#EP 17 - Paulo Araújo: Connecting the Unconnected

Today on our podcast, we're excited to welcome Paulo Araujo who’s making internet available for people and businesses in Angola. 🎬 Full video (https://youtu.be/rrzAePII-5c)00:00 Intro 03:18 Paulo’s Personal journey05:32 WiConnect inception06:58 Challenges of being an African Entrepreneur10:59 Raising Funds and Accessing Talent21:47 Funding Timming for a Startup27:43 WiConnect is Now Data Oriented35:10 Digital Inclusion44:44 Financial Inclusion and Digital Payment Systems46:19 The New Startup Law54:50 Attracting the Startup Ecosystem59:18 Our Followers Questions from X1:04:56 Closing Remarks🗣️More about our guest:Born and raised in Angola, Paulo Araújo pursued his higher education in England, where he studied Mathematics and Management at Loughborough University. Upon returning to his home country, he was welcomed into a thriving economy and secured a position as a Financial Analyst at Standard Bank Angola. His career trajectory within the bank propelled him to the global markets room, where he served as a money market trader. However, his entrepreneurial spirit yearned for more, and alongside his cousin, he embarked on a new venture, founding WiConnect. Today, Paulo Araujo is the General Director of WiConnect. The challenges he faced as one of Angola's entrepreneurs instilled in him a desire to support others on similar journeys. This led him to take the role of Vice President for Economic and Financial Affairs at AASED (Angola's Startup and Digital Entrepreneurship Association), where he continues to promote and foster entrepreneurship and economic development.Follow Paulo Araújo on social media:www.instagram.com/pcarroloaraujowww.linkedin.com/in/paulo-888Links and initiatives- "Sonhar em Grande, Começar Pequeno: O Relato de um CEO a Ascender em Angola"https://bit.ly/4bciANE- Fortalecimento da Soberania Energética: O Papel da Mineração de Bitcoin na Autonomia Nacional" https://bit.ly/4bvTbyuFollow us on:https://www.africatechtalks.com/https://twitter.com/afri_techtalkshttps://www.instagram.com/africatechtalks/https://www.linkedin.com/company/africa-tech-talksIvo Martins - www.ivo-martins.comAndré Cavaco - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andre-cavacoManuel Pinto de Andrade - https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuel-pinto-de-andrade-69a03812/Victor Calhau - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vitor-calhau/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit africatechtalks.substack.com