How to Make It in Africa Fadel Jaoui

Navalayo is co-founder and CEO of Enda Athletic, Inc. She's a graduate of the London School of Economics, and has worked internationally including the U.S., UK, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya where she utilizes her diverse skills as an accountant, a lawyer, risk manager, and in international development. She's from a town near Eldoret, Kenya, that has produced generations of the world's greatest distance runners. Prior to creating Enda, Navalayo started a sports academy in Bungoma, Western Kenya, to provide sports protegees from disadvantaged backgrounds access to much needed professional training without compromising their education. In order to maximize social impact in Kenya through sports, Navalayo teamed up with her co-founder to create Enda Athletic Inc, a made in Kenya running shoe brand that creates jobs, invests in local communities, and spurs economic development through exports.

About the host:
Fadel Jaoui, an economist, started this podcast to celebrate African entrepreneurial success stories, to hear the originals and changemakers behind them, and to draw lessons to inspire many more stories across the continent. This virtuous cycle is fundamental to pool talent and investments, and ultimately create startup “unicorns” that would benefit Africa’s prosperity. Fadel is a strong advocate of entrepreneurial ecosystem building and private sector development as true engines of sustainable economic growth. And he is a firm believer in leveraging innovation and technology to leapfrog development constraints and scale up social and economic impact.

He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Oxford University, as well as degrees from Columbia University and the London School of Economics. He started his career in investment banking in London, and has held various positions in International Financial Institutions (views are his own).

Martin is the co-founder and CEO of Mdundo. He moved to Kenya in 2012 as Entrepreneur in Residence for 88mph, an African investment fund with a focus on early-stage tech startups in Kenya. Over the past 5 years, Mdundo has grown to one of Africa’s leading music services with more than 7,000,000 monthly active users, primarily from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana and Nigeria. The company works with 90,000 musicians across Africa and has a licensing deal with Warner Music Group, Believe Digital and Tunecore. In September 2020, the company was listed at the stock exchange, Nasdaq First North Growth Markets in Copenhagen. The aim is to provide music lovers easy and affordable access to music.

About the host:
Fadel Jaoui, an economist, started this podcast to celebrate African entrepreneurial success stories, to hear the originals and changemakers behind them, and to draw lessons to inspire many more stories across the continent. This virtuous cycle is fundamental to pool talent and investments, and ultimately create startup “unicorns” that would benefit Africa’s prosperity. Fadel is a strong advocate of entrepreneurial ecosystem building and private sector development as true engines of sustainable economic growth. And he is a firm believer in leveraging innovation and technology to leapfrog development constraints and scale up social and economic impact.

He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Oxford University, as well as degrees from Columbia University and the London School of Economics. He started his career in investment banking in London, and has held various positions in International Financial Institutions (views are his own).

Our guest is Nisha Kanabar. Nisha Kanabar is a curator and storyteller, and the founder of Industrie Africa. A Tanzanian of Indian origin, Kanabar graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York, and went on to forge a career in luxury fashion and publishing. With over a decade of experience at renowned industry names, she held formative positions at American Vogue, Vogue India and Style.com in the Middle East. Her experience across international markets fuel the desire to channel her work into her home continent's contemporary and luxury designer market with a special focus on diversity. She currently resides in Dar es Salaam Tanzania, whilst her work regularly takes her across the continent and around the world.

About the host:
Fadel Jaoui, an economist, started this podcast to celebrate African entrepreneurial success stories, to hear the originals and changemakers behind them, and to draw lessons to inspire many more stories across the continent. This virtuous cycle is fundamental to pool talent and investments, and ultimately create startup “unicorns” that would benefit Africa’s prosperity. Fadel is a strong advocate of entrepreneurial ecosystem building and private sector development as true engines of sustainable economic growth. And he is a firm believer in leveraging innovation and technology to leapfrog development constraints and scale up social and economic impact.

He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Oxford University, as well as degrees from Columbia University and the London School of Economics. He started his career in investment banking in London, and has held various positions in International Financial Institutions (views are his own).

Our guest today is Adegoke Olubusi. Goke is co-founder and CEO of the healthtech startup Helium Health, based in Lagos, Nigeria. He’s a Johns Hopkins University alumnus, and was previously an engineer at eBay, PayPal and Goldman Sachs in the U.S. He served on the founding team of Africa's leading social network with 30 million+ users, and received multiple honors and awards, including from Forbes, Chevron, Northrop Grumman, and Lockheed Martin.

About the host:
Fadel Jaoui, an economist, started this podcast to celebrate African entrepreneurial success stories, to hear the originals and changemakers behind them, and to draw lessons to inspire many more stories across the continent. This virtuous cycle is fundamental to pool talent and investments, and ultimately create startup “unicorns” that would benefit Africa’s prosperity. Fadel is a strong advocate of entrepreneurial ecosystem building and private sector development as true engines of sustainable economic growth. And he is a firm believer in leveraging innovation and technology to leapfrog development constraints and scale up social and economic impact.

He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Oxford University, as well as degrees from Columbia University and the London School of Economics. He started his career in investment banking in London, and has held various positions in International Financial Institutions (views are his own).

Our guest is Peter Njonjo. Peter is Co-Founder and CEO of Twiga Foods. The company aggregates informal retail demand and organizes an efficient supply chain for fresh and dry goods through a tech-enabled B2B platform. Prior to that, Peter spent 21 years with The Coca-Cola Company. He was President of their West and Central Africa Business, covering 33 countries, and based in Lagos. He was also President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Kenya, and Director of the American Business Council in Nigeria. A native of Kenya, he has been voted among the top 100 young leaders in Africa by Forbes Afrique, and “Top 40 under 40” by The Business Daily in Kenya. Peter holds an MBA and BSc from the United States International University in Kenya, and an Executive Leadership Program from Harvard Business School.

About the host:
Fadel Jaoui, an economist, started this podcast to celebrate African entrepreneurial success stories, to hear the originals and changemakers behind them, and to draw lessons to inspire many more stories across the continent. This virtuous cycle is fundamental to pool talent and investments, and ultimately create startup “unicorns” that would benefit Africa’s prosperity. Fadel is a strong advocate of entrepreneurial ecosystem building and private sector development as true engines of sustainable economic growth. And he is a firm believer in leveraging innovation and technology to leapfrog development constraints and scale up social and economic impact.

He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Oxford University, as well as degrees from Columbia University and the London School of Economics. He started his career in investment banking in London, and has held various positions in International Financial Institutions (views are his own).

Our very first guest is Sam Mensah Jr. Sam is Founder and CEO of the African fashion brand KISUA (www.kisua.com). The brand’s clients include award-winning musician Beyoncé, and YOOX Net-a-Porter Group, the world’s leading online luxury fashion retailer. KISUA is the only African fashion brand with distribution centers on 3 continents (Africa, Europe and America) from where the company services a global client base through its international e-commerce platform. The company won ‘Best Emerging African Brand’ in the Best Brands Africa Awards 2015. Prior to founding KISUA, Sam worked in investment banking at Deutsche Bank London and in technology at Intel. Originally from Ghana but living in Johannesburg, Sam holds an MA in Economics and Management from Oxford University, and is an Archbishop Desmond Tutu African Leadership Fellow.

About the host:
Fadel Jaoui, an economist, started this podcast to celebrate African entrepreneurial success stories, to hear the originals and changemakers behind them, and to draw lessons to inspire many more stories across the continent. This virtuous cycle is fundamental to pool talent and investments, and ultimately create startup “unicorns” that would benefit Africa’s prosperity. Fadel is a strong advocate of entrepreneurial ecosystem building and private sector development as true engines of sustainable economic growth. And he is a firm believer in leveraging innovation and technology to leapfrog development constraints and scale up social and economic impact.

He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Oxford University, as well as degrees from Columbia University and the London School of Economics. He started his career in investment banking in London, and has held various positions in International Financial Institutions (views are his own).