);

Month: May 2023

THE “NEST”-IFICATION OF THE WORKPLACE

Posted on by foundersunfound

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

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

AfriBlocks

The global pan-African freelance marketplace and collaboration platform.
Tell them “Dan sent you” for 10% off your first order. More at afriblocks.com

USING TECH TO MAKE OFFICE LIFE
AS CONVENIENT AS HOME

We are trying something a little different with this episode. Kofi along with his cofounder Clinton, has actually built and sold Lane, so not really still unfound. But he was so interesting and the journey so compelling, I couldn’t resist sitting down with him as a guest.

Kofi Gyekye is a serial entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Lane, the world’s largest and most innovative workplace experience platform, connecting 300+ properties across 22 cities and 8 countries.

Kofi grew up in Europe with African parents. He was good at school and realized that he loved the dual pursuit of creativity and analysis – the perfect foundations for his journey as product visionary. A serendipitous meeting at university party, resulted in Kofi’s partnership with his co-founder Clinton across 3 separate ventures. It was when Kofi was considering an RFP for a marketing campaign, for office buildings, that he decided to do something he had never done before in his career – see what’s like to work in a office. So, he spent a day exploring and observing at big skyscraper office. The epiphany hit him: why can’t the office environment be as convenient and seamless as home. And so Lane was born.

In the whirlwind that followed, the company did Techstars, grew from 10 to 200 people, landed clients all over the world, and then in late 2021, sold for $200M to unicorn Proptech company VTS.

Kofi has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.

 

“Team was quite important; how to structure it, how to allow yourself to take criticism, to listen, to collaborate…”
~ Kofi Gyekye

In this episode Kofi and Dan discussed:

  • Growing up as an African in Italy
  • How the combination of analytical and creative make him great at product
  • The evolution of fulfillment and its connection to impact
  • The journey of selling your company
  • The future of work, and oh the way, real estate

 

 

“I’m meant to be in the room.”
~ Kofi Gykye

 

“I actually fell into entrepreneurship to be quite honest…”
~ Kofi Gyekye