);

`

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

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:
Founders Live

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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

 

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