In this episode, Zeze interviews Efua Akumanyi, a Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence expert, Co-Founder and CTO of Furnishful, a shopping discovery site for furniture and homewares. She talks about her beginning in the IT world, the choice of her career, and how important  it is for her to help other black women to succeed in their business.

Efua Akumanyi found a way to stand out, firstly from her family's career choices and later on as a black woman in the Tech niche. She pursued a career where women, especially black females, were not so popular. She started a path in which women have the opportunity to use technology to improve their businesses and become successful in what they want to.

Furthermore, she understands the need of having solid bases to build a successful business. Tech is a key component to make it easy, no matter if you are selling a product or a service. You need to find a tool that suits the business you have. There is no point in coding if you do not need it. Knowing what you want and what you require is fundamental when hiring someone to develop your website. Plus, doing follow-ups, providing feedback and communicating as often as possible will give you the sense of control and knowledge you need to improve and get what you want to achieve as regards your business goals. 

Efua Akumanyi

Efua Akumanyi graduated from Sussex with a degree in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence and went on to work as a software developer for 15 years. She has also worked as a contractor in various fields including medical, legal, charity and ecommerce. Currently, she is the Co-Founder & Head of Technology at www.furnishful.co.uk. a website which helps people find items of furniture for their homes. Her passion is to encourage other women into tech, whether it’s finding jobs in the industry or starting their own business. She is a member of several women in tech groups and speaks on subjects ranging from AI to entrepreneurship.

Highlights of the episode:

• 03:25: Efua Akumanyi’s  migration to the UK from Ghana at her early age and how it impacted on her career path.
• 5:45: Efua tells Zeze about how and why she selected her career in Computer Science, her passions and her ideas about her professional future.
• 7:15: Efua´s understanding of the impact her career choice would provoke on the Tech world for black women.
• 10:55: She states the Pros and Cons of her career choice in the furniture niche.
• 12:30 : The need of coding against already-built tech tools, both for products and services.
• 13: 55: Efua tells how she started coding for black female businesses.
• 15:55: Her passion about photography and how it is connected to her work in the furniture world.
• 18:00 She speaks about her visibility online, her cofounded business and her resources to build a successful business while helping black women to succeed as well.
• 24:45 : Efua provides some pieces of advice for women entrepreneurs when they need to hire someone to build their website. What to do with a low budget and legal issues to pay attention to. 

Mentioned Resources

• Third Culture Africans
• furnishful.co.uk
• codingblackfemales.com