);

Month: July 2021

WHERE YOUR NEXT GREAT FREELANCERS COME FROM: AFRICA

Posted on by foundersunfound

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Listen in from your favorite podcast spots or read the full transcript here.

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:
Founders Live

The global venue for entrepreneurs to experience events, content, and community.
Check out founderslive.com to join and to find a live event streaming from your city.

 

helping tech tap into the talent emerging on the continent

 

Roger Roman, Co-Founder of AfriBlocks, the global Pan-African freelance marketplace and collaboration platform. They are building THE resource for devs, designers, and virtual assistants.

Roger hails from Chicago, and in his home neighborhood there the Roman name is well known. He was pre-ordained to be a lawyer, but Roger took a different path: business. He leveraged his degree from Howard University to immerse in industries as varied as construction, video game development, and eventually marketing. Roger has been spotlighted in The New York Times, Black Enterprise, and VentureBeat. But it was when co-founder Tongai Choto came calling that Roger saw a chance to take on a massive opportunity: the emergence of Africa in the global tech marketplace. The continent has over 450M Gen Z and young millennials, all eager, ambitious, and tech-enabled. Fertile ground for a startup like AfriBlocks.

Roger has a great story. Be sure to listen in.

 

“Things started to take off, but I had a reason not to go to law school.”
~ Roger Roman

In this episode Roger and Dan discussed:

  • growing up in Chicago
  • how a chance encounter at graduation led to his first job
  • the opportunity for law school – avoided repeatedly
  • how one mentor changed his career
  • why Africa should be on everyone’s mind

 

“…our thesis is that the globe is going to turn to Africa to fill those jobs.”
~ Roger Roman

MORE on ROGER and AFRIBLOCKS

Roger:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogerroman/
https://twitter.com/RogerLRomanII

AfriBlocks:
https://www.afriblocks.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/afriblocks/
https://twitter.com/afriblocks
https://www.instagram.com/afriblocks/

 

“…he [said], ‘I started a WhatsApp group and it grew from 10 people to 600’…”
~ Roger Roman

 

USING AI AND FINTECH TO BENEFIT ARTISTS AND CREATORS

Posted on by foundersunfound

Listen in from your favorite podcast spots or read the full transcript here.

 

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

BLCK VC

A focused community built for and by black investors.
If you ever thought about getting into Venture, you definitely want to connect up at blackvc.com or follow @BLCKVC for more about their exceptional programs and events.

repeat entrepreneur Brings efficiency and equity to artist economics

 

James Jones, Co-Founder and CEO of Ownors, an AI-driven Fintech platform that helps artists retrieve payouts from streaming services.

Ownors isn’t James’ first startup. Inspired by his upbringing, James became an attorney. But he saw the gaps in the system. The fundamental way that legal services are sold and distributed is a straight-up disconnect with the vast majority of people who need it. So he and his wife formed Court Buddy, where he became Black Enterprise Entrepreneur of the Year. After successfully fundraising and scaling that business, James was eager to scratch the startup itch again. Leveraging his legal experience and personal passion for music, he set out to solve a different inefficiency he saw: creators being paid equitably and timely for their music. And so, Ownors and its flagship brand Bump was born.

James has a great story, you’ll want to listen in.

 

“ I create all this great art, but someone else owns it.”
~ James Jones

In this episode James and Dan discussed:

  • growing up with a brilliant father
  • learning about justice by visiting courtrooms as a seven-year-old
  • turning an IT job in college into an entrepreneurial venture
  • his first startup and what’s different with his latest journey
  • how his clients as an attorney opened him to the inefficiencies for creators

 

 

“…the look on his face said the system does not work for us..”
~ James Jones

MORE on JAMES and OWNORS

JAMES:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-jones-jr-esq/
https://twitter.com/jjoneslaw

OWNORS:

https://www.usebump.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ownors
https://www.twitter.com/ownors
https://www.instagram.com/ownorsinc

 

 

“You feel like a mad scientist almost, right? There’s this vision in your brain!”
~ James Jones

 

CONNECTING RESOURCES AND ADVANTAGES TO DIVERSE BUSINESS OWNERS

Posted on by foundersunfound

Listen in from your favorite podcast spots or read the full transcript here.

 

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Trajectory: Startup – Ideation to Product/Market Fit
A brand new book by entrepreneur and investor Dave Parker.
This hot-off-the-presses publication is THE playbook for those at the earliest stages of the startup journey.
Or even if you are just contemplating the jump to entrepreneurship.

To get this great resource, go to dkparker.com or find anywhere you buy books.

A PLATFORM UNIQUELY DESIGNED FOR
BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES

 

Melanie Akwule is Founder and CEO of MINWO, a DE&I tech company that connects companies with organizations that have a specific mission to support Black-owned businesses on their path to scaling.

Originally from Virginia, Melanie was an NCAA track athlete who did her undergrad at Georgia Tech. She worked and excelled in the corporate world with GE. But it was at the Haas School, Cal Berkeley where she built her startup muscle. She used her time in school to conceptualize and develop MINWOA. Melanie is off to a great start in 2021 completing the Techstars program and gearing up for the launch of MINWO’s flagship product Rialto.

Melanie has a great story, you’ll want to listen in.

 

“You appreciate the wins, definitely, but you can’t let the blows take you out.”
~ Melanie Akwule

In this episode Melanie and Dan discussed:

  • life as an NCAA student-athlete
  • running in the Olympic trials
  • developing a passion for using tech to help businesses succeed
  • how one rejection led to her pursuit of an MBA
  • the highs and lows of early-stage entrepreneurship
  • the serendipity of the stumble

 

 

“…first pitch competition that actually accepted me, , ended up winning.”
~ Melanie Akwule

MORE on MELANIE and WINWO

MELANIE:

linkedin.com/in/melakwule
twitter.com/mel_anuchi
instagram.com/mel_anuchi

MINWO:

minwo.co
linkedin.com/company/minwo
twitter.com/minwo_co
instagram.com/minwo.co

 

 

“You feel like a mad scientist almost, right? There’s this vision in your brain!”
~ Melanie Akwule

 

A FINTECH FILLING IN WHERE BANKS MISS THE MARK

Posted on by foundersunfound

Listen in from your favorite podcast spots or read the full transcript here.

 

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Trajectory: Startup – Ideation to Product/Market Fit
A brand new book by entrepreneur and investor Dave Parker.
This hot-off-the-presses publication is THE playbook for those at the earliest stages of the startup journey.
Or even if you are just contemplating the jump to entrepreneurship.

To get this great resource, go to dkparker.com or find anywhere you buy books.

USING TECHNOLOGY TO BETTER SERVE THE UNBANKED AND UNDERBANKED

 

Daricus Releford is the Founder and CEO of StoreCash, a company that provides mobile banking for teens, as well as for unbanked and underbanked adults.

Daricus is the twin son of a mom in the military. And as you just heard, he came home one day as a kid to find that his dad had taken everything from the house. Since that fateful event, Daricus has been on an entrepreneurial journey, that’s gone from cutting lawns to building a FinTech startup in Silicon Valley. Along the way, he’s had to persevere through college, hustle his first company into getting promotion by Steve Harvey, to landing roles with Google, Facebook, and Apple.

Daricus has a great story, you’ll want to listen in.

 

“I do not think that people are racist in Silicon valley. I just think that they haven’t seen it from us.”
~ Daricus Releford

In this episode Daricus and Dan discussed:

  • driving hours with his mom to buy a hotdog stand
  • getting through Penn State, initially without a dorm room or place to sleep
  • finding a crafty way to get his products on the Steve Harvey show
  • working for THREE or the big five tech giants
  • how a chance request from his nephew led to his current startup

 

 

“This new generation, they have not been in a physical bank location.”
~ Daricus Releford

MORE on DARICUS and STORECASH

DARICUS:

daricusreleford.com
linkedin.com/in/daricusreleford
twitter.com/daricusreleford

STORECASH:

storecashapp.com
linkedin.com/company/storecash
twitter.com/storecashapp
instagram.com/storecash_banking

 

 

“You are normally right. And believe in yourself. Don’t second guess and move fast.”
~ Daricus Releford