Chini ya Maji Media

This week we have the pleasure of speaking with the indefatigable Navalayo Osembo cofounder at Enda, a first of it's kind athletic shoe company which is leading the Kenyan takeover of the running shoe industry. This is a classic story of two high performing individuals serendipitously coming together around a shared interest and committing to a process of turning a daunting vision into reality by committing to a process. What Navalayo, Weldon and their team have achieved with meagre resources is to be admired and supported. I am a huge fan of what they are doing. If you haven't yet already go to Endasportswear.com and pick a pair of those wonderfully designed, authentically Kenyan running shoes.  

This week we speak with the peerless Huston Malande cofounder at Skyline Design, which is one of the more highly regarded software consulting firms in Nairobi. The conversation is a deep dive into Huston and his cofounders origin stories and how they found each other and came to work together. We also cover the subject of culture and how that intersects with and impacts the potential of the ecosystem. All in all Huston and his cofounders are emblematic of the type of high performing entrepreneurs emerging out of the Silicon Savanna. 

This week we had the amazing Ella Peinovich, cofounder of Soko, the ethical fashion brand that opened global markets to local artisan jewellers in Nairobi. We cover a great deal of ground on this episode starting with Ella's personal journey first as an architect with roots in art, to her being bitten by the entrepreneurial bug at MIT, through that finding her way to Kenya to build toilets for a social enterprise and finally culminating with inspired stories of the individuals whose lives were transformed through the Soko opportunity - a true purpose and people narrative. Shopsoko.com

This week we had a fun time with the gritty, affable, never say die Mary Mwangi who is founder and CEO of Data Integrated, a startup straddling the small business and transportation digitization spaces. This is a great founder journey narrative peppered with useful insights and laughs. You will enjoy this one for sure. 

This week we had the phenomenal Claire Munene who is the Chief Revenue Officer at mSurvey sharing her corporate to startup journey. Claire spent 14 years at Safaricom after which she felt the urge to seek out a new path and ended up joining the mSurvey founders,  Kenfied Griffith and Louis Majanja to build the company. This is great story packed with insights and tips for those on the corporate side considering a move to startups and also for founders looking to attract talent from the corporate side. It is also a great signal that startups are increasingly a viable career option in Silicon Savanna.

This week we get some wonderful insights from a founder in an uncommon domain.  3+ years ago Thomas convinced his 4 Dr. friends to start a hospital in Embu. He breaks down their journey including all the assumptions, naiveté, and challenges they overcame to build what is now a thriving healthcare business. This will be a helpful one to many listeners. 

This week we had the pleasure of hosting another seasoned Silicon Savanna veteran. Kennedy Kirui, cofounder & CEO at Tanasuk Africa came through. The discussion is centered around design thinking, culture, and the mindset traps. Find our blogs here: https://medium.com/impact-africa-network

This week we speak to Caine Wanjau, CTO @ Twiga Foods. Caine discusses the evolution and trajectory of Silicon Savanna, shares insights on the right approach to tech entrepreneurship as well as best practices for developing a sustainable, investable company.  We would appreciate your feedback on how we can improve the podcast. Kindly take two minutes to complete this survey: https://www.impactafrica.network/chiniyamaji

This week we speak to Caine Wanjau, CTO @ Twiga Foods. Caine discusses the evolution and trajectory of Silicon Savanna, shares insights on the right approach to tech entrepreneurship as well as best practices for developing a sustainable, investable company.  We would appreciate your feedback on how we can improve the podcast. Kindly take two minutes to complete this survey: https://www.impactafrica.network/chiniyamaji