Startup Stories with Cynthia E. Chisom

This is a continuation of SE3 EP7, the journey of wale as he further builds his startup - mystash About Wale Adebowale is a cofounder at myStash. He started is career working on logistics shipments from the Apapa Ports. He was also once a City Manager at logistics startup- MAX.ng and previously cofounded a food processing business, all prior to starting myStash. About SDC It is a pan-african startup school designed to help first-time and aspiring founders navigate the journey from idea to successful startup. If you are listening to this episode, it means you are either a newbie here or a student of sdc startup school or sdc launchpad. To learn more visit: www.sdcstartupschool.com

Sign up for SDC Startup School: www.sdcstartupschool.com About Kayode As a major contributor to conversations around Improving Teacher Quality, Oluwaseun leads a team that leverages technology to create an ecosystem of highly skilled teachers for schools in Africa.Currently working at Schoolinka, his team designs exciting professional development opportunities for teachers and deliver them through an online learning platform and live masterclasses. With this technology, teachers now have the power to access professional development in their hands.With six years of experience in the education space, he has worked on a lot of local and international education projects. He was invited to speak at the Teach For All Global Conference in Armenia and also got accepted into the Peace First Accelerator Program in Austin, Texas.Oluwaseun is also the Senior Program Manager at Peace First, one of the world's largest youth-led organizations. He supervises a team of regional managers and ambassadors in twenty-five (25) countries across six(6) regions in the world - Asia/Oceania, LATAM, MENA, US and Canada, UK and Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa - as they power youth-led social change across the world, and also leads on the design of the global programs of the organization.

Oreoluwa Shonibare is a value-driven entrepreneur with an eye for gaps in markets and industries. He is the CEO, and cofounder of WiiCreate.com WiiCreate is a brand merchandising startup that uses technology to provide merchandising solutions to corporate and individual clients. WiiCreate has serviced over 500 African startups across the continent. Oreoluwa has a strong passion for young people and their potential. He shares his insight on life lessons and relatable topics for young people on #DividePodcast. Oreoluwa finished from Oxbridge Tutorial College in 2014, after concluding his 2 year A-level program. He is also an alumni of Bowen University, and lgbobi College Yaba. He holds a degree in Mass Communication, specialising in Advertising and Public relations. He was one of the recipients of the 25 under 25 awards by SME 100 Africa in 2018. He is happily married to His Wife, Oreoluwa Macaulay Shonibare. Wiicreate.com Twitter.com/wiicreate Instagram.com/amb.ore

Scott C Eneje is a tech expert with over a decade of experience in the technology space. He has worked with several teams across the globe building products that shape Data, CX and innovative technology. He has helped several businesses bring their ideas to life, with website development, structural set up, product management, team training and advisor supports. In the last few years, He co-founded the eCommerce Company – Yandi Nigeria and served as the Head of Product for the company’s platform and its CEO Join SDC Startup School: https://lnkd.in/eBJNv8C2

Scott C Eneje is a tech expert with over a decade of experience in the technology space. He has worked with several teams across the globe building products that shape Data, CX and innovative technology. He has helped several businesses bring their ideas to life, with website development, structural set up, product management, team training and advisor supports. In the last few years, He co-founded the eCommerce Company – Yandi Nigeria and served as the Head of Product for the company’s platform and its CEO Join SDC Startup School: https://lnkd.in/eBJNv8C2

Patient is a multilingual Registered Dietitian with 15 years of experience leading food security, health, and well-being initiatives in Africa and Canada. With a background in community outreach, capacity building, health promotion, primary health care, research, and project management, he holds an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and Dietetics. As an entrepreneur and business leader, he is a positive and passionate individual, known for his solutions-focused approach. His expertise includes facilitation, coaching, and developing community-based programs and individualized nutrition care plans, empowering clients to address dietetic and health challenges within their life journeys and needs.

Leah leads the Accelerator at ALX Ventures (a subsidiary of the African Leadership Group). The Accelerator is designed to support tech startups to scale, access investments and expand into new markets. Leah Nduati is also the current President of the Afrikan Youth Business Council - the continental apex body for youth-led private sector entities, institutions & associations in Africa advocating for a youth friendly business policy environment in general and making AfCFTA Promises to African youth a reality in particular. Purchase the SDC startup school course. Learn what it means to build a startup from scratch. This also comes with access to a support community. https://selar.co/sdcstartupschool

Harry is currently the community a manager at East African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association. However, before this he was the founder of a Fintech startup based in Kenya. In this episode he shares his journey and lessons from building a startup to the point where he couldn’t continue building. Harry is an Ex-Founder of a FinTech startup automating students’ pocket money and school fee payments, transforming the education payment landscape in Kenya. He has over 8 years of experience across product management, software engineering, product marketing, venture capital, training, and startup mentorship. Currently, he is the Community Manager for the East Africa Venture Capital Association. Purchase the SDC startup school course. Learn what it means to build a startup from scratch https://selar.co/sdcstartupschool

I'm thrilled to be back, and we're bringing you fresh episodes filled with inspiring tales from visionary founders across the continent. Get ready for a journey through the entrepreneurial landscape, where innovation knows no bounds. If you want to know more about the Launchpad Programme, make sure to check out our website at [https://www.cynthiaechisom.com/launchpad](https://www.cynthiaechisom.com/launchpad). Stay connected with me on social media: 📷 Instagram: [https://instagram.com/cynthiaechisom?igshid=NGVhN2U2NjQ0Yg==](https://instagram.com/cynthiaechisom?igshid=NGVhN2U2NjQ0Yg==) 💼 LinkedIn: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthiachisom?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app](https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthiachisom?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app) 🐦 Twitter: [https://twitter.com/cynthiaechisom?s=21&t=0NXd5f5Bw2FIPHDQa03PBQ](https://twitter.com/cynthiaechisom?s=21&t=0NXd5f5Bw2FIPHDQa03PBQ) Join us for another incredible season of entrepreneurial insights and success stories. Don't miss out! 🔥🚀

Sona is a Venture Builder at Founders Factory Africa where she supports the Venture Design team, the team responsible for co-creating ventures from scratch with idea-stage entrepreneurs. Her passion sits at the intersection of business and biology, and she is immensely excited about the growing tech scene in Africa. She has previously worked in operations, programme, and project management, mainly in a start-up environment. Register for SDC Startup School: https://cynthiaechisom.softr.app/startup-school Check out Founders Cabal: bit.ly/founderscabal FFA GenF: https://www.foundersfactory.africa/gen-f-eir-initiative - Sona Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sona-mahendra/ - FFA general: https://www.foundersfactory.africa/ Subscribe to my newsletter: https://substack.com/@cynthiaechisom?r=13q7ni&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=profile What is GenF? GenF is a 3-month initiative (powered by Founders Factory Africa) targeting idea-stage founders, where our support includes: * Access to venture design experts to help you refine your concept * $5000 market validation budget to run market experiments to validate your concept * $3000 monthly stipend to help you de-risk your entrepreneurship journey * A chance to pitch at our IC at the end of the three months, where if IC approved, you can unlock your first check (of up to $250 000) plus free studio support * To learn more about Gen F, please see here. * To apply, please click here

Elijah Affi is the Creative Director and Co-founder of Takeout Media. With years of experience and a demonstrated work history in the marketing, advertising, and strategic communications industry, he has developed solutions for renowned International Organisations, Regional Organisations, Corporate Organisations, and Donor Funded Projects. He is also a Mandela Washington Fellow and a distinguished associate of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON). Social Media Handles. Takeout Media - @takeout.media (https://www.instagram.com/takeout.media/) Elijah Affi - @elijahaffi (https://www.instagram.com/elijahaffi/) Check out Founders Cabal: bit.ly/founderscabal Subscribe to my newsletter: https://cynthiaechisom.substack.com/publish/home

Gerald Black, formerly known as Gerald Okonkwo, is a highly accomplished professional in the field of entrepreneurship, sales and business development. He holds a degree in Computer Engineering from Madonna University and has also completed various professional courses, including Business Development, Project Management, and Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies from London Academy Business School and HarvardX. As the Managing Partner of Microblack, a sales, business development, and growth marketing ad hoc team specializing in assisting tech startups in achieving growth, Gerald has established himself as a leading expert in sales and growth consulting. His firm specializes in helping startups accomplish their business goals and attain success. Gerald's entrepreneurial spirit has led him to found several successful startups throughout his career. In 2011, he founded Wefix, a company that provided on-demand cleaning and facility management services. In 2016, he established iFixng.com, a similar venture that further solidified his reputation as a serial entrepreneur. In 2018, Gerald founded Parkit, a startup focused on autotech vehicle care. The company was later acquired by Fixit45, a spin-off of Cars45, where he assumed the role of Vice President of Business Development. With his extensive experience and expertise in entrepreneurship, business development, and project management, Gerald has become a sought-after consultant and mentor in the startup community. He is highly respected for his innovative thinking and his ability to transform ideas into successful businesses. 🚀🚀🚀 Subscribe to my newsletter: https://substack.com/@cynthiaechisom?r=13q7ni&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=profile 🚀🚀🚀

Meals by Reni is a leading Food Delivery Service in Lagos, Nigeria Learn more about Meals by Reni: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn2QUgjMgvC/ Check out Founders Cabal: bit.ly/founderscabal Subscribe to my newsletter: https://substack.com/@cynthiaechisom?r=13q7ni&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=profile

Ose Iyoke is the CEO of ZST Technologies, a software engineering company specializing in Govtech solutions. With 6 years of software engineering experience, he has co-founded three start-ups. At ZST Technologies, our flagship application is Eyemark, which was launched by former President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari as the official monitoring and evaluation tool for the Federal Government of Nigeria. Eyemark empowers Nigerian citizens to easily discover, track, and provide feedback on public projects in their vicinity. Our focus is on leveraging technology to enhance transparency and citizen engagement in governance. Check out Eyemark: https://eyemark.ng Check out Founders Cabal: bit.ly/founderscabal Subscribe to my newsletter: https://substack.com/@cynthiaechisom?r=13q7ni&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=profile

Ekondo is a plant company promoting environmental sustainability and wellness through the community. Check out Ekondo: https://instagram.com/ekondolife?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== Check out develoPPP Ventures Funding Programme, and it's targeted toward Nigerian founders seeking funding. In this program, you stand the chance of getting up to 100,000 euros in matching funds. https://www.developpp.de/en/funding-programme/startups Check out Founders Cabal: bit.ly/founderscabal Subscribe to my newsletter: https://substack.com/@cynthiaechisom?r=13q7ni&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=profile

We are back with more stories and more surprises. Listen in to learn more about what’s in store for you this season.

Futurize turns university students into entrepreneurs. Futurize delivers cutting-edge innovation and incubation programs that enable world-class universities and businesses to collaborate to build early-stage ventures. They support the growth of purpose-driven ventures and provide entrepreneurship training through a global platform of world-class universities, companies, investors, and social enterprises.

Victor Daniyan is a tech entrepreneur who established Yourrider Limited, a logistics company that uses technology to enhance its services. He is also the brain behind Nearpays, a state-of-the-art financial technology system. Victor's passion lies in conceptualizing, building, and scaling innovative projects both in Nigeria and globally. Before delving into entrepreneurship, Victor gained valuable experience in the telecommunications industry in Nigeria. He contributed significantly to the development of Nigeria's 5G technology while working with major telecommunications companies like Huawei and Nokia.

Rita Idehai is a social entrepreneur who works at the nexus of environment, social inclusion and economic development. She is the founder/ CEO of Ecobarter, a tech enabled platform enabling Nigerians use their wastes as a currency. Wanna tell your story on this podcast? Kindly fill the form below https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScg2TdvlvHJbUeEyWg4mixcdLl_Fd-WVN35_E_CyVHT8rRdNg/viewform

Ugoo Chukwunyelu is the CEO and co-founder at Shopazhub Universe, a tech startup that builds suites of data analytics and AI-powered tools and platforms that enables SMEs seamlessly control their offline and online business operations. Ugoo believes that commerce is a major driver of prosperity in Africa, hence digitizing and providing SMEs with the right tool that can enable them seamlessly manage various segments of their business both online and offline operation will foster their growth and job creation, Prior to starting Shopazhub, Ugoo worked in banking, Insurance, and e-commerce. During his stint in finance, he developed products that help foster financial inclusion for the unbanked. He founded the Shopazhub Universe to develop suites in products along the commerce, fintech, and logisy=tics verticals. Ugoo is a trained Product Manager and has piloted the development of many tech products in the African Startup ecosystem. Apart from business, Ugoo is a strong believer in the fact that African problems can only be solved by Africans, and hence all citizens should look at loopholes in their society so they can create solutions for and drive growth. Ugoo holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology Education from the prestigious University of Nigeria Nsukka.

Kelechi Oleka is a tech-focused entrepreneur and consultant creating solutions that address critical needs in the environment. He is the founder of Payslice, a fintech company that allows employees to access their earned salaries on demand. Kelechi’s experience spans financial education and management. He teaches both employers and employees how to make better financial decisions, and the rewards they get when they are disciplined enough to follow through with their decisions. ​Kelechi also leads his team through enormous research in their quest for using practical approaches to solve technical problems. Before Payslice, Kelechi was a Product Designer and Software Developer for Decagon, Liveizy, and Farfill. Kelechi received a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the National Open University of Nigeria, and a certificate in Digital Products Design UX – Research, UI – Design from the University of Minnesota. He also holds other certifications from the FATE Foundation and Geneza School of Design. Kelechi is a Carrington Fellow and a volunteer at The Young Professionals Platform.

David Rotimi is a Communication Designer and Entrepreneur who helps global brands tell their stories in a clear and compelling way. With a master's degree in Architecture from Covenant University, David has built a successful career in graphic design and brand consulting, working with well-known brands such as ONE Campaign, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, Thrive Agric, Results for Development, and Palladium, to name a few. Currently, David is building three brands: Gird, Flevor, and Banisoro, all centered around communication and self-expression.

Givings you guys heads up on what has been happening behind the scenes and how ready we are to release episodes of early stage founders sharing their stories with the world.

Victor Onyekere, popularly called The Strategist is a certified Life, Behavioural Change and Productivity Coach. He has consulted for diverse organizations via workforce transformation and interacted with over 3000 African entrepreneurs through Coaching, Consulting and Strategy. He has directly coached 50 companies across 5 countries on structure and systems. Victor’s thought patterns are very unconventional and he brings incredible superpowers to his work. He’s currently the Founder/CEO at Talemia - an Edtech company ridiculously focused on supporting early stage African founders to get faster traction with their startups by taking them from 0 to 1. Talemia has till date supported 30+ early stage African startups across 10 industries through community engagement and exclusive hand holding. He’s building a full fledged PR/Media outfit for early stage startups via TechCleek and leading Nigeria’s most controversial lifestyle talk show - Kilonsele Podcast Victor has been featured across several media platforms like Voice of America, ChannelsTV, PlusTV, TheBeat FM, NTA, Nigeria Info and many others

Marvin Uche CEO and Co-Founder, Hala. Hala is a commerce company that envisions every individual an entrepreneur. They develop products that make it easy to do business with everyone in your contact/network. He is lovingly married to Tamunotonye Marvin Uche - his partner in everyday life, business and ministry 
He is a graduate of Computer Science from Covenant University. His faith in God, deep understanding of technology, educational background, love for community and knack of business generally have found expression in every area of his life.

Bolu Oluwagbesan is the CEO and Co-founder of Tribapay, a payment company based in Nigeria. Before Tribapay, he started and sold another company named Storemia. He preciously was a Digital Marketing trainer, with over 15,000 students in his portfolio and eight large companies. When he’s not working, he’s an avid Chelsea supporter.

Adebowale is a cofounder at myStash. He started is career working on logistics shipments from the Apapa Ports. He was also once a City Manager at logistics startup- MAX.ng and previously cofounded a food processing business, all prior to starting myStash.

Adeshina Adewumi is a Global change maker and social entrepreneur, an MB100 2021 Entrepreneur by Ernst & Young (EY) committed to using technology to support small retail businesses as regards Access to market and Finance across emerging markets. He is the founder of Trade Lenda.

Jeffrey Ehikioya Itepu BSc, MSc, PMP, CIM is a Marketing & Sales professional. He grows personal and corporate through communication  He is currently the Co-Founder Abode; with a mission to create prosperity for Africans using simplified assets ownership. Before starting Abode, Jeffrey was CEO of Pertinence Properties Limited where he led 2 branches as branch manager and facilitated the creation of 4 others. He has worked on multiple StartUps like Realvest, Pettysave, Agbeloba, Homify, DataFirst, Landshares, Maplandi, amongst others.

Spotify did this thing called Spotify Wrapped, so I decided to talk jump on it. Let’s look at some of the lessons and accomplishments for the year 2022.

Aina is the founder and principal R&D scientist at her skincare start-up called RD8 Labs. RD8 Labs offers a diverse range of high-performing personalised cosmetic products that primarily address a plethora of skin concerns that people with skin of colour experience while also taking into consideration the consumers daily weather/climatic experiences.

Aina is the founder and principal R&D scientist at her skincare start-up called RD8 Labs. RD8 Labs offers a diverse range of high-performing personalised cosmetic products that primarily address a plethora of skin concerns that people with skin of colour experience while also taking into consideration the consumers daily weather/climatic experiences.

Beautiful Startup Story Session with the Co-Founder of Gova. Industry: Fintech. Region: Nigeria, Africa

Beautiful Startup Story session with the Founder, Ishaz Proptech.

Benjamin is an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) proponent who believes profit and impact are entirely compatible. He has a track record of creating ESG training curricula and facilitating ESG integration exercises for tech startups, venture capital firms, and accelerator programs. He also functions as an Africa-focused VC Scout for a host of notable VC firms across Africa, North America, and Asia. Currently sourcing for deals (predominantly pre-seed and seed) across the Big Four Sub-Saharan African markets (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa).

In the previous episode, we learnt about the early years of Daipers and how Amazon came at them with an offer they couldn’t refuse. Even though they got a better offer from another company, they still couldn’t refuse Amazons offer because of the terrifying threat hanging over this heads. Although Marc didn’t want to sell, he eventually had to give up on his dreams and join the line of employees under Amazon So what happens now? Stay tuned because we will be exploring the later end of Marc Startup Journey. Start-up Dev with Cynthia is focused on equipping early-stage founders with the necessary practical tools, frameworks, models and systems for business growth and development. To register visit sdc2022.softr.app I repeat sdc2022.softr.app

Diapers are loss leaders They are loss leaders because retailers are on a race to the bottom. The retailers are pricing it down to get customer to the door of their stores. But Marc decided to go ahead because with the internet, There is unlimited store space, with room to display more high margin products than the regular stores. Marc wasn’t willing to let go of the idea. They decided to move on regardless even when faced with a threat from Amazon.

We will be going through the entire journey of a startup founder who took idea guaranteed to loose him money by selling diapers online.

Introducing our first ever commentary episode, we have on the show the General Manager for Ventures Park, an affiliate of Ventures Platform and Future Africa. Such an exciting and thought provoking episode with Gideon a Jayeola.

How did TOMS shoes go from being a 625 million dollar company in 2014 to being in massive debt? At little surprise at the end of the episode.

This company went on to become a multi-million dollar shoe empire. But all that success didn’t come easy. In this episode we are going to discover how Blake turned a good will mission into a multi-million dollar shoe empire and create a business model unlike anything anyone had seen before.

In this series we are going to discover how Blake turned a good will mission into a multi-million dollar shoe empire and create a business model unlike anything anyone had seen before.

Its been a long time coming, hasn’t it Well the wait is over for I have researched and curated an exciting pool of startup stories to share. We will go deep, we explore life changing events, we will share in the anger, tears, and joys of incredible startup founders. Get ready to have a fantastic time as we explore remarkable startup stories from various industries. Can't wait to share it all with you

What a journey it has been exploring the story of Evite from who they discovered each other as founders, to how they discovered the idea. In todays episode we go a bit further to discuss the investor dilenma, the valuation chaos and the final home of Evite.

Today we take a step into the story of Evite. Let’s explore, the birth of the idea Evite.

Today we are going to learn about how two friends from college pioneered the idea for online invitations, and rode the ups and downs of the dotcom bubble with their company Evite.

Its been an exciting journey learning about how Vincent and Andrews built a multimillionaire dollar food company. So far, we saw how they discovered the product, how they went about production and just recently how an incredibly lucky moment placed their brand in front of the millions of followers of Kourtney Kardashian. Today, we go deeper into their unique startup story

In today’s episode, we will learn about how he turned this accidental discovery into an actual product, settling the rising chaos what was going on with Vincent and his brother and how a lucky break from a certain Kardashian sister helped to spread the word real fast

How did two brothers take a simple toasted coconut recipe and turn it into a multimillion dollar company? This snack is currently being sold in thousands of stores across the globe. Knowing how crowded the snack industry can be, how did these startup founders scale through the limitations to create a product that broke-even during the pandemic?

How did a startup founder build her company from scratch for 4 decades, got fired from that same company, went into huge debt, fought back and rebuilt the company, which got sold for half a billion dollars?