I am grateful to list on Forbes Africa among 30 young Africans who choose to write tomorrow’s history today; with relentless focus, stubborn self-belief and unwavering determination. This recognition however, comes during the toughest phase of my entrepreneurial journey; amidst uncertain times, where every day is a battle. That notwithstanding, I know that I am privileged to… Continue reading The Underdog Journey to Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 Cover
Category: Technology
Raising our $40M Series A, thoughts on the economic situation and how to come out stronger.
Out of crisis comes opportunity. Remember that many great companies have risen from the ashes of distressed periods. Google, SalesForce, and Facebook were started just before a period of financial stress. Uber, Venmo, Slack, Airbnb, and Pinterest all emerged from the 2008 financial crisis. There are advantages to building in a less heated economy: hiring great talent gets easier, there is less “dumb” competition purely fuelled by capital, one learns to think smarter to build an edge into the upturn, and more.
How to get into Y Combinator – An African YC alumni perspective
Over the years, countless YC founders, partners, and applicants have written about the YC application process. However, as an African founder who has gone through YC, I thought it would be nice to share a relatable perspective for other fledging African founders.
My top lessons from fundraising for our startup in Africa
After the announcement and news on raising our first external round of capital, several budding African entrepreneurs have reached out to me through various social media channels asking, “Tesh, please could you share some tips on how you did it?” Reflecting upon the same and the numerous congratulatory messages that came streaming in this past week… Continue reading My top lessons from fundraising for our startup in Africa
Looking for a winning idea? How I found my inspiration (Standard Newspaper Feature)
Interviewed and Written By Mona Ombogo for the Hustle Magazine – The Standard Newspaper pullout Life can be mundane. We slog and hustle every day, looking for ways to make a living and impacting our immediate surroundings. While all this is going on though, we need some excitement, adventure and recreation to add spice to… Continue reading Looking for a winning idea? How I found my inspiration (Standard Newspaper Feature)
Our Lions Den Experience with Cloud9xp
The KCB Lions’ Den is Kenya’s biggest business reality television show. The series is modeled around a TV production which originated in Japan as Money Tigers or Tigers of Money. The TV format has since been customized and successfully launched in over 20 other countries globally with versions being shown in UK, Australia, New Zealand, Israel,… Continue reading Our Lions Den Experience with Cloud9xp
Food, shelter, clothing & the internet
Access to the internet is no longer a luxury. It is fundamental. Beyond connecting people, all sectors of the economy are being digitized so that each of us as individuals can access services faster, and more affordably. The internet is creating opportunities for budding entrepreneurs like myself in to start businesses and create wealth. It creates more… Continue reading Food, shelter, clothing & the internet
Innovate, or go home!
The other day, Lapid Leaders Africa requested me to share my knowledge, wisdom and experiences with a community of the next generation of African leaders, as pertained to the Creative Industry. It got me thinking… What comes to mind when you hear the words “creative thinking”? What about “innovation”? Both Creativity and Innovation appear as two of our four… Continue reading Innovate, or go home!
Zero to One
EVERY MOMENT IN BUSINESS happens only once. The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Larry Page or Sergey Brin won’t make a search engine. And the next Mark Zuckerberg won’t create a social network. If you are copying these guys, you aren’t learning from them. Of course, it’s easier to… Continue reading Zero to One
teshmbaabu 