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RareBirds Emerging Markets Podcast

RareBirds Emerging Markets Podcast

By Rare Birds Emerging Market Podcast

Stories of startups from emerging and frontier markets.
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Podcast Episode 77 with Crystal in Canada. Why You Should Focus on the Customer Experience

RareBirds Emerging Markets PodcastAug 11, 2018

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43:24
Bonus Episode: #218 with Philippina Apols Garmay Founder of Hidden Manna Farms

Bonus Episode: #218 with Philippina Apols Garmay Founder of Hidden Manna Farms

In this final and bonus episode of the podcast this year we hear from the founder of Hidden Manna Farms to learn more about the journey of building an agro startup. 

Jun 29, 202201:13:19
 Series 11: South Asia. Episode 217 with Humam Mujah and Ali Aflah CoFounders of Bright Minds Education

Series 11: South Asia. Episode 217 with Humam Mujah and Ali Aflah CoFounders of Bright Minds Education

This is series 11 of the Rare Birds Emerging Markets. In this edition we head to South Asia to speak with founders from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. In this conversation we speak with Humam Mujah and Ali Aflah CoFounders of Bright Minds Education.

Jun 15, 202257:50
Series 11: South Asia. Episode 216 with Miller Alexander Rajendran Founder & CEO of SenzAgro

Series 11: South Asia. Episode 216 with Miller Alexander Rajendran Founder & CEO of SenzAgro

This is series 11 of the Rare Birds Emerging Markets. In this edition we head to South Asia to speak with founders from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. In this conversation we speak with Miller Alexander Rajendran the founder & CEO of SenzAgro. 

Jun 08, 202251:11
Series 11: South Asia. Episode 215 with Nepali Swastika Khanal Founder of the Question Mark and Director at the Ultra Group

Series 11: South Asia. Episode 215 with Nepali Swastika Khanal Founder of the Question Mark and Director at the Ultra Group

This is series 11 of the Rare Birds Emerging Markets. In this edition we head to South Asia to speak with founders from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. In this conversation we speak with Nepali Swastika Khanal Founder of the Question Mark and Director at the Ultra Group

Jun 01, 202230:34
Series 11: South Asia. Episode 214 with Rashik Hoque Bangladeshi CoFounder & CEO of Onethread

Series 11: South Asia. Episode 214 with Rashik Hoque Bangladeshi CoFounder & CEO of Onethread

This is series 11 of the Rare Birds Emerging Markets. In this edition we head to South Asia to speak with founders from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. In this conversation we speak with Rashik Hoque Bangladeshi CoFounder & CEO of  Onethread. 

May 25, 202250:47
Series 11: South Asia. Episode 213 with Quazi Sabir Bangladeshi Founder & CEO of Khelbei Bangladesh

Series 11: South Asia. Episode 213 with Quazi Sabir Bangladeshi Founder & CEO of Khelbei Bangladesh

This is series 11 of the Rare Birds Emerging Markets. In this edition we head to South Asia to speak with founders from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. In this conversation we speak with Quazi Sabir Bangladeshi Founder & CEO of  Khelbei Bangladesh. 

May 18, 202235:43
Series 11: South Asia. Episode 212 with Bhutanese Ugyen Tshomo, Founder & CEO of Nim Gangsha Solar

Series 11: South Asia. Episode 212 with Bhutanese Ugyen Tshomo, Founder & CEO of Nim Gangsha Solar

This is series 11 of the Rare Birds Emerging Markets. In this edition we head to South Asia to speak with founders from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. In this conversation we speak with Bhutanese Ugyen Tshomo, Founder & CEO of Nim Gangsha Solar.

May 11, 202250:39
Series 11: South Asia. Episode 211 with Nepali Sixit Bhatta CoFounder & CEO of Tootle

Series 11: South Asia. Episode 211 with Nepali Sixit Bhatta CoFounder & CEO of Tootle

This is series 11 of the Rare Birds Emerging Markets. In this edition we head to South Asia to speak with founders from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. In this conversation we speak with Sixit Bhatta, a founder building solutions to enable movement. 

May 04, 202230:26
Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 210 with Rwandan, Vivens Uwizeyimana, the Chief Executive Officer of UmuravaWork

Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 210 with Rwandan, Vivens Uwizeyimana, the Chief Executive Officer of UmuravaWork

Our seventh and final guest in the East Africa bloc is Rwandan, Vivens Uwizeyimana, the Chief Executive Officer of UmuravaWork, a one-stop Pan-African freelance services marketplace.  If you are curious, then listen in and as always I will see you at the end.

Feb 23, 202239:46
A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 209 with South Sudanese Simon Chao Aloysius the Chief Executive Officer of Nile Boda

A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 209 with South Sudanese Simon Chao Aloysius the Chief Executive Officer of Nile Boda

Our sixth guest in the East Africa bloc is South Sudanese Simon Chao Aloysius the Chief Executive Officer of Nile Boda. Nile Boda are easing commuting challenges for citizens and creating employment for young bike riders.  If you are curious, then listen in.  

Feb 16, 202240:12
A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 208 with Malawian Ronnex Wataya, the Chief Executive Officer of Mi Wallet

A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 208 with Malawian Ronnex Wataya, the Chief Executive Officer of Mi Wallet

Our fifth guest in the East Africa bloc is Malawian Ronnex Wataya, the Chief Executive Officer of Mi Wallet. Mi Wallet is a fintech startup providing innovative financial services. If you are curious, then listen in. 

Feb 09, 202241:06
Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 207 with Kenyan Zipeta Nabwala, the Chief Executive Officer of Liverage Online

Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 207 with Kenyan Zipeta Nabwala, the Chief Executive Officer of Liverage Online

Our fourth guest in the East Africa bloc is Kenyan Zipeta Nabwala, the Chief Executive Officer of Liverage Online. Liverage Online is creating sign language awareness in society and providing equitable opportunities to deaf communities across Kenya.  If you are curious, then listen in. 

Feb 02, 202248:53
Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 206 with Ethiopian Kahsu Abera, the Chief Executive Officer of Kese Events

Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 206 with Ethiopian Kahsu Abera, the Chief Executive Officer of Kese Events

Our third guest in the East Africa bloc is Ethiopian Kahsu Abera, the Chief Executive Officer of Kese Events. Kese Events is an event management company dedicated to creating memorable and breathtaking events. If you are curious, then listen in.

Jan 26, 202252:13
Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 205 with Ugandan Edgar Mwambutsa, CEO of Medihub
Jan 19, 202253:44
Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 204 with Oscar Shivoga, CEO of Kiko AI in Kenya

Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 204 with Oscar Shivoga, CEO of Kiko AI in Kenya

Our first guest to kick off the East Africa bloc is Kenyan, Oscar Shivoga, the Chief Executive Officer of Kiko AI, a virtual shopping assistant that helps customers win over their behavioral human biases such as being too fatigued and overspending habits when shopping. If you are curious, then listen in. 

Jan 12, 202250:57
Conversations with Jo-Ann. Episode 203: The End of 2021 and What's Coming in 2022

Conversations with Jo-Ann. Episode 203: The End of 2021 and What's Coming in 2022

This is Conversations with Jo-Ann, a small bites episode where you get to learn a little more about the motivation behind the series and what to expect next. Listen in to installment five where Jo-Ann does a wrap up of 2021 and shares what's coming in 2022. 

Dec 04, 202109:41
Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 202 with Lydia Amenyaglo the Ghanaian-German Founder of Plenty Plenty Africa

Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 202 with Lydia Amenyaglo the Ghanaian-German Founder of Plenty Plenty Africa

Welcome to episode 202 of series 10, a Rare Birds Collaboration with Ghanian-based Startup Lounge Africa, a series of podcasts featuring some of the West African Startups featured on their West Africa Tour. In episode 202 I speak with Lydia Amenyaglo the Ghanian-German Founder of Plenty Plenty Africa. When Lydia traveled through Africa in early 2020, it was life-changing for her. Her father's cocoa farm, the beauty of Africa, the potential of the people, the desire to change things, all led to the creation of Plenty Plenty Africa, a cocoa farm with an attached production facility in Ghana. 

Nov 17, 202146:17
Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 201 with the Nigerian Founder of ShortKode Prosper Ukachi

Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 201 with the Nigerian Founder of ShortKode Prosper Ukachi

Welcome to episode 201 of series 10, a Rare Birds Collaboration with Ghanian-based Startup Lounge Africa, a series of podcasts featuring some of the West African Startups featured on their West Africa Tour. In episode 201 I speak with Prosper Ukachi the Nigerian Founder of ShortKode. Prosper Ukachi is a motivated undergraduate turned edtech entrepreneur. He currently holds the CEO role at ShortKode Technologies Limited & is a Country Chapter brand Ambassador for the African Innovation Week. Haven lived in Nigeria, Africa's largest economy, Prosper has been faced with the contrast of a country with vast resources with a 50%+ poverty rate. His goals are to improve living conditions of millions of people through the use of mobile technology. Prosper has helped his team (ShortKode, previous projects) win hackathons, grants, he partnered a friend to run a commerce business at 18 and has gotten ShortKode some recognition. He prefers to give credits to others and loves reading at his leisure times. ShortKode uses technology to facilitate access to quality teachers and teaching aids for schools.

Nov 10, 202101:03:23
Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 200 with Badou Mbye Jr the Gambian Founder of High Tech

Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 200 with Badou Mbye Jr the Gambian Founder of High Tech

Welcome to episode 200 of series 10, a Rare Birds Collaboration with Ghanian-based Startup Lounge Africa, a series of podcasts featuring some of the West African Startups featured on their West Africa Tour. In episode 200 I speak with Badou Mbye Jr the Gambian Founder of High Tech. Badou Mbye, is a Software Developer, Producer, and Host of HighTech Show, and all-round tech enthusiast. He grew up in the U.K. and graduated with a BSc. In Information Systems in The Gambia. He was always surrounded by tech growing up and used it to help around the house.  Seeing how technology made things easier day-to-day, sparked a curiosity to learn how he can use it to better himself and solve systematic problems in Africa using technology. It helped him to create a Production Team to build content and stories around Digital Awareness. His company is called High Tech and it Captures and provides captivating advertisement for innovative tech solutions in Africa.

Nov 03, 202139:39
Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 199 with Ghanaian Founder of Tukwan Phillip Gideon Aye-Darko

Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 199 with Ghanaian Founder of Tukwan Phillip Gideon Aye-Darko

Welcome to episode 199 of series 10, a Rare Birds Collaboration with Ghanian-based Startup Lounge Africa, a series of podcasts featuring some of the West African Startups featured on their West Africa Tour. In this episode I sat down with the founder of Tukwan Phillip Gideon Aye-Darko. Phillip is an IT Service Delivery Analyst, he concentrates primarily on Travel Technology Delivery for Tourists and Travel Guides in Africa. His key skills and expertise include IT System Analysis, Project Management and Monitoring & Evaluation of further Employee/Project Leads. His company Tukwan is the first on market travel tech provider in Ghana, offering tourists the freedom to experience quality tours and pay less. 

Oct 27, 202157:00
Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 198 with Samuel Opuku and Prince Kelly Anyomitse Founding Partners of Startup Lounge Africa

Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa. Episode 198 with Samuel Opuku and Prince Kelly Anyomitse Founding Partners of Startup Lounge Africa

Welcome to episode 198 of series 10, a Rare Birds Collaboration with Ghanian-based Startup Lounge Africa a series of podcasts featuring some of the West African Startups featured on their West Africa Tour. To kick off this series I sat down with the Founding Partners of Startup Lounge Africa: Samuel Opuku, and Prince Kelly Anyomitse.

Oct 20, 202149:06
[Intro] Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa

[Intro] Series 10: A Rare Birds Collaboration with Startup Lounge Africa

This is series 10 a Rare Birds Collaboration with Ghanaian-based Startup Lounge Africa. Start Up Lounge Africa is on a mission to continually organize useful information and relevant networks that prioritize the collaborative growth and sustainability of African startups. They are pioneering a special project titled 54 Days Across Africa. 54 Days Across Africa is an initiative geared towards showcasing innovative startup solutions through a continent wide virtual tour to herald their recently launched digital matchmaking platform called Kutana Africa. Listen in for more.

Oct 19, 202105:02
Conversations with Jo-Ann. Episode 197: Education + Adoption-Blockchain in Africa Wrap Up and a Series 10 Autumn

Conversations with Jo-Ann. Episode 197: Education + Adoption-Blockchain in Africa Wrap Up and a Series 10 Autumn

This is Conversations with Jo-Ann, a small bites episode where you get to learn a little more about the motivation behind the series and what to expect next. Listen in to installment four whereby she wraps up the series and provide some details into what’s to come this autumn with series 10: Startup Lounge-54 Days Across Africa, a Rare Birds Collaboration.

Oct 13, 202123:56
Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 196 Reimagine Blockchain Opportunities for Africa with Idowu Akinde in Nigeria

Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 196 Reimagine Blockchain Opportunities for Africa with Idowu Akinde in Nigeria

About Idowu


Founder CEO, Startup Coach, Innovation Ecosystem Builder, Blockchain Community Builder and Board Member. His goal for the next 20 years - having achieved some degree of success over the last - is to nurture (coach, mentor, inspire) the next generation of tech talent. To this end, he currently acts as a coach for product teams, technology teams, and startup teams across the globe. Working through global startup/innovation hubs such as the Founder Institute, Impact Hub, BridgeForBillions, VC4Africa and Innovation Support Network, sometimes this coaching manifests as an Agile Coach, and other times as Product Coach, Technology Coach, Developer Advocate, Technical Evangelist or Startup Mentor.

Sep 27, 202156:47
Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 195 Redesigning the Future with Precious Omusuwe from Nigeria

Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 195 Redesigning the Future with Precious Omusuwe from Nigeria

About Precious

Precious Omusuwe is a Certified Blockchain Solutions Architect project  and Coordinator of Blockchain Enthusiasts, a platform focused on blockchain education. His biggest asset is his ability to communicate complex information in user-friendly language and since 2017 has been actively involved in blockchain education at the grassroots. Outside the blockchain space, Precious is an ardent soccer analyst, Software Support and Implementation consultant and a loving husband.

Sep 22, 202147:11
Guyana: Startup Nation. A Three Part Series with Entrepreneur and Merchant Banker Steven Jasmin (Bonus Feature) Part 3-Startup Nation. Episode 194

Guyana: Startup Nation. A Three Part Series with Entrepreneur and Merchant Banker Steven Jasmin (Bonus Feature) Part 3-Startup Nation. Episode 194

MORE INFO ON STEVEN

Mr. Jasmin is Group Chairman and Managing Director of Smart City Clearing Company Ltd. a BVI based frontier market Merchant Bank. The bank’s focus is working with High Net Worth and Institutional clients across all aspects of the Alternative Investment Class as they look to invest and participate in Guyana’s growth. His practice focuses on four key markets: Commercial Real Estate, Oil & Gas Service Companies, Infrastructure Development, and Technology. ​ To learn more about his origin story, follow the LinkedIn Article he posted: "Finding the Path to El Dorado in Guyana".

With over 15 years of experience as a Management Consultant and Investment Banker for Fortune 500 and Middle Market Companies, he has experience spanning all aspects of business but prefers to focus on Corporate Finance and Investment Banking. ​ He is able to bring a deep and significant skillset as well as an extensive world-wide network with key relationships to bear for his clients and partners. Some of his clients have included: Delta Air Lines, Coca Cola, Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, and Proctor & Gamble. Prior to being a Fortune 500 consultant, Mr. Jasmin is also a former registered Investment Banker. ​

He has worked as a Managing Director for Corporate Finance Associates where he oversaw deals across the entire alternative investment asset class. Prior to working with CFA, Steven was Vice President at the boutique investment bank Street Capital. Steven’s network and background as a former FINRA registered investment banker and management consultant allows him to bring a unique perspective to every opportunity. With a degree from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University, and over 15 years of business experience in the fields of finance, marketing, information technology, and operations, Steven has an eye for detail across all spectrums. ​ Recognizing that successful companies are built over time he is driven to employ his business acumen and broad skill set to help his partners and portfolio companies achieve their desired goals and long term financial success. Steven resides in Atlanta, Georgia but spends the majority of his time in Guyana as he works to help the country navigate through first oil and beyond.

Sep 17, 202101:01:22
Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 193 Blockchain in the Hair Industry with Pretty Kubyane from South Africa

Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 193 Blockchain in the Hair Industry with Pretty Kubyane from South Africa

ABOUT PRETTY

Pretty’s management consulting focus across a decade ushered her into an industry disruption through the co-founding of Coronet Blockchain - an emerging technology solution geared to shift how hair exchanges hands across Africa's ZAR 100 billion per year sector.

A responsibility that sees her reshaping the future of this sector through blockchain driven supply chain digital infrastructure inputs leveraging blockchain technology to evolve the salon sector from hand to mouth into a bankable economy. Future-proofing the salon sector, in a post-Covid reality, ensuring their sustainability, re-tooling, and bring about employable key industry skills whilst fulfilling consumer expectations.

Sep 15, 202141:34
[Bonus Series] Guyana Startup Nation. A Three Part Series with Entrepreneur, Guyana Focused Frontier Merchant Banker and Asset Manager Steven Jasmin. Part 2 The Guyana Story Episode 192

[Bonus Series] Guyana Startup Nation. A Three Part Series with Entrepreneur, Guyana Focused Frontier Merchant Banker and Asset Manager Steven Jasmin. Part 2 The Guyana Story Episode 192

MORE INFO ON STEVEN

Mr. Jasmin is Group Chairman and Managing Director of Smart City Clearing Company Ltd. a BVI based frontier market Merchant Bank. The bank’s focus is working with High Net Worth and Institutional clients across all aspects of the Alternative Investment Class as they look to invest and participate in Guyana’s growth. His practice focuses on four key markets: Commercial Real Estate, Oil & Gas Service Companies, Infrastructure Development, and Technology. To learn more about his origin story, follow the LinkedIn Article he posted: "Finding the Path to El Dorado in Guyana".

With over 15 years of experience as a Management Consultant and Investment Banker for Fortune 500 and Middle Market Companies, he has experience spanning all aspects of business but prefers to focus on Corporate Finance and Investment Banking. He is able to bring a deep and significant skillset as well as an extensive world-wide network with key relationships to bear for his clients and partners. Some of his clients have included: Delta Air Lines, Coca Cola, Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, and Proctor & Gamble. Prior to being a Fortune 500 consultant, Mr. Jasmin is also a former registered Investment Banker.

He has worked as a Managing Director for Corporate Finance Associates where he oversaw deals across the entire alternative investment asset class. Prior to working with CFA, Steven was Vice President at the boutique investment bank Street Capital. Steven’s network and background as a former FINRA registered investment banker and management consultant allows him to bring a unique perspective to every opportunity. With a degree from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University, and over 15 years of business experience in the fields of finance, marketing, information technology, and operations, Steven has an eye for detail across all spectrums. Recognizing that successful companies are built over time he is driven to employ his business acumen and broad skill set to help his partners and portfolio companies achieve their desired goals and long term financial success. Steven resides in Atlanta, Georgia but spends the majority of his time in Guyana as he works to help the country navigate through first oil and beyond.

Sep 10, 202101:03:48
Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa. Episode 191 The Role of Edtech in Blockchain Adoption with Sonia John Ecosystem Developer at Filecoin

Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa. Episode 191 The Role of Edtech in Blockchain Adoption with Sonia John Ecosystem Developer at Filecoin

ABOUT SONIA

Sonia John is  blockchain developer, writer and speaker.  She is passionate about the decentralized web and all the endless possibilities within it! She believes that it is not enough to know and be willing but to act.  She is working on Porium, a web3-focused distributed online learning platform and is currently an Ecosystem Developer at Filecoin. 

Sep 08, 202149:10
[Bonus Series] Guyana Startup Nation. A Three Part Series with Entrepreneur, Guyana Focused Frontier Merchant Banker and Asset Manager Steven Jasmin. Part 1 The Origin Story Episode 190

[Bonus Series] Guyana Startup Nation. A Three Part Series with Entrepreneur, Guyana Focused Frontier Merchant Banker and Asset Manager Steven Jasmin. Part 1 The Origin Story Episode 190

MORE INFO ON STEVEN

Mr. Jasmin is Group Chairman and Managing Director of Smart City Clearing Company Ltd. a BVI based frontier market Merchant Bank. The bank’s focus is working with High Net Worth and Institutional clients across all aspects of the Alternative Investment Class as they look to invest and participate in Guyana’s growth. His practice focuses on four key markets: Commercial Real Estate, Oil & Gas Service Companies, Infrastructure Development, and Technology. ​ To learn more about his origin story, follow the LinkedIn Article he posted: "Finding the Path to El Dorado in Guyana".

With over 15 years of experience as a Management Consultant and Investment Banker for Fortune 500 and Middle Market Companies, he has experience spanning all aspects of business but prefers to focus on Corporate Finance and Investment Banking. ​ He is able to bring a deep and significant skillset as well as an extensive world-wide network with key relationships to bear for his clients and partners. Some of his clients have included: Delta Air Lines, Coca Cola, Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, and Proctor & Gamble. Prior to being a Fortune 500 consultant, Mr. Jasmin is also a former registered Investment Banker. ​

He has worked as a Managing Director for Corporate Finance Associates where he oversaw deals across the entire alternative investment asset class. Prior to working with CFA, Steven was Vice President at the boutique investment bank Street Capital. Steven’s network and background as a former FINRA registered investment banker and management consultant allows him to bring a unique perspective to every opportunity. With a degree from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University, and over 15 years of business experience in the fields of finance, marketing, information technology, and operations, Steven has an eye for detail across all spectrums. ​ Recognizing that successful companies are built over time he is driven to employ his business acumen and broad skill set to help his partners and portfolio companies achieve their desired goals and long term financial success. Steven resides in Atlanta, Georgia but spends the majority of his time in Guyana as he works to help the country navigate through first oil and beyond.

Sep 03, 202158:33
Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 189: Building Tech Communities in French Speaking Countries with Senegalese Blockchain Engineer Oumar Fall

Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 189: Building Tech Communities in French Speaking Countries with Senegalese Blockchain Engineer Oumar Fall

MORE ABOUT OUMAR

Oumar is a Senegalese web expert with 20 years of experience.  He is specialized in the development of high-end web solutions.  As a self-taught engineer, he loves being challenged and engaged with projects that require him to work outside his comfort and knowledge set. Continuous-learning is part of what defines him.  Additionally, he is a web engineering leader valued for driving quality and consistency throughout all phases of software development projects to produce high-quality, user-friendly and (as much as possible) bug-free software.

Sep 01, 202152:01
Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa. Episode 188 Educating in the Arabic Language with Eman Herawy Founder of Arabs in Blockchain

Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa. Episode 188 Educating in the Arabic Language with Eman Herawy Founder of Arabs in Blockchain

MORE INFO ON EMAN

Eman is a blockchain full stack developer with a great enthusiasm for learning and adopting new technologies. Her work relies on building rich responsive web apps & Dapps. She is the Founder of Arabs in Blockchain, Blockchain Lead at StartFi, Devcon Scholar Alumni at the Ethereum Foundation, Ambassador at ConsenSys Qurum and Status.Im, Regional Organiser and CoFounder at Arab Blockchain Week.

Aug 25, 202128:13
[Bonus Series] Ep. 187 Introduction to Guyana: Startup Nation. A Three Part Series with Entrepreneur, Guyana Focused Frontier Market Merchant Banker and Asset Manager Steven Jasmin

[Bonus Series] Ep. 187 Introduction to Guyana: Startup Nation. A Three Part Series with Entrepreneur, Guyana Focused Frontier Market Merchant Banker and Asset Manager Steven Jasmin

Mr. Jasmin is Group Chairman and Managing Director of Smart City Clearing Company Ltd. a BVI based frontier market Merchant Bank. The bank’s focus is working with High Net Worth and Institutional clients across all aspects of the Alternative Investment Class as they look to invest and participate in Guyana’s growth. His practice focuses on four key markets: Commercial Real Estate, Oil & Gas Service Companies, Infrastructure Development, and Technology. ​

To learn more about his origin story, follow the LinkedIn Article he posted: "Finding the Path to El Dorado in Guyana".

With over 15 years of experience as a Management Consultant and Investment Banker for Fortune 500 and Middle Market Companies, he has experience spanning all aspects of business but prefers to focus on Corporate Finance and Investment Banking. ​ He is able to bring a deep and significant skillset as well as an extensive world-wide network with key relationships to bear for his clients and partners.

Some of his clients have included: Delta Air Lines, Coca Cola, Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, and Proctor & Gamble. Prior to being a Fortune 500 consultant,

Mr. Jasmin is also a former registered Investment Banker. ​ He has worked as a Managing Director for Corporate Finance Associates where he oversaw deals across the entire alternative investment asset class. Prior to working with CFA, Steven was Vice President at the boutique investment bank Street Capital. Steven’s network and background as a former FINRA registered investment banker and management consultant allows him to bring a unique perspective to every opportunity.

With a degree from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University, and over 15 years of business experience in the fields of finance, marketing, information technology, and operations, Steven has an eye for detail across all spectrums. ​ Recognizing that successful companies are built over time he is driven to employ his business acumen and broad skill set to help his partners and portfolio companies achieve their desired goals and long term financial success. Steven resides in Atlanta, Georgia but spends the majority of his time in Guyana as he works to help the country navigate through first oil and beyond.

Aug 22, 202104:03
Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 186 Blockchain in Tunisia. Leveraging Local Talent to Serve International Clients with Tarek Kamoun from Tunisia

Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 186 Blockchain in Tunisia. Leveraging Local Talent to Serve International Clients with Tarek Kamoun from Tunisia

About Tarek

Tarek is bringing value to business through blockchain technology.  He is the Founder of K2LIS, A Paris based company that supports customers from all sectors to anticipate, innovate and deliver high value through innovative projects based on Blockchain technologies. They bring an end-to-end state-of-the-art Blockchain expertise: - Acculturation and training for Business and IT people - Strategy and consulting to identify appropriate and high-value use cases - Solutions development and deployment support.

Aug 18, 202101:08:14
Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 185 Investing in Blockchain: Educating with Business Cases featuring Kenyan Economists Roselyne Wanjiru

Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 185 Investing in Blockchain: Educating with Business Cases featuring Kenyan Economists Roselyne Wanjiru

 Roselyn describes herself as a Digital Economy Advocate, Economist, Professional Speaker, Blockchain Consultant and Educator and Youth Mentor. She is dedicated to serving and having an impact.

Aug 11, 202152:56
Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 184 with Pascal Ntsama IV from Cameroon. Education when Building a Blockchain Startup

Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 184 with Pascal Ntsama IV from Cameroon. Education when Building a Blockchain Startup

Pascal is the CEO of SaukiBit.  He is an expert in the respective fields of telecommunications, decentralized computing and software development with over nine years of experience in designing, optimizing and operating complex multi-million dollar digital systems. SaukiBit is driving innovation and choice for customers, businesses, fintech companies and banks with modular API standards. We are in the business of simplifying the blockchain and cryptocurrency ecosystems for the African focused next gen data driven market. SaukiBit are building a powerful API and payment platform offering the easiest way to create sophisticated wallet addresses for Blockchain assets of choice and digital financial solutions.

Aug 04, 202101:23:35
 Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 183 with Peter Oluwashina from Nigeria. The Three Layers of Blockchain Education
Jul 28, 202146:11
Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 182: Decentralised Politics with Abdelfatah Mouttaqui from Morocco

Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 182: Decentralised Politics with Abdelfatah Mouttaqui from Morocco

About Abdel

The foundation of my education and understanding is built on a unique Geopolitical and Societal diploma completed in the early stages of my growth. This prepared me for an approach not only with a business mind but with a political understanding too. I have grown from financial consultancy experience, language expertise and a large amount of political work to a strong passion in the world of Technology. With my Oxford University Blockchain Strategy Knowledge of the Blockchain Ecosystem/ Innovations in Value Transfer/Decentralized Apps and Smart Contracts/Transforming Enterprise Business Modules and the Blockchain Frontiers as well as my vast understanding and experience in the political and financial arena – my approach to the development of this new technology is unique given my established networks and full stack strategy. I am driven by the desire to succeed and make a difference in all I do – that said, I intend to actively be a part of supporting the education and development.

Jul 21, 202101:04:41
Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 181: The 4th Industrial Revolution and Blockchain with Aurra Kawanzaruwa in Zimbabwe

Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 181: The 4th Industrial Revolution and Blockchain with Aurra Kawanzaruwa in Zimbabwe

Aurra is a  multi-potentialite with a very broad portfolio. She is currently the Headmistress ofSt. Anne’s Primary School (est. 1947), Executive Director & Co-Founder of Africa Is Digital and Chairman of Aurra Nicole Group. She is the  2019 Africa Science Week (Next Einstein Forum & Purple Futures Trust) – Appreciation Award recipient.  She received this recognition for her outstanding work and with sincere appreciation for her tireless efforts in using science and technology for the betterment of society. In 2018 she was the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce, Women in Commerce Award Winner in the Social Enterprise category for Little Entrepreneurs.

Jul 14, 202136:17
 Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 180 with Abbas Hirei Gassem on the Potential of Blockchain in Somalia

Series 9: Education + Adoption- Blockchain in Africa Episode 180 with Abbas Hirei Gassem on the Potential of Blockchain in Somalia

Abbas is a dynamic, flexible and results oriented product development, operations professional & entrepreneur. Collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders and learning about the needs of new sectors from scratch to bring innovative ideas and business success. Having worked on a number of product launches in the US, Europe and Middle East. He spent two years spent in Paris working at Ledger.com helping to scale operations revenues from $10M to $90M. Spent five years in Dubai on Product capacity at Careem, Starz Play, and Yahoo!. All this has given him the ability to put on wider lenses when getting an idea off the ground. Addressing all types of issues from finance, HR, sales and marketing. Have good speaking and understanding of Arabic, French and German (elementary).

On leaving the Horn of Africa country after the war, he gained degrees from the UK in BSc Economics & Social Policy and Post Graduate in Computing. His first technology job was with French online price comparison, Kelkoo.com. In 2004, it was acquired by Yahoo! for $650mn. At Yahoo!, he had the opportunity to work for one of the early Internet giants.

During his 10 years at Yahoo! he has been involved in with a wide array of product developments in London, California, and Dubai. In Dubai, he also worked for Careem which was wholly acquired by Uber for $3.1bn. More recently in Paris for Ledger.com who provides security and management of digital currencies. He has now returned to his roots with a Cars Marketplace project (Gawaarida.com) dedicated to Somalia. He describes it as, “New time, new challenges but the same heart and energy to make a difference.”

Jul 07, 202146:11
Conversations with Jo-Ann. Episode 179: Puerto Rico Wrap Up and a Series 9 Summer

Conversations with Jo-Ann. Episode 179: Puerto Rico Wrap Up and a Series 9 Summer

Greetings Rare Ones and welcome to the Rare Birds Emerging Markets Podcast.

I am your host Jo-Ann. I started Rare Birds a few years ago because I wanted to learn the stories of startups in emerging markets. This has since evolved into a digital brand with content covering startups and blockchain technology with a sole focus on emerging markets. The Rare Birds Emerging Markets Podcast is where I have conversations with startup founders, ecosystem builders, innovators and investors from across emerging markets.  


This is Conversations with Jo-Ann, a small bites episode where you get to learn a little more about the motivation behind the series and what to expect next. Listen in to installment three whereby I wrap up series and provide some details into what's to come this summer with series 9: Adoption and Education-Blockchain in Africa. 

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
  • Puerto Rico Wrap Up
  • Series 9


Jun 23, 202118:07
Series 8: Exploring the Puerto Rico Startup Ecosystem. Episode 178 Building Global Startup Accelerators that Create Impact with Sebastian Vidal

Series 8: Exploring the Puerto Rico Startup Ecosystem. Episode 178 Building Global Startup Accelerators that Create Impact with Sebastian Vidal

Sebastian Vidal is the Chief Innovation Officer at the Puerto Rico Science, Technology & Innovation Trust. He is the former Executive Director of Parallel18 an international Startup Program based in Puerto Rico where they support and invest in 80 global companies per year with the goal of having an economic and social impact in the island. After the first year, the program has been able to generate 5 times return the distributed investment.

Before this, Mr. Vidal led government funded program Start-Up Chile, aiming to attract global minded entrepreneurs to his native Chile in order to transform the country in to a world-recognized innovation capital. Through Start-Up Chile, he was able to work side by side with more than 1,000 startups in different stages and industries, managing a 10 USD Million yearly budget and witness a country’s cultural transformation towards entrepreneurship, guiding the program in to become the most innovative company of Latin America according to FastCompany in 2015.

He has also helped develop technology ecosystem public policy strategies in countries like Peru, Brazil, Malaysia and South Korea, and consulted the World Bank for a technology development ecosystem project in Lebanon. He has invested in some startups and also has been a mentor in different accelerators and entrepreneurship programs such as Stanford Ignite, Founder Institute and others.

Jun 02, 202144:32
Series 8: Exploring the Puerto Rico Startup Ecosystem Episode 177. Meet Jahannnie Torres-Rodriguez, The Engineer & Entrepreneur Creating Technology with Purpose

Series 8: Exploring the Puerto Rico Startup Ecosystem Episode 177. Meet Jahannnie Torres-Rodriguez, The Engineer & Entrepreneur Creating Technology with Purpose

Jahannie Torres-Rodriguez has a background in computer engineering and business development from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, where she was a first-generation college student. She has over five years of experience developing Innovation and Entrepreneurship ecosystems through the Mayagüez Business and Economic Development Center and the UPRM E-ship Network. Stanford University selected her to join the University Innovation Fellows program and become a change agent in higher education. Recently, the World Economic Forum recognized her as a Global Shaper.

Jahannie is a co-founder of EPIC Makerspace (the first makerspace in her institution), Tech Blast Conference (to expose STEM students to emerging technologies that were not offered in courses), Solidarity Scholarship (to help students from disadvantaged communities, like her community) and Edvo Tech(a professional development company for teachers). She currently works as a Business Development Specialist at Colmena66, a program of the Puerto Rico Trust for Science, Technology and Research. There, her main responsibilities are to coordinate award-winning strategies to increase technology commercialization through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs and design, planning and executing data strategies to measure and monitor the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. After developing high impact projects, and working in several industries and research projects, she realized that her passion lies in combining technology, entrepreneurship, and education to create a better society

May 26, 202152:09
Series 8: Exploring the Puerto Rico Startup Ecosystem Episode 176: Erica Reyes, the Founder of Puerto Rico’s First School of Coffee and Barristas

Series 8: Exploring the Puerto Rico Startup Ecosystem Episode 176: Erica Reyes, the Founder of Puerto Rico’s First School of Coffee and Barristas

Erica Reyes is the owner of Cafe Cola'o in Old San Juan and The School of Coffee and Baristas of Puerto Rico. This is the first and only educational institution dedicated to fostering the growth and training of baristas in Puerto Rico.  She has more than 15 years of experience in the coffee industry. The school's main educational resource has certifications from: Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) among other professional development bodies. She has also served as a technical coffee judge in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Sweden, China, Hungary, among others, and as a "coach" of coffee competitions in Puerto Rico, Seattle, Sweden, among other countries. She also holds the title of Technical Judge for the World Barista competition in Italy, as well as becoming the first SCA instructor to offer courses in Spanish to the Spanish-speaking community in the United States.

May 19, 202101:20:58
 Series 8: Exploring the Puerto Rico Startup Ecosystem Episode 175: Venture Capital in Puerto Rico with Jennifer P. Hopp, Managing Partner at ATO Ventures

Series 8: Exploring the Puerto Rico Startup Ecosystem Episode 175: Venture Capital in Puerto Rico with Jennifer P. Hopp, Managing Partner at ATO Ventures

Jennifer is the Managing Partner of ATO Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm based in Puerto Rico that funds technology startups in USA and LATAM, with special focus in PR. She has been building companies and investing in startups as a Limited Partner (LP), Venture Partner, Angel and Venture Capitalist (VC) for over 20 years.

Jennifer began investing in the capital markets at age 19, while an undergrad at Oxford University. She became an LP in an early stage Venture Capital fund at age 23. Several years later, Jennifer become a Venture Partner with Outsell, and then an active startup Advisor and Angel Investor. She founded ATO Ventures in 2018. The fund had its first close in 2019 and will do a final close in 2020. ATO Ventures is currently deploying capital while also completing its raise.

As an entrepreneur, Jennifer started her first company at age 8, but she officially became a tax-paying citizen at age 10. After University, she was a testifying & consulting Commercial Damages Expert before returning to her passion - entrepreneurship! She founded her software company, WeMakeItSafer, shortly after attending business school at UC Berkeley. After launching in 2011, the company was acquired in 2016.

Along the way, Jennifer also held two interim CEO roles and has been advising startups on identifying revenue models and the importance of validating markets before launch. Now, Jennifer is using her expertise to help other investors achieve higher returns at lower risk through ATO Ventures.

Jennifer began visiting Puerto Rico as an Parallel 18 mentor in 2016 and quickly fell in love with the island. She is now happy to call San Juan home and is fully committed to supporting and growing the quickly emerging startup ecosystem in PR.

May 12, 202140:07
Series 8: Exploring the Puerto Rico Startup Ecosystem Episode 174: Encouraging Entrepreneurship in Puerto Rico with Gustavo Diaz Skoff

Series 8: Exploring the Puerto Rico Startup Ecosystem Episode 174: Encouraging Entrepreneurship in Puerto Rico with Gustavo Diaz Skoff

Gustavo Diaz Skoff grew up in the Startup Ecosystem in Puerto Rico. At 18 years of age, he founded the first youth-led non-profit organization for aspiring entrepreneurs in Puerto Rico with the support of 3 Government agencies. During his time at the #1 School For Entrepreneurship (Babson College), he studied and produced the only non-government commissioned study of Act 20 & Act 22. At 24 years of age, he built his fair share of companies (crash & burned them), worked with a wide array of firms, led last-mile data gathering efforts with 78 mayors in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria, and performed some incredible stuff.

May 06, 202149:18
Series 8: Exploring the Puerto Rico Startup Ecosystem Episode 173 Building a Platform for the Latin American Diaspora with Alan Taveras-Sepulveda

Series 8: Exploring the Puerto Rico Startup Ecosystem Episode 173 Building a Platform for the Latin American Diaspora with Alan Taveras-Sepulveda

Alan  is the co-founder and owner of Brands Of (alongside his brother). They were both studying abroad when they experienced the nostalgia many do when abroad. This was the beginning of their company, Brands Of, a startup company committed to exporting goods from Latin American countries and providing a drop shipping-plus-fulfillment service from Puerto Rico. Brands of looks to supply consumers especially the Latin-American diaspora with the brands and products they love from their home country while enabling local entrepreneurs with the necessary tools to export. We are building the largest quality based catalog of Latin-Americans products and brands “The concept of Brands of started with Brands of Puerto Rico. In the first days of March 2014 Puerto Rico’s bonds degraded to junk because of the ongoing economic crisis, parallel to this a greater number of Puerto Ricans started moving to the continental USA looking for more opportunities. We saw this as a great opportunity for the local entrepreneurs to start exporting their products and brands to satisfy the growing market outside of Puerto Rico created by the diaspora. Since our background is based on technological entrepreneurship, it was natural to us to create a platform where the diaspora could buy the products they miss while supporting the brands they love.”

Apr 28, 202135:30
Series 8: Exploring the Puerto Rico Startup Ecosystem Episode 172 Investing in Yourself to Add Value to Your Business with Perla Sofia Curbelo-Santiago

Series 8: Exploring the Puerto Rico Startup Ecosystem Episode 172 Investing in Yourself to Add Value to Your Business with Perla Sofia Curbelo-Santiago

My name is Perla Sofía Curbelo-Santiago (Sofía is my middle name, and Curbelo-Santiago are my parent´s last names). I was born and raised on the tropical island of Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. I currently live on the Island. Since I was a kid, I was always interested in flowers and plants. I used to have my own garden lot in my parent´s backyard. I remembered going around the neighborhood collecting flowers to bring back home. I noticed how the vase with flowers changed the room’s mood and everybody around it. That was my early horticultural therapy experience. I´m interested in helping people, especially women, to adapt and use Nature/Gardening as a tool for their wellbeing.

I´m a professional communicator with a long experience in radio, television, and newspapers. I majored in Psychology, from the University of Puerto Rico, and hold a master´s degree, in Public Relations, from Universidad del Sagrado Corazón. I´m Certified in Horticulture Therapy (2019) from the Chicago Botanical Garden.  I´m a natural connector, educator, and speaker for corporate and general audiences. I´m an active member of Garden Communicators International (since 2017). Also a member of the American Horticultural Therapy Association. I have worked/collaborated with well-known companies and brands like Ford Motor Company, Walmart, FirstBank, Garnier, and Corona Tools, to name a few.  Besides Spanish and English, I speak fluent Italian. I love botanical gardens, The Secret Garden theme, reading, Netflix, baking, the Fall season, and going for a power walk. If you´re interested to know more about our work at Agrochic, the Latino market or want to create a special collaboration, send me an email via perlasofia@agrochic.com

Apr 21, 202101:08:06
Series 8: Exploring the Puerto Rico Startup Ecosystem Episode 171 Building an App for Book Lovers with Lincy Ayala, CEO & CoFounder of BookSloth

Series 8: Exploring the Puerto Rico Startup Ecosystem Episode 171 Building an App for Book Lovers with Lincy Ayala, CEO & CoFounder of BookSloth

Lincy Ayala is Co-Founder and CEO of BookSloth. Lincy began her career as a biologist, whose love for animals had her working at a Nonprofit Wildlife preserve. Soon after, she re-discovered her passion for design when preparing graphics for the wildlife enclosures.  From there she became a freelance developer/designer and has worked with multiple companies over the last 6 years. Her work has included designing responsive and interactive designing website layouts, mobile apps, user experiences, and physical products, among many others. Her technical experience includes knowledge in: UX/UI Design, Web and Mobile Design, prototyping tools and project managing software. Lincy has collaborated with WomenTechOver, a community of women who get together to talk about their technology projects and inspire other women to pursue tech careers while also advocating for more inclusive work environments. If she’s not working, you’ll find her cuddled up reading some YA or Fantasy book.

Xiomara Figueroa is Co-Founder, and CTO of BookSloth. Xiomara grew up in the central highlands of Puerto Rico to become a first-generation undergraduate student at the University of Puerto Rico. She started by studying architecture, eventually switching to biology until her junior year when she took an introduction to Computer Science course by chance, and fell in love with the practical aspect of it all. She considers herself deeply committed to diversity in tech and education. That led her to co-found Include Girls, a student led non-profit organization for women in STEM fields. She attributed her community-driven attitude to her fellowship with CODE2040, a non-profit organization that supports Black and Latinxs in tech. Since then she has focused her work on building with technology and giving back to the community by serving as a mentor and role model.

Apr 14, 202141:44
Series 8: Exploring the Puerto Rico Startup Ecosystem Episode 170 Tech for Everyday People with Fabian Velez Vicente

Series 8: Exploring the Puerto Rico Startup Ecosystem Episode 170 Tech for Everyday People with Fabian Velez Vicente

Fabián Vélez Vicente, also known as “Favo”, is a Puerto Rican tech serial entrepreneur and full stack developer that is currently the President and CEO at Link Puerto Rico, a Puerto Rican organization that aims to facilitate world-class and accessible experiential education and initiatives in technology and entrepreneurship related fields, Chief Technology Officer at Viva Advertising, a Puerto Rico based marketing agency that helps small to medium-sized business take their brand and products to the digital landscape.  He is the manager of the digital content creator and brand called Gerry Stories, and a Full-Stack Web Developer with over 6 years of experience. Since his early teen years, Fabián has been focused on creating innovative solutions through technology for communities, through his extensive participation in hackathons and development work with local and international companies.

After 3 years of primarily focusing on software development projects and the landfall of Hurricane María in Puerto Rico, Vélez started his entrepreneurial journey, with 3 other co-founders, Link Puerto Rico to help kickstart the technology education sector. As he continued to gain experience as a social entrepreneur in the technology field, he also decided to start working on a startup marketing agency called Viva Advertising, along with 3 other co founders. In the future, Fabián wishes to continue to focus his work in the technology and social impact fields through his initiatives in startups, nonprofits, and digital brands.

Apr 07, 202141:52