The Global UJ The Global UJ

Welcome to the VERY first episode of THE GLOBAL UJ Podcast! So excited to be sharing with you all our very first guest on the show, Kelvin Teo! Kelvin was born in Malaysia, moved to Singapore later in his teenage years, and eventually got his MBA from the Harvard school of business. He started his company, Funding Societies, with a fellow Harvard classmate - while still in school at Harvard! Investors had even asked how much it would take in funding to have them drop out of school and work on their startup full-time! To date, Funding Societies has raised well over $60M from prominent firms like Sequoia Capital & Softbank Ventures! Kelvin has been selected as one the top fintech influencers in Asia! Funding Societies is headquartered in Singapore with operations in Indonesia & Malaysia and slowly expanding across SE Asia. I think you'll really like this conversation, enjoy!

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Health & what I consume is a very large component of my life & I would think many of you as well. The options available differ wildly between regions & countries. Changing cultural habits & mindsets that have been embedded for generations can be difficult, but Laurene Maire & her team or on a mission to offer Mexico the best products to health conscious consumers at honest prices with their company, YEMA. With a team of industry experts, they have dozens of their own in-house products in their supermarket, spanning food, personal care, and home goods. Laurene is the co-founder and Chief Merchandising Officer, who is an ex-Mckinsey & Wharton MBA alumni. She had also co-founded a successful sleep technology company, called Luuna, which her husband continues to operate as the CEO. If you're ever in Mexico City, you can check out one of YEMA's stores located in La Roma!
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So I've been looking to live in various cities around the country, and world, for a few months at a time so I can explore different areas & experience new settings. A bit more than a getaway weekend, but less hassle than signing a long term lease. I know it's a tough time to be doing something like that, especially in 2020, but one company that I found to make that process a breeze is doing just that. Spotahome is reinventing the rental process by making it easier for landlords & renters to connect with their digital platform. Founded by Alejandro Artacho in Madrid, Spain, in 2014, they've already grown to over 10 cities, and raised over €80M from some of the top investors in the world, like Kleiner Perkins and the founders of unicorn giants, Dropbox, Yelp, and Uber. You'll love Alejandro's enthusiasm and energy!
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On today's show we have Tarek El Sheriff, the founder & CEO of Zinobe, a fintech company which uses its technology & advanced analytics to provide financial products for underserved markets. Zinobe was listed in Financial Time's fastest growing companies in the Americas, and is #1 in Colombia. They have raised $30M in debt financing just this year from ex-Goldman Sachs executive, Ali Meli, and also equity in their prior rounds from VC firm, QED Investors. Tarek is a NY born, UK raised, Columbia MBA grad who started his career as an investment banker. Zinobe is the parent entity for financial products, Lineru & Aliatu. Enjoy our conversation!
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Running a business, a startup, or even a demanding job can take a toll on us, especially our happiness. I read a lot of books, talk to people with great advice, and try to keep improving...but it's still tough, and there are always new hurdles that come across us. So how do we "future proof" our happiness, so that we're always happy? Well, Penny Locaso of Melbourne, Australia, had left her professional career as an executive and is helping people achieve just that as a TEDx & keynote speaker, on her podcast, her recently published book, "Hacking Happiness", and her business called HackingHappy.co.Penny has been voted one of the most influential female entrepreneurs in Australia! She's on a mission to teach 10 million humans, before 2025, how to intentionally adapt, in order to future proof happiness. Keep listening because she drops some amazing wisdom and ways she's helped her corporate clients, like Google, Microsoft, Lululemon, and Coca-Cola, as well as business leaders around the world on how to "Hack Happiness"!
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Townships in South Africa usually refer to the residential areas in which non-white workers were forced to live prior to 1994 when South Africa became an inclusive democracy, ending apartheid. As you can imagine, this has had a significant impact on the lives of non-white families, from education, access to technology, and just basic infrastructure. So when you're looking to learn how to use basic technology to get into a better university, or train to get a job...but have never had much experience with using a computer and basic applications, what do you do? That's precisely the service that Luvuyo Rani and his company, Silulo Ulutho Technologies, have been providing to help train and provide resources in under-served townships. They've trained over 55,000 students, helping them land jobs, and they also serve as an internet cafe with over 45 locations across South Africa, employing hundreds, and impacting countless lives. Luvuyo has been recognized on the global stage numerous times, including South Africa's Social Entrepreneur of the year at the World Economic Forum. He takes us through his very humble beginnings, his growth since he started in 2004, and his plans for the future expansion across Africa.
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