany saw firsthand how brand and media power were shifting with digital and social. Athletes were emerging as personalities with their own platforms and fan followings. But she saw a hole…video. It’s still too darn hard!! So she quit her job and launched her startup.

Tiffany is the founder and CEO of Curastory, a company that makes it easy to get started in video. They allow creators to upload, edit, find a sponsor, and distribute video with one click to their social channels, all 100% free. Curastory is launching with a target market where they have recent national approval and first-mover advantage – professional and NCAA student-athletes.

And Tiffany is fresh off raising her six-figure preseed fundraise using crowdfunding!

MORE on TIFFANY AND CURASTORY

TIFFANY:

@tiffmkell [TW]

@tiffmkell [IG]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffmkell/

CURASTORY:

@CurastoryUS [TW]

@Curastory [IG]

https://www.linkedin.com/company/curastory/

https://wefunder.com/fundcurastory

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

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PREVIEW: Tiffany Kelly Curastory

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 12:50:15 GMT

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Tiffany Kelly is founder and CEO of Curastory, a company that makes it easy to get started in video. They allow creators to upload, edit, find a sponsor, and distribute video with one click to their social channels, all 100% free. Curastory is launching with a target market where they have a monopoly and recent national approval - professional and NCAA student athletes. And Tiffany is fresh off raising her pre-seed round using crowdfunding!

FULL EPISODE drops August 13th!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kistein Monkhouse Patient Orator

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 15:45:10 GMT

OUR SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE: BLCK VC, a focused community built for and by black investors.

If you ever thought about getting into Venture, you definitely want to connect up at blackvc.com or

follow @BLCKVC for more about their exceptional programs and events.

In this episode Kistein and Dan discussed:

Her childhood dream to change the world
How she became a New Yorker
Her inspiration from Oprah
Coming to terms with when to fund raise
Her personal experience with the fallibility of US healthcare

Kistein Monkhouse is the founder and CEO of Patient Orator, a platform that uses a mobile app and storytelling to improve patient experience and population health. As a child, Kistein was inspired by Oprah Winfrey - not to be in entertainment but to make an impact in the world. It took a long grind to help her see exactly how she could and would. Kistein spent her days pursuing her education and her nights working at various roles in healthcare. Her studies showed her just how powerful policies could be on outcomes. Her jobs - from in-home health aid to the emergency room - revealed the reality of care disparities. She decided to dedicate herself to attacking healthcare inequities and fighting for those who are underserved, ignored and disregarded. It's from this spirit and commitment to 'humanize healthcare" that her company Patient Orator was born. Listen in to hear the story.

MORE on KISTEIN AND PATIENT ORATOR

KISTEIN:

@KisteinM

linkedin.com/in/kisteinmonk45/

Documentary: vimeo.com/ondemand/humanizinghealthcare

PATIENT ORATOR:

patientorator.com

@PatientOrator

linkedin.com/company/patientorator/

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

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PREVIEW: Kistein Monkhouse Patient Orator

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 16:23:12 GMT

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Kistein Monkhouse is founder and CEO of Patient Orator, a platform that uses storytelling to improve patient experience and population health. Kistein is an entrepreneur, health advocate, and...filmmaker! In this episode Kistein talks about experiencing America as an immigrant, how her view of healthcare has been impacted as both caregiver and patient, and the origins of her new documentary, Humanizing Health Care.

FULL EPISODE drops July 30th!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kameale Terry ChargerHelp!

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 15:45:35 GMT

OUR SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE: BLCK VC, a focused community built for and by black investors.

If you ever thought about getting into Venture, you definitely want to connect up at blackvc.com or

follow @BLCKVC for more about their exceptional programs and events.

In this episode Kameale and Dan discussed:

Her persistent desire to make an impact
How the need to return home made her career flourish
How in 2 years at another startup, she went from customer service rep to leader
Why she keeps ending up surrounded by smart black women
What attracted her to sustainability and EV

Episode Shout Outs:

(LACI) Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator
Grid110 South LA
Startup Grind LA
EV Connect

It's rare when a startup can impact one market challenge successfully. And even rarer...two at once. Well, that's just exactly what Kameale Terry and ChargerHelp! are doing. Kameale's company is tackling a major pain point in electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure - repair and maintenance. At the same time, she's committed to workforce development and economic mobility. ChargerHelp! is creating an entirely new career role - part technician, part electrician, part IT support. And she wants to prioritize training those from her own community.

Kameale has the energy, passion, and drive you just want to get behind. The company story is compelling and she's pretty good at pitching it. So much so that she's earned hundreds of thousands in grants and pitch competition wins. Now that's a way to fund a startup! The journey that landed Kameale as a startup CEO is unique and fascinating. Listen in to hear the story.

MORE on KAMEALE and CHARGERHELP!

KAMEALE:

@KamealeC

linkedin.com/in/kamealecterry

CHARGERHELP!

chargerhelp.com

@ChargerHelp

linkedin.com/company/chargerhelp

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PREVIEW: Kameale Terry ChargerHelp!

Wed, 15 Jul 2020 01:12:06 GMT

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Kameale Terry is co-founder and CEO of ChargerHelp!, a company that is changing the way electric vehicle charging stations are repaired and maintained. ChargerHelp is crushing the LA tech pitch circuit! Listen in to hear about how her company is at the innovative intersection of clean tech and workforce development.

FULL EPISODE drops July 16th!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wole Ayodele, Fliqpay

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 13:30:58 GMT

OUR SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE: Valence, a new and exciting community built for black professionals

Founders Unfound listeners: get free membership and priority access here

In this episode Wole and Dan discussed:

Startup life in Nigeria during a pandemic lockdown
How cryptocurrency is more than a speculation tool
Wole's career arc through engineering, marketing, and banking
a quick tutorial from Wole on cross-border payments
Raising money globally in a COVID-19 world

Episode Shout Outs:

Techstars Bangalore

Wole Ayodele is an entrepreneur who is on a roll. Wole is classically trained as an engineer but began his career in marketing. It's a chance to shift into banking, however, that helped Wole find his passion for finance. He is on his SECOND fintech startup with Fliqpay, a company that uses cryptocurrency infrastructure to help businesses send and receive payments globally. The Fliqpay platform cuts transaction time from days to minutes which is significant when their clients are waiting for payments to settle. With Fliqpay, literally time is money!

Listen in to hear the story.

MORE on WOLE and FLIQPAY

WOLE:

twitter.com/AyowoleOA

linkedin.com/in/woleayodele/

Fliqpay Pitch on Techstars Demo Day

FLIQPAY:

fliqpay.com/

twitter.com/fliqpay

linkedin.com/company/fliqpay/

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

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PREVIEW: Wole Ayodele , Fliqpay

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 15:50:23 GMT

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Wole Ayodele is co-founder and CEO of Fliqpay, a company that helps businesses send and receive payments globally. His company, fresh from completing Techstars, is rocking the Africa fintech space. Wole has a great story as black founder based in Nigeria.

Make sure to listen in!

FULL EPISODE drops June 25th!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Black Women Founders : Real Talk on the Powerful Events of June 2020

Fri, 12 Jun 2020 18:33:36 GMT

OUR SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE: Valence, a new and exciting community built for black professionals

Founders Unfound listeners: get free membership and priority access here

In this special follow up from last week's discussion with black men founders, we now bring the viewpoint from the women's perspective. We gathered four accomplished women entrepreneurs to talk startups, fundraising, and the greater context of racial inequality, social justice protests, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dan is honored to have Dr. Ivor Horn step in as a special guest host. Dr. Horn is an angel investor and advisor supporting entrepreneurs of color, especially women, in digital health.

Helen Adeosun, Stella Ashaolu, Cherae Robinson, and Ashlee Wisdom join Ivor...in a conversation that reveals frustration, but also determination, wisdom and resilience. Listen in!

In this episode the round table discussed:

How it feels to be a black woman in America right now (June 2020)
Moving between exhausted and determined
Honoring the moment: with voice, intention, and self-care
The desire to reach back and lift up
How office hours are a poor substitute for a check

Audience Resources:

George Floyd Memorial Fund
Black Tech for Black Lives
BLCK VC #WeWontWait Campaign (go to "Donate" section to find organizations worthy of your time and resources)
Hidden Genius Project Recommendations
Black Girl Ventures

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Black Men Founders : Real Talk on the Powerful Events of June 2020

Fri, 05 Jun 2020 23:16:53 GMT

OUR SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE: Valence, a new and exciting community built for black professionals

Founders Unfound listeners: get free membership and priority access here

In this special episode, Dan brings together former podcast guests from across the US and Canada. These founders process in real-time how they feel -- as black men and as entrepreneurs -- in the wake of the senseless killing of George Floyd and the subsequent protests sparked all around the country. These savvy entrepreneurs and leaders dive into what they think we and others can be doing to address police brutality, racial inequality, and the outcry for justice and social change.

Kahlil Ashanti, Bara Cola, AK Ikwuakor, and Claudius Mbemba...

keep it real, as the conversation covers everything from exasperation to optimism, and everything in between.

In this episode the round table discussed:

How it feels to be a black man in America right now (June 2020)
What it's like to be a black entrepreneur in the midst of two American crises
What steps are they taking, in light of the protests, George Floyd, and their own mental health
Recommendations for others, including allies

Audience Resources:

George Floyd Memorial Fund
https://www.grassrootslaw.org/
BLCK VC #WeWontWait Campaign (go to "Donate" section to find organizations worthy of your time and resources)
Hidden Genius Project (and the 15 organizations it recommends)
Black Girl Ventures

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shanel Fields, MD Ally

Thu, 28 May 2020 15:50:28 GMT

OUR SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE: Valence, a new and exciting community built for black professionals

Founders Unfound listeners: get free membership and priority access here

In this episode Shanel and Dan discussed:

What it's like to grow up with a volunteer EMT
How she reverse-engineered her MBA
Why 911 system challenges can mean life or death for underserved communities
A different perspective on where to visit Santa during the holidays
Why MD Ally had to be envisioned through the lens of an underrepresented founder

Episode Shout Outs:

Techstars Seattle

Shanel Fields grew up around EMS and first responders. And early in her career she realized that health tech was a place that fed her desire to make an impact. So it makes sense that she combined these two influences when setting out on her MBA journey. She was able to mold her business school experience completely around what would become her startup - MD Ally.

Listen in to hear how!

The problem MD Ally solves seems so obvious: 911 dispatchers aren't licensed medical personnel; if you have a health concern, they can't officially diagnose your situation. So, if you need a band-aid or a defibrillator, they send an ambulance either way. Shanel's startup is trying to fix this. She wants to make sure EMS responders aren't tied up with band-aids when time is critical for that defibrillator!

The company now has major momentum, having recently:

raised a $1 Million seed round
completed the Techstars accelerator program
been featured in the New York Times

MORE on SHANEL and MD ALLY

SHANEL:

linkedin.com/in/shanelfields/

New York Times feature

MD ALLY:

mdally.com

twitter.com/mdallyinc

linkedin.com/company/mdally/

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

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PREVIEW: Shanel Fields, MD Ally

Tue, 26 May 2020 20:30:12 GMT

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Shanel Fields is founder and CEO of MD Ally, a 911 telehealth solution that allows emergency personnel to triage non-emergency callers to telemedicine. Her company, fresh off of a successful fund-raise, was recently profiled in the New York Times. Shanel has a great story as a black woman founder. You don't want to miss it!

FULL EPISODE drops May 28th!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marcus Bullock, Flikshop

Thu, 14 May 2020 16:41:57 GMT

OUR SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE: The Plug

(get $10 off annual subscription to TPInsights with code "unfound")

Marcus and Dan discussed:

The big mistake that cost him eight years of his life
Marcus' incarceration journey from denial to despair to survival
How the cards are stacked against re-entering citizens when they leave prison
How Marcus responded to the startup call, not once but twice!
Why Flikshop is more than just a postcard - it's a lifeline of hope
Having the triple hurdle: black founder, with a criminal record, and no formal education

Episode Shout Outs:

John Legend Unlocked Futures

Marcus Bullock is as rare as they come. A master motivator, charismatic leader, and passionate change-maker. A founder and CEO of TWO companies. All of that is impressive, but not necessarily unique. What makes him the exception to the exception? He's accomplished what he has despite spending his young formative years in adult, maximum-security prison.

What got Marcus through his prison time?

It was a piece of mail from his mom EVERY SINGLE day until the day he was released. A letter, note, or seemingly random picture could create hope and positivity, which in turn fueled the will to persevere and thrive.

Marcus has now turned his experience into a company: Flikshop. Friends, loved ones, as well as attorneys and other allies, can use Flikshop to send caring sentiments and images, or informational critical for the re-entry process. Listen in to hear more!

MORE on MARCUS and FLIKSHOP

MARCUS:

twitter.com/_marcus_bullock

Marcus TED talk

FLIKSHOP:

flikshop.com

twitter.com/flikshop

linkedin.com/in/flikshop/

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

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PREVIEW: Marcus Bullock, Flikshop

Tue, 12 May 2020 21:08:12 GMT

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Marcus Bullock is founder and CEO of Flikshop, a company that helps families stay connected to their incarcerated loved ones. Marcus has a powerful and authentic personal journey, which has directly resulted in the Flikshop success story. You don't want to miss it!

FULL EPISODE drops May 14th!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cheraé Robinson, Tastemakers Africa

Thu, 30 Apr 2020 22:34:29 GMT

OUR SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE: The Plug

(get $10 off annual subscription to TPInsights with code "unfound")

Cheraé Robinson has one of those personalities. Five minutes into a conversation with her and you quickly realize how people gravitate to her passion instantly. Her company, Tastemakers Africa, is on a mission to change perspectives and perceptions of Africa. As she puts it, Africa is more than a place to volunteer or be in the Lion King. Cheraé was generous to do our podcast in the midst of the Corona virus pandemic. Her startup, with a foundation in travel, is evolving day by day. She wanted to share this season with others, in real-time as the story unfolds.

Cheraé and Dan discussed:

Benefits and challenges of attending an HBCU
Lifelong calling to Africa, installed by her family
Leaving her corporate office the day she knew she wouldn't ever be back
Dealing with the radical changes required from the COVID-19 crisis
Discovering our mutual friend Erik Blachford
Being a black woman founder

Episode Shout Outs:

Flybridge Capital

Precursor Ventures

She Leads Africa

Helene Gayle, AA Exec legend

MORE on CHERAÉ and TASTEMAKERS AFRICA

Cheraé:

twitter.com/sasyrae

linkedin.com/in/cheraerobinson/

instagram.com/sasyrae/

Tastemakers Africa:

twitter.com/tstmkrsafrica

tastemakersafrica.com

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PREVIEW: Cherae Robinson, Tastemakers Africa

Wed, 29 Apr 2020 01:45:33 GMT

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Summary

Cherae Robinson is founder and CEO of Tastemakers Africa, a company that connects black millennials to culture forward experiences. Cherae, a former Public health advocate and change-maker, has created what Fusion calls “the sexy, dope way to experience Africa.”

Our sponsor for this episode: The Plug

FULL EPISODE drops April 30th!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kevin Dedner, Henry Health

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 22:43:19 GMT

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OUR SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE: Trajectory Series

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

As a public health advocate and consultant, Kevin Dedner was well aware of the disparities in the health and longevity of black men in America. African American men have the lowest life expectancy of any group...67 years of age. This number is in stark contrast to their white counterparts who see life spans into the early 80s on average.

Dr. Sherman James described this impact as "John Henryism" based on the folktale of steel driver John Henry. As the story goes, John was a black man and the best in the land at driving steel into mountainsides - necessary for the building of railroad tunnels. He was challenged to race a machine - a steam-driven hammer. He defeated the machine, and then had a heart attack and died. Dr. James saw this as a metaphor for the life of the American black man. Basically: work at full capacity ALL THE TIME, with all the extra stresses and striving, which results in a shorter life.

So with this as a backdrop, Kevin undertook his own personal journey in mental health. His epiphany from the experience: finding a provider is a big challenge AND cultural context of your therapy matters. Henry Health (named for John Henry) was born in 2018. The company is building a digital platform that provides culturally sensitive teletherapy services. Their first community is, as you would expect, black men. Dan and Kevin talked about his background, the origin story of Henry Health, and certainly the current situation with the Coronavirus pandemic.

What else did they cover? Listen in and find out!

Kevin and Dan talked about her startup journey, as well as:

Attending the high school where Brown vs Board of Education was tested
His personal journey with mental health
How Kevin and his team are coping with COVID-19 crisis
A shout out to the Transparent Collective
The "questions behind the questions" from investors

Episode Shout Outs:

Transparent Collective

Startup Health

Morgan Stanley Multicultural Innovation Lab

Dr. Sherman James

MORE on KEVIN and HENRY HEALTH

KEVIN:

https://twitter.com/kdedner

linkedin.com/in/kevin-dedner-mph-

HxD Conference Video

HENRY HEALTH:

https://twitter.com/HenryHealthApp

https://www.henry-health.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PREVIEW: Kevin Dedner, Henry Health

Tue, 14 Apr 2020 21:11:51 GMT

Kevin Dedner is co-founder and CEO of Henry Health, a platform that provides culturally sensitive self-care and mental health services. Their first ecosystem of communities is built around black men.

Our sponsor for this episode: Trajectory Series

FULL EPISODE drops April 16th!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Kala Fleming, SMAJI.ai

Fri, 27 Mar 2020 06:17:36 GMT

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OUR SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE:

Founders Live

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Dr. Kala Fleming has a passion to bring technology to the places and people where it can have dramatic impact. All the way back to her time with IBM, she's pursued projects that help solve healthcare, food security...and water. These fundamental needs lead Dr. Fleming to found Diaspora.ai as a vehicle to tackle these challenges head on It's this last essential, water, that preoccupies her current startup, SMAJI, which is using AI to address water scarcity. The company employs a combination of technology and human feedback to accurately assess and validate water levels for property managers, in near real time.

What else did they cover? Listen in and find out!

Notable Interview Highlights

Kala and Dan talked about her startup journey, as well as:

Growing up in Antigua, a water-challenged island
Going from the Virgin Islands to Wisconsin - brrrrrr!
A PhD dissertation on...you guessed it...water.
AfroTech and Founders Gym
Resisting pre-conceived notions

MORE on KALA AND SMAJI

KALA:

https://twitter.com/thekalafleming

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalafleming/

TED talk

SMAJI and DIASPORA:

https://twitter.com/SMAJIcloud

https://www.smaji.ai/

https://twitter.com/diasporatech

https://diasporaai.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PREVIEW: Dr. Kala Fleming, SMAJI.ai

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 01:24:24 GMT

Dr. Fleming is co-founder and CEO of Diaspora.ai and SMAJI, a company using AI to address water scarcity.

FULL EPISODE drops March 26th!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kahlil Ashanti, weshowup.io

Fri, 13 Mar 2020 05:53:46 GMT

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OUR SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE:

Founders Live

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Kahlil Ashanti has one amazing and unique journey. Starting with a challenging childhood, to the Air Force, to performing in Caesar's Palace, to an award winning show on Broadway...and even to Hollywood.

But in this episode Dan spoke with Kahlil about his startup weshowup - a company that works with venues and artists to serve event audiences the option to "pay what you want." The conversation ranged across many topics, including the origin story of weshowup, which includes an experiment with Kahlil's own show - netting 82% more revenue than fixed price!

What else did they cover? Listen in and find out!

Notable Interview Highlights

Kahlil and Dan talked about his startup journey, as well as:

The Air Force as "the family business"
A military version of American Idol
Doing a one-man show on Broadway
His adventures in Hollywood
Leveraging the network

MORE on KAHLIL AND WESHOWUP

Kahlil:

twitter.com/kahlilashanti

kahlilashanti.com

TED talk

weshowup company site:

weshowup.io

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PREVIEW: Kahlil Ashanti, weshowup.io

Wed, 11 Mar 2020 03:59:58 GMT

Kahlil Ashanti is the founder and CEO of weshowup, a company that brings the concept of "pay what you want" to entertainment and events.

FULL EPISODE drops March 12th!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brooke S. Sinclair, Velour Imports

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 05:53:12 GMT

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OUR SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE:

Washington Technology Industry Association

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Brooke Sinclair has a great job: take tasty, unique beverages from independent, craft brands, and bring them to eager taste buds around the world. She has a unique background: a family engineering heritage (she’s a self-professed tech ‘nerd’), theater, non-profit, and corporate logistics. She’s also a vibrant member of the startup community as an alum of Founder Institute and a Scout for Female Founded Club.

In this podcast episode, Dan spoke with Brooke about her startup Velour Imports - a company developing technology to bring craft brands from your local neighborhood across the planet. The conversation ranged across many topics, including of course the wonderful origin story of Velour. What else did they cover? Listen in and find out!

Notable Interview Highlights

Brooke and Dan talked about her startup journey, as well as:

How religion contributed to Velour’s beginnings
being trapped in an airport for 7 days
whether Brooke gets to sample the beers she exports
A shout out to MS DOS

MORE on BROOKE AND VELOUR IMPORTS

Brooke on LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/in/brookesinclair

Velour Imports company site:

https://www.velourimports.com/

or check them out on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/velourimports

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PREVIEW: Brooke Sinclair, Velour Imports

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 19:46:26 GMT

Brooke S. Sinclair is the founder and CEO of Velour Imports, a company that facilitates independently-owned craft brands distribution around the world.

FULL EPISODE drops February 27th!

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Rica Elysee, BeautyLynk

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 17:23:53 GMT

OUR SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE: Perfect Pitches By Precious

Full Transcript

Modjossorica (Rica) Elysee represents why we started Founders Unfound: brave, capable, inspirational, and determined. She pulls no punches. Rica took lessons from her community and nonprofit experiences and transformed herself into an entrepreneurial force. She's a sought after speaker on the fireside chat founder circuit. And has boldly helped bring together other women entrepreneurs with @thetable and Female Founders Day. She's been featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, and Black Enterprise.

In this podcast episode, Dan spoke with Rica about her startup BeautyLynk - a company transforming the on-demand beauty market. The conversation ranged across many topics, including of course the wonderful origin story of BeautyLynk. What else did they cover? Listen in and find out!

Notable Interview Highlights

Rica and Dan talked about her startup journey, as well as:

her "third culture" life between America and Haiti
being on billboard in Times Square (New York)
how music fits into her management approach
global expansion
what Rick Ross and Cardi B have to do with Morgan Stanley

MORE on RICA AND BEAUTYLYNK

Rica's site:

(always looking to give back with speaking opportunities)

http://ricaelysee.com/

BeautyLynk company site:

https://beautylynk.com/

or check them out on Twitter:

twitter.com/BeautyLynks/

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PREVIEW: Rica Elysee, BeautyLynk

Mon, 10 Feb 2020 17:50:14 GMT

Rica Elysee is the founder and CEO of BeautyLynk, a company transforming the on-demand, in-home beauty market.

FULL EPISODE drops February 13th!

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Founders Unfound 2020 Kickoff

Sun, 05 Jan 2020 09:51:54 GMT

Dan previews what to expect from Founders Unfound in 2020.

We would love your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, feedback. Please DM us today!

social:

instagram : linkedin : youtube : twitter

podcast:

apple : spotify : soundcloud : sticher

web:

www.foundersunfound.com

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Coach AK Ikwuakor, ELETE Styles

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 02:14:17 GMT

AK Ikwuakor, or "Coach AK" as he prefers, is a man of many talents. He’s been both a collegiate and Olympic athlete. Motivational speaker. Educator and Social impact entrepreneur. And even dabbled in some standup. In this podcast episode, however, Dan spoke with him as Co-Founder and CEO of ELETE Styles - a startup on a mission to create professional attire with fit, function, and fashion for the athlete build.

ELETE takes the broadest view of the value it adds. From athletes to first responders to returning war vets who need adaptive apparel. Men, women, casual, formal...and everything in between.

AK's life journey has included Olympic trials, world travel, and even a stint of being homeless. How does all this connect with an eCommerce startup?

Listen in and find out!

Notable Interview Highlights

(04:14) How ELETE works to bring consumers custom attire
(09:00) How AK's love of his mom's homecooking led to ELETE's origin story
(15:05) The challenges of making ONLY one piece (vs. 1000) for a custom design
(16:55) Complexities of tariffs and currencies for a global business
(23:35) Powerful origin story of AK's NGO startup Empower 2 Play
(33:10) The 400M race as a metaphor for life
(41:21) AK's adventures as an Olympic athlete
(46:44) Personal choices, perspectives, and growth
(50:00) Sources of influence: mentors, friends, enemies, and books

MORE on ELETE

AK's Youtube Channel, company site, and linkedin

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Baratunde Cola, Carbice

Fri, 27 Sep 2019 08:06:30 GMT

In this episode Dan has a great conversation with Bara Cola, founder and CEO of Carbice. Bara's startup is revolutionizing the new standard for thermal cooling in the global electronics market. What does this mean to you and me?

We are surrounded by a global infrastructure - from power plants and satellites to your Amazon Echo - that is powered by electronics. Electronics generate heat. If they kick out too much, well, then they shut down or at least slow down. Carbice's magic material manages the heat better - so full performance can be realized. Bara makes the case that everything from Arab Spring to high end gaming is all made possible by better thermal management.

Listen in to hear how and why!

Notable Interview Highlights

(02:42) EVERYTHING that generates heat must regulate it

(06:14) Carbice has invented the first new cooling material class in 100 years!

(12:58) Bara connects thermal management to the Arab Spring

(14:56) Bara talks Carbice's current traction

(19:44) Homebase: the choice between Atlanta and Silicon Valley

(21:22) Closing a lead investor on a Sunday afternoon walk around the neighborhood

(26:00) Growing up in Pensacola, Florida...AKA "lower Alabama"

(31:28) Early entrepreneurial aspirations

(32:35) Meeting President Obama at the White House

(37:44) What Bara considers the most important skill

(40:41) Bara gives advice to his 22-year-old self

(42:31) Important mentors

(44:02) props to TechSquare Labs - Paul Judge and Allen Nance

Check out more about Carbice: carbice.com, @carbice, @baratundecola

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Ikechi Nwabuisi, TRiBL

Tue, 10 Sep 2019 18:44:57 GMT

Host Dan Kihanya talks fundraising, Techstars, and jollof rice with Ikechi Nwabuisi, co-founder of TRiBL, a trust network helping black migrants identify and connect with locals.

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Founders Unfound Preview

Wed, 01 May 2019 00:30:09 GMT

Here is a short preview from Dan and Deborah of what to expect with our exciting new project!

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Kwame Boler, Rilwan Lawal, Claudius Mbemba, Neu Inc

Thu, 18 Apr 2019 00:34:23 GMT

Host Dan Kihanya catches up with the founding team of Neu Inc. Based in Seattle, Neu facilitates hotel-grade turnovers for Airbnb/vacation rentals.

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Stella Ashaolu, WeSolv

Wed, 17 Apr 2019 21:51:22 GMT

Founders Unfound host Dan Kihanya catches up with Stella Ashaolu, founder and CEO of WeSolv. Based in Chicago, WeSolv uses performance data and predictive analytics to help companies reduce bias and hire a more diverse workforce.

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