Doers Within Us Podcast-Celebrating Builders of Tomorrow!
By Jacob Fohtung
This podcast emerged from a podcast in 2020 called "Time 4 Growth Markets: Doers Within Growth Markets." This highlighted doers in growth markets, where the next wave of global economic, population, and workforce-population growth will come from.
The Honor and Rarity of this Moment by the Deputy Governor of Bangkok, Sanon Wangsrangboon
The closing remarks by the Deputy Governor of Bangkok acknowledging the honor and rarity of this opportunity with his clear understanding of his two-year term and his aim to maximize its impact by using his term effectively, improving education, culture, sports, and social welfare and emphaizing the importance of collaboration and inspiration in public service
This will come with Opportunities and Responsibilities:
1. He acknowledges the honor and rarity of such an opportunity and is committed to making the most of it. And emphaizes the importance of collaboration between the city and the national government to address social welfare and inequality in Bangkok.
Vision and Gratitude:
- The Deputy Governor's goal is to improve various sectors and make a significant positive impact during his tenure.
- Expresses gratitude for the chance to serve and interact with people globally.
I see him as the Future Prime Minister of Thailand:
- I acknowledge his inspiring work and expresses hope for his continued success in public service or entrepreneurship.
- And he denies aspirations for the prime ministership but shows appreciation for the kind words and the opportunity to inspire others.
A Misconception of Pad Thai through the lens of Deputy Governor of Bangkok, Sanon Wangsrangboon
In this clip, the Deputy Governor of Bangkok, Sanon Wangsrangboon on we discuss the following:
Pad Thai Perception:
- There is a misconception that Pad Thai is the most popular dish in Thailand, especially among foreigners.
- In reality, Pad Thai is less commonly eaten by locals and varies significantly between different restaurants.
- Thai cuisine is highly diverse, influenced by many cultures, and locals often prefer other dishes.
Tam Sang (Made-to-Order Dishes):
- The true essence of Thai cuisine might be better represented by "tam sang," which means "made to order."
- These customizable dishes are more reflective of everyday Thai eating habits.
Future Aspirations:
- The interviewer asks about the Deputy Governor's future goals and aspirations.
- The Deputy Governor's response is anticipated to cover what keeps them motivated and what they hope to achieve in the coming months or year.
Overall, the conversation touches on the misconceptions about Thai cuisine from an international perspective and explores the Deputy Governor's personal and professional goals.
Purpose First, Self Awareness, & Importance of Company in Your Work by Deputy Governor of Bangkok, Sanon Wangsrangboon
The Deputy Governor of Bangkok shares these six values in your self and work:
Self-Awareness and Collaboration:
- Understanding oneself and recognizing one's strengths and weaknesses is crucial.
- Forming a team with complementary skills is essential for achieving success.
Importance of Goals:
- Setting clear and focused goals is vital, especially for social entrepreneurs.
- Having a purpose helps sustain motivation through difficult times.
Flexibility and Purpose:
- It's normal for goals to evolve over time; the key is to maintain a strong sense of purpose.
- Consistent purpose provides direction and drives progress regardless of changing circumstances.
Consistency and Trust:
- Believing in oneself and fostering trust within a team strengthens collaborative efforts.
- Shared goals and mutual support lead to closer and more powerful teamwork.
Preparation and Opportunity:
- Success is often a result of being prepared when opportunities arise.
- Luck plays a role, but consistent preparation and improvement increase the chances of success.
Persistence and Improvement:
- Continuous self-improvement and persistence are necessary for seizing opportunities.
- Trusting oneself and finding supportive friends are key to ongoing progress.
Overall, the Deputy Governor emphasizes the combination of self-awareness, purpose, teamwork, preparation, and persistence as the foundation for entrepreneurial success.
More about the Songkran Festival with Deputy Governor of Bangkok, Sanon Wangsrangboon
In this section, we discuss the positive experiences with the Songkran festival in Bangkok, highlighting its inclusivity and the opportunity to learn about Thai culture.
- We both express a desire for the festival to evolve into a more engaging platform, potentially expanding to a city-wide level while maintaining the unique identities of different areas within Bangkok. - The Deputy Govenor stated the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is focused on ensuring safety as a key priority for the festival, implementing measures such as CCTV and regulations to maintain a safe environment for all attendees.
- The Deputy Governor also stated festival's unique feature is its widespread nature, with celebrations happening throughout the city, each area having its own distinct identity and activities catering to different demographics. - And the Deputy Governor closes with the BMA's efforts in coordinating post-festival cleanup and security measures are commended, with a focus on swiftly returning the city to normalcy after the festivities.
Songkran Festival: A Thai Tradition According to Deputy Governor of Bangkok, Sanon Wangsrangboon
Songkran Festival: A Thai Tradition According to Sanon Wangsrangboon, Deputy Governor of Bangkok, the capital and most populous city of Thailand, founded on 21 April 1782 with over 9 million people:
We discuss the significance of the Songkran festival in Bangkok, which is celebrated around April and May to combat the intense heat of the season.
- The festival is not just about water and cooling off, but also about paying respect to family, elders, and reflecting on the passing year, as it marks the Thai New Year.
- It is a three-day festival, but the duration can be extended based on the day of the week it falls on, and this year's celebration is anticipated to be particularly special due to the aftermath of COVID-19 and the festival's nomination as an intangible cultural heritage by the UN.
- The speaker emphasizes the cultural and traditional significance of the festival, highlighting its importance beyond just being a water festival.
- The festival is expected to feature numerous big events and is anticipated to be the best Songkran celebration ever due to its recognition as an intangible cultural heritage.
Engaging Communities Through Inclusive Policies by Deputy Governor of Bangkok, Sanon Wangsrangboon
The importance of Community Engagement by Sanon Wangsrangboon, Deputy Governor of Bangkok, the capital and most populous city of Thailand, founded on 21 April 1782 with over 9 million people:
- He emphaizes the importance of engaging the community and distributing power to enable everyone to contribute - He also discusses the effectiveness of participatory processes in the private sector, leading to quick and innovative solutions - Highlights the "participatory budgeting" project, where communities are given the power to decide how to use allocated funds - Points out the scalability of ideas and solutions across different communities, addressing common issues like lighting, drainage, and mobility - Expresses admiration for the level of inclusiveness and community engagement, particularly in the context of the Songkran Festival
Urban Development Priorities in Bangkok by Deputy Governor of Bangkok, Sanon Wangsrangboon
Key Priorities of Sanon Wangsrangboon, Deputy Governor of Bangkok, the capital and most populous city of Thailand, founded on 21 April 1782:
In his current role, Sanon Wangsrangboon’s main focus is on enhancing city management by connecting various initiatives, including:
High Connectivity of High-Quality Transportation: Emphasizing improvements in transportation, particularly focusing on first-mile and last-mile services.
High-Quality Healthcare Services: Ensuring the provision of top-notch healthcare services for the residents of Bangkok.
And more...
Sanon Wangsrangboon| Deputy Governor of Bangkok|
Sanon Wangsrangboon
Deputy Governor of Bangkok
Sanon Wangsrangboon is a social entreprenuer, activist, and currently a Deputy Governor of Bangkok who is the youngest to hold the position to date. His responsibility as a Deputy Governor encompasses education, social issues and commerce.
Introducing the Deputy Governor of Bangkok
Sanon Wangsrangboon
Deputy Governor of Bangkok
Sanon Wangsrangboon is a social entreprenuer, activist, and currently a Deputy Governor of Bangkok who is the youngest to hold the position to date. His responsibility as a Deputy Governor encompasses education, social issues and commerce.
Rowena Luk| Founder of Africa Health Ventures
Rowena Luk is a Tech entrepreneur turned impact investor on a mission to direct capital to groundbreaking, scalable ventures that will dramatically improve access to healthcare in Africa.
She has personally deployed digital health systems in 12 countries across Africa and run teams deploying digital health in 40 countries on this continent.
She created the leading digital health podcast in Africa. She was also a first hire and C-Suite executive of a digital health company now active in 130 countries.
To get the latest news, insights, funding, and job opportunities from healthcare ventures in Africa, subscribe to her newsletter:http://rowenaluk.substack.com
If you’re looking for funding for an early-stage health venture, please submit your pitch at africahealthventures.com.
Amanda Wang| Co-Founder & CEO at Potencia
She believes in the power of education to expand opportunities for underrepresented people, especially people of color. She envisions making education more accessible to those who desperately need it and contributing to a more equitable world. On this episode, we chat about her startup Potencia, a platform that empowers adult immigrant English Learners towards mutual value-creation of their presence within communities. And her long-term goal is to mentor and share her connections and resources with the next generation of social entrepreneurs that the government or private sector cannot solve. Become a tutor today: https://www.potenciainc.org/tutor-apply Make a donation: https://www.potenciainc.org/donate Read stories of Potencia's Tutors: https://www.potenciainc.org/stories Thank you for watching! Listen to more builders of tomorrow here: https://doerswithin.com/
Emily Ana Levy|Mighty Well Co-Founder & President | Healthcare/Adaptive KOL| Speaker | Mentor
Emily Ana Levy is the Mighty Well Co-Founder & President. She is also a Babson Alumnus with several accolades to her name to a name few include: Awards and Recognition: A Winning Record • MassChallenge 2016 Finalists (2016 Cohort) • WIN Lab Boston: Class of 2016 • 1st Place Smith College's Tim and Melissa Draper Business Competition (2016) • 1st Place RI Business Plan Competition (2016) • 1st Place Babson B.E.T.A. Challenge (2016) • 1st Place: Shark Tank from Combined Jewish Philanthropies (2016) • 1st Place: Pitch To Start at the Babson Entrepreneurship Forum (2016) • 1st Place: Mass Innovation Night #81 (2016) • 1st Place: “SheKnows” Pitch Competition (2016) • Babson Summer Venture Program (Summer 2015) • Best Undergraduate Student Business at Babson from SGA (‘15) • 1st Place: Purdue University's Big Sell (2015) • 1st Place: MIT's Beantown Throwdown (2015) • 1st Place: Innovate Her Massachusetts (2015) • Women Who Make A Difference Award from Babson College (’14) Among many others... More about #MightyWell. It is a Direct-to-Patient platform that provides innovative medical products and digital learning to a growing community of chronically ill consumers, with an expertise in infusion therapy and vascular access healthcare. Mighty Well's website: https://mightywell.com/
Follow Emily on her Social Media pages to learn more about her and the work she does at Mighty Well:
Emily Ana Levy's LinkedIn profile page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-ana-levy/
Emily Ana Levy's Instagram profile page: https://www.instagram.com/mightywell_emily/
Ari Jacobovits-Managing Director, MIT-Africa Program
Ari Jacobovits is an African Affairs strategist and educator focused on the intersection of International Studies and STEM. He serves as the Managing Director of MIT-Africa, connecting MIT students, staff, and faculty to internships, research projects, and teaching & learning opportunities that advance the research, innovation, and education goals of Africa-based organizations. Ari's background is in music, human and economic development, humanitarian affairs, and digital technologies encompassing a variety of business development and operations management roles.
While studying early American music as an undergraduate, Ari became fascinated by African Studies, deciding to study abroad in African Studies at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. After graduating, he worked in marketing with Zipcar, leaving to pursue his interest in African studies and economic development. Ari served in the United States Peace Corps - Kenya, where he worked with a fishing collective building the country’s first community-managed marine park. After completing the Peace Corps, Ari spent four years working with the State Department’s Refugee Admissions Program across Africa and in Washington, DC in both field operations and software operations, respectively. As a graduate student, Ari spent his summer as an operations management intern for the e-commerce company Jumia in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Ari holds a Masters of International Business with a specialization in Development Economics and Strategy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University and a BA in Journalism and Music from Indiana University – Bloomington.
Samuel Baddoo| Proud Immigrant | Founder, Fleri (Techstars ‘21)| Harambean|NASDAQ Milestone Maker-Part 2
Samuel Baddoo is empowering immigrants everywhere to show ❤️ with intention! (Part 2)
Starting with healthcare, his team at Fleri ensures that the money immigrants send back home goes exactly where they intended. Many words define who Samuel is but none more so than “immigrant” - his story represents the stories of millions of brave, hopeful and selfless individuals. Those who gave up the comfort of familiar spaces to create a new life and future for themselves and those who depend on them. He is all “IMMIGRANTS” and my life’s work is to see them live more authentically - flourishing and thriving, not just surviving.
Fleri is a family care solution for immigrants in the diaspora, helping them take better care of their loved ones overseas by eliminating money transfers. We do this by enabling immigrants to provide quality healthcare for dependent loved ones back home through a dedicated family care manager, an assigned primary care doctor and unlimited care coordination; all for $99/year. Fleri also connects immigrants to trusted healthcare providers in their home countries, making pre-payments where needed so you never have to send a cash transfer ever again. Fleri has its home office in Columbus, Ohio. To request a membership, visit: https://www.joinfleri.com
For all immigrants out there, we encourage you to recommend "Fleri" to your employers to sign up on the platform: https://joinfleri.com/
Samuel Baddoo| Proud Immigrant | Founder, Fleri (Techstars ‘21)| Harambean|NASDAQ Milestone Maker-Part 1
Samuel Baddoo is empowering immigrants everywhere to show ❤️ with intention!
Starting with healthcare, his team at Fleri ensures that the money immigrants send back home goes exactly where they intended. Many words define who Samuel is but none more so than “immigrant” - his story represents the stories of millions of brave, hopeful and selfless individuals. Those who gave up the comfort of familiar spaces to create a new life and future for themselves and those who depend on them. He is all “IMMIGRANTS” and my life’s work is to see them live more authentically - flourishing and thriving, not just surviving.
Fleri is a family care solution for immigrants in the diaspora, helping them take better care of their loved ones overseas by eliminating money transfers. We do this by enabling immigrants to provide quality healthcare for dependent loved ones back home through a dedicated family care manager, an assigned primary care doctor and unlimited care coordination; all for $99/year. Fleri also connects immigrants to trusted healthcare providers in their home countries, making pre-payments where needed so you never have to send a cash transfer ever again. Fleri has its home office in Columbus, Ohio. To request a membership, visit: https://www.joinfleri.com
For all immigrants out there, we encourage you to recommend "Fleri" to your employers to sign up on the platform: https://joinfleri.com/
Sr. Josephine Nabulya|Builders of Africa's Future Awardees 2023| ADN
This is the 2nd episode (finally!!) for Builders of Africa's Future Cohort 2023 series with our partnership with African Diaspora Network is Sr. Josephine Nabulya who belongs to the Institute of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Reparatrix- Ggogonya in Kampala, Uganda.
Sr. Josephine is an accountant by profession, from Uganda Martyrs University Nkozi and holds a Masters Degree in Administration and Management. Being interested in farming, Sr. Josephine feels called to create an impact in the lives of the people in community through farming by sharing the knowledge she has with them.
This year consists of incredible entrepreneurs spanning five countries: Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda. You can learn more about this year's cohort here
The BAF program seeks to recognize and support early-stage African entrepreneurs who significantly impact their communities. The sixth cohort of the BAF comprises ten entrepreneurs from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda. All participating organizations in the cohort are 100% African-led and owned, operating in the Education, Recycling, Health Tech & Innovation, Poultry Farming, FinTech, Green Energy, and Coffee Farming sectors.
Funto Boroffice|Builders of Africa's Future Awardees 2023| ADN
This 4th episode for Builders of Africa's Future Cohort 2023 series with our partnership with African Diaspora Network features Funto Boroffice is the founder/CEO of award winning Chanja Datti Ltd, a waste collection & recycling social enterprise. Chanja Datti Ltd is dedicated to transforming the waste in her environment in Abuja, Nigeria into value by creating jobs and Quidroo, a fintech startup that provides access to working capital for Nigeria SMEs, especially women-owned SMEs. In the last 8+ years, her organization has successfully diverted almost 6,200 tons of waste from uncontrolled landfills, and empowered 600+ women and at-risk youth. Her organization currently has 200 employees.
Job Alert:
She is currently in search of a COO for her fintech startup, Quidroo, preferably a woman based in Nigeria who is also passionate about providing this opportunity of providing loans to SMEs in Nigeria and across Africa. Most importantly, she hopes this candidate's values aligns with hers.
You can directly reach out to her on her LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/olufunto-boroffice/) or via the host, Jacob Fohtung's LinkedIn page at Jacob@jamanicorp.com.
Book Recommendations from Funto:
1. What Got You Here Won'T Get You There By Marshall Goldsmith
2. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't by Jim Collins and HarperAudio
3. Jewish Wisdom for Business Success: Lessons for the Torah and Other Ancient Textsby Levi Brackman and Sam Jaffe
We want to apologize that we're currently still working on the 2nd episode that we had with Sr. Josephine Nabulya. Sister belongs to the Institute of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Reparatrix- Ggogonya in Kampala, Uganda. Sr. Josephine is an accountant by profession, from Uganda Martyrs University Nkozi and holds a Masters Degree in Administration and Management. This episode will release will be released as soon as possible.
This year consists of incredible entrepreneurs spanning five countries: Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda. You can learn more about this year's cohort here
The BAF program seeks to recognize and support early-stage African entrepreneurs who significantly impact their communities. The sixth cohort of the BAF comprises ten entrepreneurs from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda. All participating organizations in the cohort are 100% African-led and owned, operating in the Education, Recycling, Health Tech & Innovation, Poultry Farming, FinTech, Green Energy, and Coffee Farming sectors.
Joseph (Newton) John-Agyemang| CEO of Eracew (Part 2)
This is part 2 of my fascinating conversation with Joseph (Newton), CEO of Eracew: https://eracew.online/.
Beyond being the CEO of Eracew, he is also the Regional Sales Coordinator at Nestle Professional, Youth Innovator, Software Engineer, Copywriter, Digital Marketer, Web/Graphic Designer, Waste to Resource Activist and many more with a focus on impact within his community.
Eracew is a technology company whose business is waste. They offer waste management, waste trading. They are the Uber for waste requests and the Amazon of waste trading providing a clear cut path for recycling, from the production of waste to the end-product through recycling you see everything.
Joseph is looking for a passionate entrepreneur to partner with in either Nigeria, Burundi or Zambia to facilitate managing a hub that will be giving small loans to startups. To learn more about this opportunity, you can reach out directly to Joseph via the contact the information provided below.
Additionally, for any entrepreneurs out there who are interested and want to participate in a free course on branding, Joseph and his team are organizing something in the nearest future (the certificate will cost a reasonable fee).
You can also reach out to him for more information about the program via boakyeanthony58@gmail.com or via his LinkedIn page at https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-john-agyemang-newton/
The host, Jacob Fohtung will share some flyers about this program on his LinkedIn page.
Joseph (Newton) John-Agyemang| CEO of Eracew (Part 1)
This is part 1 of my fascinating conversation with Joseph (Newton), CEO of Eracew: https://eracew.online/.
Beyond being the CEO of Eracew, he is also the Regional Sales Coordinator at Nestle Professional, Youth Innovator, Software Engineer, Copywriter, Digital Marketer, Web/Graphic Designer, Waste to Resource Activist and many more with a focus on impact within his community.
Eracew is a technology company whose business is waste. We offer waste management, waste trading. They are the Uber for waste requests and the Amazon of waste trading providing a clear cut path for recycling, from the production of waste to the end-product through recycling you see everything.
Joseph recommended some great books in Part 2 of the episode. However, this list of books had to be shared earlier because it is fascinating one:
How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie Think and grow rich By Napoleon Hill Purpose Driven Life by Rick warren Uncover your potential by Myles Munroe Buy the Future by Mensah Otabil Common sense Principles by Gideon Titi-Ofei Maximize your potential by Myles Munroe 15 invaluable laws of growth by John Maxwell Leadership by Michael Heath The Art of Shepherding by Dag Heward-Mills
Mathias Charles Yabe |Builders of Africa's Future Awardees 2023| ADN
This 3rd episode features Mathias Charles Yabe is an award-winning Ghanaian social entrepreneur and innovator. He has interest in food security, clean energy solutions and climate change. He currently leads AkoFresh, an AgriTech startup that offers smallholder farmers climate smart solutions to reduce post-harvest losses and alleviate poverty.
We want to apologize that we're currently working on the 2nd episode that we had with Sr. Josephine Nabulya. Sister belongs to the Institute of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Reparatrix- Ggogonya in Kampala, Uganda. Sr. Josephine is an accountant by profession, from Uganda Martyrs University Nkozi and holds a Masters Degree in Administration and Management.
This episode will release will be released as soon as possible.
This year consists of incredible entrepreneurs spanning five countries: Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda.You can learn more about this year's cohort here
Mathias is an award-winning Ghanaian social entrepreneur and innovator. He has interest in food security, clean energy solutions and climate change. He currently leads AkoFresh, an AgriTech startup that offers smallholder farmers climate smart solutions to reduce post-harvest losses and alleviate poverty.
Mathias’ contributions in various technology related solutions, has garnered acclaim as a “Top Youth4South Entrepreneur,” by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, and received recognition from Global Solutions Initiative, UpLink-World Economic Forum, FAO, and Prototypes for Humanity in Dubai.
The BAF program seeks to recognize and support early-stage African entrepreneurs who significantly impact their communities. The sixth cohort of the BAF comprises ten entrepreneurs from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda. All participating organizations in the cohort are 100% African-led and owned, operating in the Education, Recycling, Health Tech & Innovation, Poultry Farming, FinTech, Green Energy, and Coffee Farming sectors.
Adeola Ayoola| Builders of Africa's Future Awardees 2023| ADN
Grateful for the continuous partnership, now Year 2 with the African Diaspora Network (ADN) with Doers Within Us podcast on profiling Builders of Africa's Future (BAF) Cohort 2023.
This year consists of incredible entrepreneurs spanning five countries: Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda.
You can learn more about this year's cohort here
Adeola Ayoola is the CEO/Co-founder at Famasi Africa where she leads a Team that manages recurrent medication needs for Africans. With 6+ years working in the different sectors of Pharmacy (retail, hospital & supply chain) she has experienced the problems people with recurrent medications face.
In her last official capacity at the Quality Rx Unit of mPharma, she worked on facilitating access to medications to retail Pharmacies but the last-mile care is still left uncovered for.
With her team of people who have managed recurrent medications for themselves or their loved ones, they are building a solution to solve this problem for millions of Africans.
The BAF program seeks to recognize and support early-stage African entrepreneurs who significantly impact their communities. The sixth cohort of the BAF comprises ten entrepreneurs from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda. All participating organizations in the cohort are 100% African-led and owned, operating in the Education, Recycling, Health Tech & Innovation, Poultry Farming, FinTech, Green Energy, and Coffee Farming sectors.
Omoniyi Kolade, Founder & CEO of Seerbit
Omoniyi Kolade is the Founder and CEO of Seerbit, a Pan-African enterprise payment platform that enables fast, seamless, inclusive, and secure payments for leading local and global companies present on the African continent. Prior to Seerbit, Kolade founded Blue Science Limited and Frames Technologies Ltd, a fintech company that provided CRM solutions to banks in Nigeria and Africa.
He has over 10 years of working experience in fintech and has introduced many innovative digital products to Nigeria’s banking sector, including EmailMoni, an omnichannel payment app.
Additionally, he has provided advisory services to some of Africa’s most reputable banks. He is a certified Business Analyst, E-Business, and Information Security Practitioner (EC-Council). Omoniyi holds a BSC in Computer and Electronics from Lead City University in Nigeria.
Cindy Willard| Director Capital Activation at Impact Charitable
As part of our continuation of the Virtuous Profit Series, I am excited to present Cindy Willard, Director Capital Activation of Impact Charitable.
Impact Charitable unites catalytic philanthropists with community partners, financial institutions, foundations, social enterprises, and governmental bodies. As a connector and strategic partner, we can help put your innovative ideas into action.
Cindy is a dedicated and mission-focused leader with 20 years of diverse experience advancing program, investment, and other strategic organizational functions in fast-paced philanthropic and nonprofit environments. She thrives in spaces where I can work to advance positive social change through leading high-impact programs and integrated capital models. She is also a natural mentor and hands-on collaborator with a demonstrated commitment to creating more equitable communities through listening and solidarity. She enjoys working with and learning from talented cross-functional teams and cultivating, growing, and sustaining strong relationships with partners, stakeholders, and communities.
Learn more about the Doers Within Us Podcast on our website, or follow us on Instagram: @Doerswithin and Twitter: @DoersWithin.
Podcast edited Sandra Lynn Co.
Cindy Ai & Mark Kleyner | Founders of Dream VC | Virtuous Profit Series-Virtuous Profit Fund
As part of our continuation of the Virtuous Profit Series, I am excited to present Cindy Ai and Mark Kleyner, Founders of Dream VC.
This Virtuous Profit Series invites entrepreneurs, investors, and other interested parties within and outside the Water4 ecosystem leading to the launching of the Virtuous Profit Fund. The essence of this series is building some PR and stakeholders around the Virtuous Profit Fund (creating a Pan-African Network to make on creating prosperity across Africa)
More about Dream VC
Dream VC is an investor accelerator and community-driven educational platform for Africa, providing rigorous programs helping entrepreneurs and professionals across the African continent and among interested foreigners to break into the African Venture Capital industry. Since 2021, Dream VC has trained over 75 fellows who have joined top VC Funds and launched new initiatives across Africa.
More about the Founders of Dream VC
Before Dream VC, Cindy worked across many intersections of innovation and venture capital, from massive accelerators to lean venture studios to automation-driven investing platforms. Her niche is the platform side of venture capital, with her experience managing and engaging stakeholder relations at Moonshot House - an exclusive, invite-only global virtual ecosystem for financial institutions, venture capital firms, hedge funds, LPs, and angel investors. She has also been plugged into the fundraising side for 7 global venture capital funds from the USA, Africa, Europe, and SEA - including vertical-specific funds focused on sectors such as gaming.
Outside of Dream VC, Mark is also Board Advisor for 8+ Early Stage Startups, an award-winning African Startup Mentor, having helped startups raise upwards of $12m in VC funding and a Fund Advisor for several VC funds. Since 2017, Mark has worked with multiple VC funds, supported over 20 startups, and mentored upwards of 600 founders in African Markets. At the same time, he has successfully coached over 120 new VCs, who have gone on to join Tier 1 and Tier 2 funds across the US, UK, Europe & African Markets.
You can learn about Dream VC programs: Launch into VC and Investor Accelerator, and you can fill out this form to showcase your interest.
Learn more about the Doers Within Us Podcast on our website, or follow us on Instagram: @Doerswithin and Twitter: @DoersWithin.
Podcast edited Sandra Lynn Co.
Matt HangenI President & CEO of Water4| Virtuous Profit Series-Virtuous Profit Fund
Matt Hangen grew up in the county outskirts in South Alabama at Rt. 1, Lot 1 on a two-track sand road, starting life in a 600 sq ft abandoned farmhouse that his dad had worked board-by-board to rebuild.
At 25, he moved to Togo, West Africa, and began building equipment from what was lying around to drill wells and install water pumps through local businesses. That 100 feet of soil and rock separated people from life and death was an obstacle worth overcoming in Matt’s heart. Faced with the deathly consequences of the water crisis there, he partnered with local individuals to build equipment, drill wells, and install pumps to eradicate the water crisis at a village-to-village level--scaling to 100 wells in its 2nd year.
By age 35, he was named CEO at Water4, spending the last ten years starting, coaching, and scaling businesses in 15 countries, completing 6,500 water projects impacting 1.6 million people.
In this episode, we are excited to launch the Virtuous Profit Series with Matt Hangen.
This Virtuous Profit Series invites entrepreneurs, investors, and other interested parties within and outside the Water4 ecosystem leading to the launching of the Virtuous Profit Fund. The essence of this series is building some PR and stakeholders around the Virtuous Profit Fund (creating a Pan-African Network to make on creating prosperity across Africa)The essence is building some PR and stakeholders around the Virtuous Profit Fund (creating a Pan-African Network to build on creating prosperity across Africa).
You can learn more about Water4.org, NUMA units, and Matt Hangen.
Learn more about the Doers Within Us Podcast on our website, or follow us on Instagram: @Doerswithin and Twitter: @DoersWithin.
Podcast edited Sandra Lynn Co.
Dr. Nehemiah J. Mabry_Founder and CEO of STEMedia
Dr. Nehemiah J. Mabry is the Founder and CEO of STEMedia.
STEMedia is an edtech and digital media company that provides edutainment content for the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) community.
Dr. Mabry participated in the first cohort of Accelerating Black Leadership and Entrepreneurship (ABLE), an enterprise accelerator program designed to strengthen, energize, and support startups and small businesses led by Black entrepreneurs in the United States within the African Diaspora Network (ADN).
This is a new series to highlight the participants of the first cohort of ABLE as part of our ongoing collaboration with African Diaspora Network (ADN). ADN’s vision is to activate capital from the African diaspora and friends of Africa for the development of Africa and communities around the world. We aim to be the global leader in diaspora philanthropy, investment, and innovation.
Caleb Edwards of Wami Agro
The series ends. A collaboration between our podcast, Doers Within Us Podcast and African Diaspora Network. We're profiling the African Diaspora Network's Builders of Africa's Future (BAF) 2022 Cohort.
Our eleventh guest is Victor and Dela of Ento Farms
Learn more about African Diaspora Network’s Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) 2022 Cohort with Debra Pacio, Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement at Africa Diaspora Network here on our podcast:
#buildersofafrica #future #changemakers #movers #doerswithinus #Africa #africandiasporanetwork #buildersofafrica #future #changemakers #movers #doerswithinus #Africa #africandiasporanetwork
Victor and Dela of Ento Farms
The series continues. A collaboration between our podcast, Doers Within Us Podcast and African Diaspora Network. We're profiling the African Diaspora Network's Builders of Africa's Future (BAF) 2022 Cohort.
Our tenth guest is Victor and Dela of Ento Farms
Learn more about African Diaspora Network’s Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) 2022 Cohort with Debra Pacio, Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement at Africa Diaspora Network here on our podcast:
#buildersofafrica #future #changemakers #movers #doerswithinus #Africa #africandiasporanetwork #buildersofafrica #future #changemakers #movers #doerswithinus #Africa #africandiasporanetwork
Dr. Hanane Chaibainou_CEO and Co-Founder of Biotessia
The series continues. A collaboration between our podcast, Doers Within Us Podcast and African Diaspora Network. We're profiling the African Diaspora Network's Builders of Africa's Future (BAF) 2022 Cohort.
Our ninth guest is Dr. Hanane Chaibainou_CEO and Co-Founder of Biotessia
Learn more about African Diaspora Network’s Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) 2022 Cohort with Debra Pacio, Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement at Africa Diaspora Network here on our podcast:
#buildersofafrica #future #changemakers #movers #doerswithinus #Africa #africandiasporanetwork #buildersofafrica #future #changemakers #movers #doerswithinus #Africa #africandiasporanetwork
Sr. Juunza C. Mwangani-Emerging Farmers Initiative (EFI)
Our eighth guest is Sr. Juunza C. Mwangani-Emerging Farmers Initiative (EFI)
Learn more about African Diaspora Network’s Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) 2022 Cohort with Debra Pacio, Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement at Africa Diaspora Network here on our podcast:
#buildersofafrica #future #changemakers #movers #doerswithinus #Africa #africandiasporanetwork #buildersofafrica #future #changemakers #movers #doerswithinus #Africa #africandiasporanetwork
Alexander Thomson-Payan, Founder and CEO of Thomson Group International (TGI)- Part 2
Alexander Thomson-Payan is a Babson Alumnus (Class of 2006) and Founder of Thomson Group International (TGI). TGI is a pan-African holding company based in Luanda, Angola with offices in Miami, London, and Hong Kong. TGI's portfolio companies operate in Telecommunications, Logistics/Supply Management, Transportation, Mobile Technology, and Real Estate Development sectors.
In 2007, Alexander at the age of 22 raised over $100,000 from his friends and set on a journey to Angola to start Electrix, a mobile phone distribution company and TGI's first venture. Prior to this experience, he worked at Brightstar, Inc. the largest telecommunications distribution company in the world, now sold to SoftBank.
By 2015, TGI portfolio companies generated over $2 million monthly from selling phones and supplying oil explorers with supplies. Alexander serves as the Honorary Consul of Colombia to Angola, Vice President of Global Shapers, a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, and a Board Member of the US-Angola Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, he founded an NGO called 100% for Love. This charity based in Angola wherein 100% of all received donations will go directly to feeding children in hospitals, orphanages, and villages.
He is multilingual and fluent in English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Mandarin (he studied 9 hours per day when he was young). In this episode, he shares his bi-nationalistic background (American dad and Colombian mom- born in Saudi Arabia), his career development with an outstanding mentor a Brightstar, Inc. to becoming an entrepreneur of his own. He provides some fascinating insights on Angola, several industries he has worked in, advice to aspiring entrepreneurs (specifically for Africans in Diaspora), and more. son Alumnus (Class of 2006), and the Founder of Thomson Group International (TGI).
Alexander Thomson-Payan, Founder and CEO of Thomson Group International (TGI)- Part 1
Alexander Thomson-Payan is a Babson Alumnus (Class of 2006) and Founder of Thomson Group International (TGI). TGI is a pan-African holding company based in Luanda, Angola with offices in Miami, London, and Hong Kong. TGI's portfolio companies operate in Telecommunications, Logistics/Supply Management, Transportation, Mobile Technology, and Real Estate Development sectors.
In 2007, Alexander at the age of 22 raised over $100,000 from his friends and set on a journey to Angola to start Electrix, a mobile phone distribution company and TGI's first venture. Prior to this experience, he worked at Brightstar, Inc. the largest telecommunications distribution company in the world, now sold to SoftBank.
By 2015, TGI portfolio companies generated over $2 million monthly from selling phones and supplying oil explorers with supplies. Alexander serves as the Honorary Consul of Colombia to Angola, Vice President of Global Shapers, a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, and a Board Member of the US-Angola Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, he founded an NGO called 100% for Love. This charity based in Angola wherein 100% of all received donations will go directly to feeding children in hospitals, orphanages, and villages.
He is multilingual and fluent in English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Mandarin (he studied 9 hours per day when he was young). In this episode, he shares his bi-nationalistic background (American dad and Colombian mom- born in Saudi Arabia), his career development with an outstanding mentor a Brightstar, Inc. to becoming an entrepreneur of his own. He provides some fascinating insights on Angola, several industries he has worked in, advice to aspiring entrepreneurs (specifically for Africans in Diaspora), and more. son Alumnus (Class of 2006), and the Founder of Thomson Group International (TGI).
Justine Abuga, Co-founder of ECOBORA
Our seventh guest is Justine Abuga, Co-founder of ECOBORA.
Learn more about African Diaspora Network’s Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) 2022 Cohort with Debra Pacio, Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement at Africa Diaspora Network here on our podcast:
#buildersofafrica #future #changemakers #movers #doerswithinus #Africa #africandiasporanetwork #buildersofafrica #future #changemakers #movers #doerswithinus #Africa #africandiasporanetwork
George Akilimali, CEO and Co-Founder of Smartcore Enterprise Limited
Our sixth Builder for Africa Future is George Akilimali, CEO and Co-Founder of Smartcore Enterprise Limited.
Learn more about African Diaspora Network’s Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) 2022 Cohort with Debra Pacio, Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement at Africa Diaspora Network here on our podcast:
#buildersofafrica #future #changemakers #movers #doerswithinus #Africa #africandiasporanetwork #buildersofafrica #future #changemakers #movers #doerswithinus #Africa #africandiasporanetwork
Dr. Ahimbisibwe Prosper, Co-founder of mSCAN
Our fifth guest is Dr. Ahimbisbwe Prosper , Co-founder of mSCAN.
Learn more about African Diaspora Network’s Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) 2022 Cohort with Debra Pacio, Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement at Africa Diaspora Network here on our podcast.
#buildersofafrica #future #changemakers #movers #doerswithinus #Africa #africandiasporanetwork #buildersofafrica #future #changemakers #movers #doerswithinus #Africa #africandiasporanetwork
Jacques Jonathan Nyemb
Jacques Jonathan is of Counsel at Cabinet Nyemb. He is a lawyer and public policy specialist.
He mainly advises companies (multinationals, private equity firms, emerging and start-up companies), financial institutions and sovereign entities seeking to develop, acquire, operate, finance or restructure local and international projects or businesses in sub-Saharan Africa.
In addition, he also has extensive experience advising governments and other local or international public-sector related entities in policy-making and regulation. In particular, Jacques Jonathan has been member of the Experts Team assisting the Permanent Secretariat of the OHADA in the review of the Uniform Act on Commercial Companies and Economic Interest Groups from September 2010 to December 2013.
Jacques Jonathan is also Lecturer at the Catholic University of Central Africa on "Business Negotiation: theoretical and practical aspects for lawyers" and "Corporate Governance, Compliance & Risk Management".
He is Board Director of the Groupement InterPatronal du Cameroun (GICAM - Inter Patronal Groupings of Cameroon), the most representative private sector organization in Cameroon. He is also the President of the Law & Competitiveness Commission of the African Center for Competitive Intelligence (ACCI/CAVIE).
Furthermore, Jacques Jonathan is highly engaged in several initiatives designed to foster innovation, education and arts in Africa. He is notably Co-Founder and President of The Okwelians, a Think Do Tank promoting social innovation through ethical leadership in Cameroon.
Adam Sulkowski- Associate Professor at Babson College and Author of Extreme Entrepreneurship
We talked about the autobiography of Olaudah Equiano, and we pondered 3 important quotes: The Process over Product, You are good enough, and it is important we talk about failures in our stories (look at the last past 3 episodes of the podcast)
Adam's +50 publications on business, law, and sustainability are available through the links below. He advises through MIT Enterprise Forum CEE and elsewhere, and has initiated sustainability reporting for organizations. He has visited +115 countries. Resulting insights have been published or cited in the following: - USA Today (from Iraqi Kurdistan on the ISIS front in 2016) - Medium plus HuffPost, Inc. magazine, MSN, The Times of India, Science Daily, and Cities Today, among others news sources. Adam invites you to connect on Twitter (@adam_sulkowski) and Linked In. His CV and personal blog are available at www.adamsulkowski.com and he blogs for Babson Blogs.
Sr. Jane Frances Kabagaaju, Nkuruba Health Centre
The series continues. A collaboration between our podcast, Doers Within Us Podcast and African Diaspora Network. We're profiling the African Diaspora Network’s Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) 2022 Cohort.
Our fourth guest is Sr. Jane Frances Kabagaaju, Nkuruba Health Centre
Learn more about African Diaspora Network’s Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) 2022 Cohort with Debra Pacio, Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement at Africa Diaspora Network here on our podcast.
#buildersofafrica #future #changemakers #movers #doerswithinus #Africa #africandiasporanetwork
Sister Rose Thumitho- Mother Kevin Providence Social Enterprise
The series continues. A collaboration between our podcast, Doers Within Us Podcast and African Diaspora Network. We're profiling the African Diaspora Network’s Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) 2022 Cohort.
Our third guest is Sister Rose Thumitho- Mother Kevin Providence Social Enterprise
Learn more about African Diaspora Network’s Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) 2022 Cohort with Debra Pacio, Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement at Africa Diaspora Network here on our podcast.
#buildersofafrica #future #changemakers #movers #doerswithinus #Africa #africandiasporanetwork
Jamila Mayanja, CEO of Smart Girls Uganda
We’re excited to launch this new series: A collaboration between our podcast, Doers Within Us Podcast and African Diaspora Network. We're profiling the African Diaspora Network’s Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) 2022 Cohort.
Our second guest is Jamila Mayanja, CEO of Smart Girls Uganda.
Learn more about African Diaspora Network’s Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) 2022 Cohort with Debra Pacio, Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement at Africa Diaspora Network here on our podcast.
#buildersofafrica #future #changemakers #movers #doerswithinus #Africa #africandiasporanetwork
Hyasintha Ntuyeko, CEO of Kasole Secret
We’re excited to launch this new series: A collaboration between our podcast, Doers Within Us Podcast and African Diaspora Network.
We’ll be profiling the African Diaspora Network’s Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) 2022 Cohort.
Our first guest is Hyasintha Ntuyeko, CEO of Kasole Secrets, based in Tanzania.
Learn more about African Diaspora Network’s Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) 2022 Cohort with Debra Pacio, Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement at Africa Diaspora Network here on our podcast.
#buildersofafrica #future #changemakers #movers #doerswithinus #Africa #africandiasporanetwork
Yng-Ru Chen- Founder and CEO of Praise Shadows Art Gallery and Praise Shadows Art Partners
At Praise Shadows Art Gallery, they believe that the art ecosystem is filled with untapped potential, and our work is rooted in partnering closely with artists to develop opportunities in emerging models of creativity and entrepreneurship — exhibitions, commissions, brand partnerships, new technologies, original concepts that no one has ever tried before. Praise Shadows Art Gallery is a commercial gallery space in the Boston area showing the work of emerging and mid-career artists. It opened in December 2020. Praise Shadows Art Partners advises artists and companies in the creative industries on strategic partnerships and marketing. Their work is local, global, and virtual.
Yng-Ru Chen is the Founder and CEO of Praise Shadows Art Gallery and Praise Shadows Art Partners
VIdeo credit to Tiffany Smith @Tiffany Ash Videography
Debra Pacio- Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement Manager at Africa Diaspora Network (ADN)
Debra Pacio is the Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement Manager at Africa Diaspora Network (ADN). In collaboration with ADN, Doers Within Us Podcast will interview 11 Builders of Africa’s Future, a program within ADN in the months of May and June of 2022.
Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) celebrates innovation and impact in early-stage African enterprises. The program identifies African entrepreneurs running early-stage nonprofits or for-profit businesses that address key community needs through technology or differentiated business models.
The mission of ADN is to sustainably serve its constituencies, marketplace, and partners. This is inextricably linked to engaging the African diaspora through an ethics of care, enhancing their well-being in their adopted homelands, and facilitating their strategic involvement in the development of Africa and the communities in which we live.
Cathy Yee- Founder of Incluvie
Bright Chinyundu-CEO of Sparco
Sparco evolved from BroadPay, a state-of-the-art electronic payment solutions globally. They provide merchants with tools to serve the unbanked under-served population.
Learn more about Sparco
Learn more about BroadPay
More about Bright Chinyundu
Satoshi Shinada-General Partner of Kepple Africa Ventures
Satoshi Shinada is the General Partner of Kepple Africa Ventures and a 2019 MBA graduate of Harvard Business School. Learn more about Satoshi via his LinkedIn profile. Learn more about Kepple Africa Ventures.
Rebecca Jiang and Misha Lau- Unspoken Words
New Series- Doers Within Us: Doers Within Babson
Rebecca Jiang’21 (Babson)
Rebecca Jiang graduated from Babson College in May 2021, and now works as a recruiter for a consulting company. In her free time, she enjoys thrifting, attending concerts, and going to the beach.
Misha Lau’21 (Babson)
Misha Lau graduated from Babson College in May 2021. She currently lives in LA (with Rebecca) and works in product marketing at a San Francisco-based tech start up. Some of her hobbies are hiking, playing spike ball, and reading at a park.
For more information about Rebecca, Misha and their passion project, Unspoken Words here is a Babson Blog about their story
Check out Unspoken Words’ website, and join the mailing list to be the first to know when the card game launches this year. Follow along their journey on Instagram or Twitter.
Adam Sharpe-Founder of Futurely (A Doer Within Growth Markets)
Adam Sharpe is a futurist and meaningful youth engagement specialist. Having spent over a decade in the development sector delivering educational programming to hundreds of thousands of people throughout Asia and Europe, Adam recognised the urgent need for a seismic shift in education and skills building to meet today's and tomorrow's collective challenges.
He founded youth futures think tank and transformative foresight consultancy Futurely, co-founded the online futures learning platform Metafuture School, and consults for multinational organisations including the UN and the Asian Development Bank.
He is a member of the Association of Professional Futurists and sits on the advisory board of NOICE Sustainable Cosmetics and Rapid Asia.
Adam Sharpe's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mradamsharpe/
Learn more about Futurely: https://www.futurely.online
Learn more about the courses at Metafuture school: https://www.linkedin.com/company/metafuture/
Gwanygha'a Gana
Gana graduated from Georgia Tech with a BS in Electrical Engineering and a MS in Data Analytics. He co-founded Kebuthreads, an African inspired clothing brand and is a casual Bartender.
Efosa Obano
Apply for the African Impact Initiative Challenge: www.africanimpact.ca/the-african-impact-challenge
Become a partner of the African Impact Initiative: www.africanimpact.ca/get-involved
Black Founders Network: entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/for-entrepreneurs/black-founders-network/