PODCAST · business
The Grinders Table
by Uwem Uwemakpan
The Grinders Table Podcast is your opportunity to sit at the table with entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders who are shaking things up in their industry. Each week Uwem will interview these amazing thought-leaders to uncover how they've done it and learn something new in the process. Join me on the regular to hear how they dared to defy the odds and live their own success story... or epic failure!
Episodes
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Zahra Baitie-Boateng: Building Africa's Bridge to China
Zahra Baitie-Boateng built her career at the intersection of Africa and China - from Yale to founding Beijing's first Africa Week, to seven years building Africa's Business Heroes into a pan-African entrepreneurship institution. In this conversation, she talks candidly about the data behind the...
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Dayo Koleowo (Microtraction) on Turning Desperation Into Fuel
A failing startup. A tweet he almost scrolled past. A cold email offering to work for free. Now Partner at Microtraction, one of Africa's earliest and most active pre-seed investment firms, he has been consequential in the growth of the startup ecosystem in Nigeria/Africa. In this episode, we…
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Oluseun Onigbinde: What 15 Years of Civic Tech Actually Taught Me
Oluseun Onigbinde co-founded BudgIT at a Lagos hackathon in 2011 with one conviction: that the gap between what Nigeria's budget data showed and what citizens could understand was itself a governance failure. Fifteen years later, he runs Africa's most recognised fiscal transparency organisation...
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Yvonne Johnson - The Infrastructure Layer Africa's Credit Ecosystem Is Built On
Yvonne Johnson left investment banking in New York to join the transformation team at First Bank of Nigeria. She spent eight years there, rising to Head of Strategy and Corporate Development - restructuring the operating model and building the bank's first digital finance strategy. When she left…
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Eunice Ajim on Conviction, Community, and Backing Africa's Next Category Leaders
Eunice Ajim graduated high school at 15, moved to the US from Cameroon with almost no financial support, and built a hairstyling business to pay for college. She quit Apple inside eighteen months, got wiped out building her first company, and slept in her car before she ever raised a dollar. Then...
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Momentum Is All You've Got - Opeyemi Awoyemi
Opeyemi Awoyemi built WhoGoHost in his first year atuniversity before Nigerian tech had a template. He co-founded Jobberman from a dormitory, grew it into the largest online recruitment platform in sub-Saharan Africa, and watched it get acquired by Ringier One Africa Media. He didn't stop there…
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Mike Hudack didn't set out to build a payments company. He set out to fix an interface.
After co-founding Blip (acquired by Disney), running Facebook's ads product through the chaos of the post-IPO years, serving as CPTO at Deliveroo, and CPO at Monzo, Mike left banking with one conviction: the technology to move money instantly and cheaply across borders already existed. Nobody had...
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Building Africa’s Carbon Neobank: A Conversation with Mélanie Keita
What does it really take to build a digital bank for Africa’s green economy, and why might carbon credits become one of the continent’s most valuable exports? In this episode of The Grinders Table, Uwem sits down with Mélanie Keita, CEO and co‑founder of Melanin Kapital, a carbon neobank lending…
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Why SaaS Dies in Africa, the Talent Myth & the Only Thing That Actually Matters - Flo Nduwayezu
Florent "Flo" Nduwayezu is a Nairobi-based investor at FP Capital, and one of the most consistently honest voices in African tech. He's Burundian, he's been in Nairobi for 13 years, and he has very little patience for the narratives that keep African ecosystems stuck. In this episode, Flo sits…
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Fundability vs. Buildability: What African Venture Actually Demands - Dotun Olowoporoku, Ventures Platform
Dr. Dotun Olowoporoku didn't take the typical route to venture capital. He started as a PhD researcher on air quality and climate change, stumbled into entrepreneurship with an online food delivery startup, became CCO at Moniepoint during its most critical growth years, and then became Managing...
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Complexity Is the Moat: Stone Atwine on Building Eversend Across 12 Markets Without Losing the Plot
Most fintech founders talk about financial inclusion. Stone Atwine actually started there, watching his grandmother get stressed at a Moneygram agent because she had no ID, carrying $200 in cash on a one-hour bus ride back to her farm. That frustration became the foundation of Eversend, now one…
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From 70 Women in Accra to 5,000 Across Africa: Ethel Cofie on Building Community
Ethel Cofie didn't plan to build Africa's largest Women in Tech network. She just wanted to create a place for women in tech to find each other in a male-dominated industry. Today, Women in Tech Africa has 5,000+ members across 30+ countries and won the UN EQUALS Award. But Ethel's work goes…
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The Global Language of Entrepreneurship: Connecting Ecosystems Across Continents with Harvard iLab's Rym Baouendi
What happens when you tell a country demanding jobs to create them instead? Rym Baouendi did exactly that in post-revolution Tunisia, co-founding the country's first coworking space and fundamentally changing how a generation thought about opportunity. Now Director of Alumni Innovation &…
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How Brenton Naicker is Building Africa's Blockchain Future From The Frontlines
What happens when you read the Bitcoin whitepaper to find loopholes and make quick money? For Brenton Naicker, Principal at CV VC Africa, those 8 pages completely changed his life trajectory. In this episode of The Grinders Table, Brenton shares his journey from aspiring Wall Street banker to one...
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From Cyber Cafes to Y Combinator: Building Africa's Financial Future
In this episode, we sit down with Wale Akanbi, one of the co-founders of Aella. Aella became the first African lending fintech admitted to Y Combinator in 2017 and has since served over 2 million users across Nigeria and the Philippines. Wale's journey, from teaching himself programming in…
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The Outlier's Path: Building Africa's Healthcare Future with Ayodeji Alaran (Founder, PBR Insights)
What do you do when you discover a $281 billion problem that global pharmaceutical companies can't solve? If you're Ayodeji Alaran, you leave your corporate job and build the solution from your house in Lagos. In this episode, Ayodeji shares the remarkable journey from pharmacy school to founding...
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Why Africa Needs Boring First with Bernard Laurendeau
Bernard Laurendeau built Ethiopia's first licensed payment system operator, advised the Prime Minister's office on job creation, and now operates from Tokyo helping Japanese billions find their way into African markets. But he has a contrarian message: Africa needs to stop chasing sexy tech and...
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When Revolution Meets Innovation: Dr. Houda Ghozzi's Journey from Academia to Ecosystem Builder
Dr. Houda Ghozzi, founder of Open Startup (OST), shares her journey from professor to pan-African ecosystem builder. Following Tunisia's revolution, she transformed uncertainty into opportunity, now helping young entrepreneurs across 19 African countries develop through "hope, skills, and...
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Survive First, Scale Later: Tunji Andrews on Resilience, Regulation and Retirement Planning
After a decade as Nigeria's leading financial literacy advocate, Tunji Andrews realized education alone wasn't enough. Inspired by an elderly lottery agent from his childhood who fell into poverty, he founded Awabah to bring pension solutions to Nigeria's informal sector workers. In this candid...
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The Builder's Mindset: Yassine Laghzioui on Entrepreneurship, Deep Tech, and Africa's Future
Yassine Laghzioui, CEO of UM6P Ventures and Director of Entrepreneurship at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, joins The Grinders Table to discuss building Africa's innovation ecosystem through deep tech investment. When Yassine chose to return to Morocco while his peers stayed abroad, he…
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RESHARE: Scaling E-Commerce in Africa: Insights from Jumia's Ex CEO - Massimiliano Spalazzi
In this reshared episode, Uwem speaks with Massimiliano 'Massi' Spalazzi, former CEO of Jumia Nigeria and early employee who helped scale the company to become Africa's first tech IPO on the NYSE. Key highlights: The origins of Jumia in Nigeria and early challenges of building an e-commerce…
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Technology, Faith, and Purpose: Jelle Schuitemaker's Mission to Reduce Child Mortality with Goal 3
In this episode of The Grinders Table, we speak with Jelle Schuitemaker, co-founder of Goal 3, whose innovative patient monitoring system has reduced child mortality by 42% in African hospitals. Jelle shares his journey from first encountering global inequality in the Philippines to building...
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Leading by Following: Ghita Zniber's Unique Approach to African Startup Investment with Kalys Ventures
In this enlightening conversation, Ghita Zniber, co-founder of Kalys Ventures, shares her unique journey from rugby player to venture capitalist. Discover her "first follower" philosophy reshaping African startup investment and how a childhood conversation with her father about values became the...
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Building Deep Tech in Kenya: The Octavia Carbon Story with Martin Freimüller
From train driver's son in Austria to building Africa's pioneering Direct Air Capture company, Martin Freimüller shares his journey of building Octavia Carbon in Kenya. In this episode, we explore why Kenya is the world's best place for DAC, the reality of building deep tech with local talent…
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Influencing African Tech from Dakar: Sabrine Chahrour's Journey in Venture Capital
What happens when a Lebanese-born, Paris-educated investment banker returns to Dakar and discovers her true calling in venture capital? In this deeply personal episode, Sabrine Chahrour, Investor at Partech Africa, takes us through her remarkable journey from Googling "what is venture capital" to...
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Navigating the Challenges in African Healthcare: with Tobias Reiter (CEO, Viebeg)
In this episode of The Grinders Table, we take a journey into the transformative world of healthcare in Africa with our guest, Tobias, CEO of Viebeg. Tobias, originally from Vienna, Austria, has spent over seven years in East Africa, where he has witnessed firsthand the critical challenges faced…
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From high performance sports to retail success, our chat with Amber Penney (Co-founder, Faro)
Amber Penny, co-founder of Faro, a sustainable fashion brand, joined the podcast to share her journey and insights. She discussed her background in high-performance sports, the challenges of managing a startup, and the importance of building a strong team culture. Amber highlighted the value of...
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Balancing Passion and Business: Lara Dendy Young's Story with Conservio
In this episode, I interview Lara Dendy Young, the co-founder of Conservio. Lara shares her background as a South African with a passion for nature conservation and wildlife. She discusses her experience in water polo and how it has shaped her work ethic and teamwork skills. Lara talks about the...
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The Operator's Edge: A conversation with Seni Sulyman (Founder, Talstack)
In our latest podcast episode, we had an enriching conversation with Seni Sulyman. We explore Seni's journey from a hands-on operator who helps scale one of Africa's unicorns (Andela) to a visionary founder. He shares invaluable insights on problem-solving, crafting processes, and strategic...
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Navigating Success with Oyin Solebo
We had Oyin Selebo, MD of Techstars Lagos on the Grinders Table in the episode. Oyin shares insights on succeeding in the startup ecosystem as a founder and investor, offering her unique perspective from experiences in wealth management, strategy consulting, and startup mentorship. Join us as we...
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Repost: Clive Butkow's guide to navigating success in Business
This episode is a repost from Season 1 of our podcast. Clive Butkow shared his extensive journey from his early entrepreneurial ventures to his impressive tenure at Accenture, and his eventual founding of Kaylon Venture Partners after a brief retirement. This episode was not just a deep dive into...
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Investing in Africa's Future: Kola Aina's Path to Ventures Platform
In today's episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Kola Aina, a Nigerian entrepreneur turned Venture Capitalist, who shared his journey from starting a technology business to becoming a key player in the African investment landscape. Kola began his career in corporate finance before…
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Building an effective company culture with Jem HR's Caroline van der Merwe
Join Caroline van der Merwe, co-founder of Jem HR, in a candid conversation with Uwem on the Grinders Table Podcast. Caroline shares insights on her journey as an entrepreneur, the importance of values in leadership, and the power of having difficult conversations. Discover how Caroline navigates...
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The African startup landscape, a conversation with Oo Nwoye (Part 2)
In the second part of my conversation with Oo Nwoye on The Grinders Table, we shift our focus to venture capital, innovation, and the global tech landscape. Oo shares his insights on how venture capital can effectively support startups, the importance of domain expertise in angel investing, and…
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The African startup landscape, a conversation with Oo Nwoye (Part 1)
This week, I had the honour of hosting Oo Nwoye at The Grinders Table. Oo stands out as a key figure in Africa's startup ecosystem, providing advisory services to startups and serving as an exceptional source of deal flow for investors interested in the continent. He shared so much that I split…
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Building an Integrated Life with Kanini Mutooni
Today, we're celebrating International Women's Day by revisiting one of our favourite episodes. Joining me is the remarkable Kanini Matooni, a voice that resonates with empowerment and inspiration. In this episode, we dive into Kanini's journey, her challenges, and the triumphs that define the...
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Scaling E-Commerce in Africa: Insights from Jumia's Ex CEO - Massimiliano Spalazzi
In this episode of the Grinders Table podcast, we're excited to feature Massimiliano Spalazzi, the former CEO of Jumia Nigeria and Group Executive VP Marketplace at Jumia. Join us as Massi shares his remarkable journey of being one of the first employees at Jumia and playing a pivotal role in the...
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Redefining Tourism Through Technology with David Gonahasa
Join us on an inspiring journey as David Gonahasa, Founder of Tripessa, takes us from his early beginnings on the streets of Uganda to revolutionizing the tourism sector with RoundBob, and now Tripessa. His narrative is not just one of success, but of resilience, as he navigates the trials of...
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Breaking Barriers and Building Networks: A Conversation with June Angelides MBE
In this episode of the Grinders Table podcast, I sit down with June Angelides MBE, a trailblazer and advocate for diversity in the startup ecosystem. June is the founding partner at Levare Ventures which backs early-stage startups across E-commerce, Fintech, Healthtech, Future of Work and B2B…
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The Intersection of Tech, Policy and Entrepreneurship with Oswald Osaretin Guobadia
I am delighted to have Oswald Osaritin Guobadia as our guest on the Grinders Table Podcast today. He is a prominent figure in the Nigerian Tech Ecosystem who played a key role in passing The Nigerian Startup Act. Oswald's story is a powerful narrative of transformation, resilience, and the…
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Mastering the art of building a business with Anil Atma (CEO, Kreem Inc)
For this episode, I had a wholesome conversation with Anil Atma, a savvy entrepreneur and advisor to various venture funds, startups and businesses in Nigeria, including a unicorn. We explore the fascinating world of tech and business, and what entrepreneurs need to focus on as they build.…
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Turning lemons to lemonade with Seyi Abolaji (Founder, Wilson's Juice Co)
Join us on a captivating journey with Seyi Abolaji, who went from pursuing his football aspirations to becoming a leader in the Nigeria Food and Beverage industry with Wilsons Juice Co, aka, Wilson's Lemonade. In this episode, we dive deep into Seyi's pursuit of impact over comfort, his…
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A Journey of Resilience: Joe Kinvi's Path to Pan-African Impact
On the first episode of this season, we dive into Joe Kinvi's inspiring story, a visionary whose roots in Togo have branched out to make a Pan-African impact in the business world. We trace Joe's remarkable journey from an accounting and finance student in Dublin to building one of Africa's top...
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Unconventional Routes with Ikpeme Neto (Founder, Wella Health)
Join us in this insightful episode as we explore the journey of Ikpeme Neto, the founder and CEO of Wella Health. This episode provides an in-depth look at one of those transforming healthcare in Africa through the lens of a visionary who traded in his scrubs for the world of startups. Hear about...
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Increasing the Odds with Cindy Ai and Mark Kleyner of DreamVC
In this enlightening episode, we have an in-depth discussion with Mark Kleyner and Cindy Ai, co-founders of Dream VC, as they reveal the realities of the venture capital world. They share their journey from being entrepreneurs to becoming venture capitalists and how their shared passion has been…
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The Balance of Passion and Practicality with Eugene Nwoke (Country Manager, Roche)
In this insightful episode, we delve into the intriguing world of healthcare and the rich career of Eugene Nwoke across FMCG, Pharma, and Biotech. Eugene shares his journey and commitment to addressing the stark inequity in healthcare. He also talks about the balance of passion and practicality…
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Leading with influence: Babajide Duroshola (M-Kopa)
In this episode, we dive deep into the life and experiences of Babajide Duroshola, a seasoned operator who helps African companies scale. Babajide offers invaluable insights into leadership and team building, learned from his time with reputable firms like Andela, SafeBoda and M-Kopa. He…
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Bonus: Building in a Crisis
On this week's episode of The Grinders Table, I share insights from my conversations with guests on the podcast to provide you with inspiration and guidance as you navigate the world as it unfolds. If what you’ve heard today is beneficial to your journey, please hit the share button on your…
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Digitising the Hospitality Industry with Havar Bauck, CEO of HotelOnline
We dive into the fascinating world of hospitality with Havar Bauck, founder and co-CEO of Hotel Online, as he shares his incredible journey from a one-year international exchange program in Kenya to building a successful business in the hospitality industry. Hotel Online is the leading revenue...
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Launching in a pandemic with Mayowa Alli (Co-founder, Traction Apps)
In this inspiring episode, Mayowa Ali, co-founder of Traction Apps, shares his journey from studying engineering to launching a digital operating system for SMEs in Africa amidst a global pandemic. Mayowa's passion for technology and entrepreneurship led him and his co-founder to address the...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Grinders Table Podcast is your opportunity to sit at the table with entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders who are shaking things up in their industry. Each week Uwem will interview these amazing thought-leaders to uncover how they've done it and learn something new in the process. Join me on the regular to hear how they dared to defy the odds and live their own success story... or epic failure!
HOSTED BY
Uwem Uwemakpan
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Grinders Table have?
The Grinders Table currently has 62 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Grinders Table about?
The Grinders Table Podcast is your opportunity to sit at the table with entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders who are shaking things up in their industry. Each week Uwem will interview these amazing thought-leaders to uncover how they've done it and learn something new in the process. Join me on...
How often does The Grinders Table release new episodes?
The Grinders Table has 62 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Grinders Table?
You can listen to The Grinders Table on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Grinders Table?
The Grinders Table is created and hosted by Uwem Uwemakpan.
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