Founders Unfound

SPECIAL EPISODE! OUR 3RD ANNIVERSARY 🎉🎆

What an amazing three years!

Since we started in 2019, we’ve had 50 episodes interviewing 50 founders from 48 companies. As of mid-2022, our guests employ close to 500, and have collectively raised over $213M in outside funding. Incredible when you think about the challenges in fundraising that have faced all entrepreneurs, especially founders of color.

They would make a pretty great portfolio!

To celebrate our anniversary, we decided to go back to the beginning, 2019, and catch up with the 5 founders we had on the show that first year:

Stella Ashaolu of Wesolv, Kwame Boler of Neu (Spritz), Ikechi Nwabusi of TRiBL, Bara Cola of Carbice and Coack AK Ikwuakor from E-LETE Styles

I wanted to find out what the world of 2022 looked like compared to 2019, from their eyes.

Thanks to Stella, Kwame, Bara, Ikechi and Coach AK for catching us up and reflecting on their journeys.

Make sure to listen in.

In this episode:

• We review the last three year and where our past guests are collectively
• Updates from the 5 guest founders who first came on the show in 2019
• Insights from our 2019 guests on being a black founder in 2022 vs 2019

Stella Ashaolu:

linkedin.com/in/stellaashaolu

twitter.com/StellaAshaolu

wesolv.com/

Kwame Boler:

linkedin.com/in/kwameboler

twitter.com/useSpritz

usespritz.com

Bara Cola:

linkedin.com/in/baratundecola/

twitter.com/baratundecola

carbice.com

AK Ikwuakor:

linkedin.com/in/akikwuakor

instagram.com/ak.ikwuakor

sociatap.com/coachak

Ikechi Nwabuisi:

linkedin.com/in/ikechi-nwabuisi

twitter.com/buisi_x

jointribl.com

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Francisco Baptista is Founder and CEO of TeamSportz, a company building an AI sports platform to help team athletes enhance their performance. 

Francisco was born in Angola, growing during a period of civil war in that country. He used basketball as an escape from this harsh environment, first by watching his mother play, and then finding sanctuary on the courts himself. Francisco moved to Brazil for his teenage years, then to Portugal, and finally now in the UK. All the while pursuing his dual passions for hoops and software development. It’s the meeting of these two loves where TeamSportz, with a zed as they say, was born. The company now boasts notable investors including Mark Gainey, co-founder of Strava and Rand Fishkin of Moz fame.

Francisco has a great story. You will want to listen in.

In this episode Francisco and Dan discussed:

• growing up in war and in different countries
• how his upbringing matured him past his contemporaries while in school
• how Portuguese differs from Angola, to Brazil, to Portugal
• how asking for advice, led to an investor, and another, and another...
• playing university-level basketball as a teen, by "being Francisco Sr"

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

the global venue for entrepreneurs to experience events, content, and community.

Check out founderslive.com to join and to find a live event near you.

Francisco:

twitter.com/tomboa

linkedin.com/in/baptistafrancisco

TeamSportz:

teamsportz.pro

linkedin.com/company/teamsportz

twitter.com/teamsportz_

instagram.com/teamsportz

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #sportstech

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keara Kindelynn is Founder and CEO of Foreverly, a company with a mission to make dealing with death--a little less stressful. Foreverly helps organizations support their employees who have experienced the death of a loved one. 

Kera was born to a family with deep roots to her hometown of Brooklyn. She emerged from college and business school, climbing the corporate ladder. Leading all the way to Seattle and Microsoft. But it was her calling to volunteering and service that led her to the world of hospice, end of life, and the underserved season of bereavement. Kera saw that the death of a loved one is an unguided, stressful, and lonely experience - for those grieving and for those who want to support them. It’s from this transformative understanding that Foreverly was born. We spoke with Kera recently just after finishing the Techstars program.

Keara has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Keara and Dan discussed:

• growing up in Brooklyn
• parents who supported continuous curiosity
• being mind-blown by her first experience with affluent black America
• the "tragedies in 3's" that spurred on starting Foreverly
• pivoting from selling service to customers, to a benefit for companies

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

A new book by entrepreneur and investor Dave Parker.

This hot-off-the-presses publication is THE playbook for those at the earliest stages of the startup journey.

Or even if you are just contemplating the jump to entrepreneurship. To get this great resource, go to dkparker.com or find anywhere you buy books.

Keara:

linkedin.com/in/kearakindelynn

instagram.com/kearakindelynn

Foreverly:

foreverly.co

linkedin.com/company/foreverlyco

twitter.com/foreverlyco

instagram.com/foreverlyco

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #bereavement

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sabrina Williams is Founder and CEO of SEED, a company that helps consumers and underserved farmers grow smart and feed more by democratizing access to agriculture technology.

Sabrina is a native Californian, born and raised in Compton. Her curiosity and passions led her to pursuits in architecture, law, and urban planning. Through her non-profit, she dedicated herself to social justice challenges in urban communities. It was in this arena that Sabrina discovered the core issue that would lead to SEED: food insecurity amongst the most vulnerable, lower income populations. Now her company is bringing together technology, climate policy, and food equity to create more and better access to growing.

Sabrina has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Sabrina and Dan discussed:

• the journey from architecture to law to urban planning
• how SEED started as a big idea and morphed into a huge one
• the link from food equity and social justice
• the connection between Elvis, Karl Marx, and the Blues
• balancing the startup life by playing in a ska band

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Delivering clear analysis and powerful insights on what's shaping the Black innovation economy.

Get your annual subscription to The Plug at tpinsights.com

Sabrina:

linkedin.com/in/sabrina-l-williams

twitter.com/SabWill

instagram.com/sabwilll

SEED:

seedbox.systems

linkedin.com/company/seed-sustainable-entrepreneurial-ecosystem-development

twitter.com/seedboxsystems

instagram.com/seedbox.systems

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #agritech

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sean Bovell is Founder and CEO of Invidica, a company building a marketplace platform that is transforming the reseller economy one product at a time. 

Sean has an amazing background. Born in the UK, raised in predominantly white communities in Utah and Idaho, before landing in Oakland for his formative year. A natural at math and STEM, Sean has been drawn to tech from an early age. He built his first ecommerce company from the ground up, alternately celebrating and struggling with the highs and lows of rules and technology that seem to change constantly. But it was through this bootcamp of sorts that Sean zeroed in on the key insights that would lead to the creation of Invidica. With funding from 500 Startups, and comparisons to the likes of Aliba and eBay, it’s no wonder he has many investors filling up his inbox these days.

Sean has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Sean and Dan discussed:

• realities of being one of the few black kids in a white school
• the spark of his entrepreneur ambition in college
• starting his first ecommerce company from his bedroom
• a lucky encounter with a mentor from 500 startups
• how ecommerce today is broken, and why he wants to fix it

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

The global pan-African freelance marketplace and collaboration platform.

Tell them "Dan sent you" for 10% off your first order. More at afriblocks.com

Sean:

linkedin.com/in/sean-bovell-22094880

twitter.com/collatzconject

Invidica:

invidica.com

linkedin.com/company/invidica

twitter.com/invidica_

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #ecommerce

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James Chapman is Founder and CEO of Plain Sight, a company that helps you make the right connections at events and workspaces, or connect online from anywhere.

James started as an aspiring NBA player from Chattanooga Tennessee. He made it to the NBA’s D-league, but that's where that dream ended, and the next season began. Basketball’s loss was entrepreneurship’s gain. James started loading boxes for FedEx. His hustle led him to new opportunities, and eventually starting two different businesses. All along the way sharing his amazing hustle inspiration on Twitter, later turning the collection into a book, aptly named #TheHustle. But it was a chance to work with legendary Detroit businessman Dan Gilbert that led to his 3rd startup journey, Plain Sight.

James has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.

In this episode James and Dan discussed:

• growing up a passionate athlete
• going from the basketball court to the warehouse
• hard lessons from his first startup
• insights from running a coworking space
• his connection to Dan Gilbert
• why Plain Sight has no profile pictures

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

the global venue for entrepreneurs to experience events, content, and community.

To get Founders LiveFest 2021 tickets

Check out founderslive.com to join and to find a live event streaming from your city.

James:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/plainsightceo/

https://twitter.com/iwrotethehustle

https://www.instagram.com/iwrotethehustle/

IWrotetheHustle (on Amazon)

Plain Sight:

https://www.plainsight.app/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/plain-sight-app/

https://twitter.com/plainsightapp

https://www.instagram.com/plainsightapp/

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #networking #futureofwork #eventtech

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Serge Amouzou is Founder and CEO of Finmod, a startup that helps companies forecast financials 10X faster. Finmod’s predictive-financial projection technology uses company data sources to give decision-ready data and actionable next steps for growth. 

Serge was born and raised in Togo. He came to the US at age 12, determined and curious. He set out to master English and assimilate. He thought he would be a neurosurgeon, but a pursuit of coding and tech led him to a career of being a repeat tech founder, starting his first company while still in High School. It was a pain point he personally experienced at one of his past startups that sparked the idea that would become Finmod.

Serge has a great story. You’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Serge and Dan discussed:

• moving from Togo to the US at 12
• mastering English as a 3rd language
• building his first coding company in high school
• how the dream of being a doctor was overtaken by his startup chase
• whether you should wear your ambition out loud

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

The global pan-African freelance marketplace and collaboration platform.

Tell them "Dan sent you" for 10% off your first order. More at afriblocks.com

Serge:

linkedin.com/in/serge-amouzou-65b76841

twitter.com/sergeamouzou

instagram.com/amouzou.serge

Finmod:

finmod.io

linkedin.com/company/finmodhq

twitter.com/finmodhq

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #founderstories #foundersafricandescent #fintech

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Navalayo Osembo is Co-Founder and CEO of Enda, a company that is building on Kenya’s reputation as the global leader in distance running. With “Run Kenyan” as its motto, Enda makes running shoes in Kenya, for runners around the world. 

Navalayo is the first guest we’ve had on from the place of my ancestral heritage - Kenya. She grew up with a military father and a teacher mother, which meant strong themes of discipline and excellence. Combined with her gifts of curiosity, intelligence, and grit, she set out to master accounting, law, and global development. But it was her return to Kenya from the US and UK, that helped her find the calling where she could make her impact. “Run Kenyan.” And so Enda was born.

Navalayo has a great story, you’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Navalayo and Dan discussed:

• growing up in Kenya
• convincing her dad to start farming fish
• here experience working with the UN
• How the Williams sisters inspired her to start a Kenya tennis academy
• the power of "Run Kenyan"

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

VC for the Multicultural Mainstream

Aperture is the new $75M fund that wants to amplify the voices of diverse founders

Share your story at aperturevc.com/founders

Navalayo:

navalayoosembo.com

linkedin.com/in/navalayoosembo

twitter.com/NavalayoOsembo

instagram.com/navalayoosembo

Enda:

endasportswear.com

linkedin.com/company/enda

twitter.com/endasportswear

instagram.com/endasportswear

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounder #founderstories #founderofafricandescent #kenyafounder #consumerfitness

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jarrett Wright is Founder and CEO of Higher Rewards, a company that offers nonprofits and faith-based organizations the ability to provide their members a self-branded credit card where a percentage of every purchase goes back to the organization.

Jarrett is from several generations deep in the San Francisco Bay Area. Jarrett showed drive and ability from an early age. Reading by 2 years old. Doing the family’s grocery shopping at 6. But the pace and structure of school frustrated him. So instead of putting his intellectual horsepower to work in college right away, he started a property development company at 19. And within a few years, he was nationally recognized and bringing in millions in revenue. And that’s just the start of his story. The rest is amazing. you’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Jarrett and Dan discussed:

• growing up in Richmond California
• the powerful influence of his family and his heritage
• rapidly building a business that was decidedly not recession-proof
• going to college with folks 10+ years your junior
• the 'aha' moment for Higher Rewards during a conversation with a financial exec
• the advantages within the UC Berkeley startup ecosystem

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

A brand new book by entrepreneur and investor Dave Parker.

This hot-off-the-presses publication is THE playbook for those at the earliest stages of the startup journey. Or even if you are just contemplating the jump to entrepreneurship. To get this great resource, go to dkparker.com or find anywhere you buy books.

Jarrett:

linkedin.com/in/jarrett-wright

instagram.com/wrightjarrett

Higher Rewards:

higherrewards.com

linkedin.com/company/higher-rewards

instagram.com/higherrewards

twitter.com/higherrewards

facebook.com/higherrewards

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #fintech #UCBerkeley

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Isaac Lymon is Co-Founder and CEO of Raxplay, a company that enables music artists to perform live real/time concerts via virtual reality. Raxplay puts fans in the front row, VIP, and backstage - all in the comfort of their homes.

Isaac was born and raised in Detroit. At an early stage, he felt called to music. But after a taste of the grind artists endure, Isaac gravitated to what made music happen behind the scenes. It was then that he really came to appreciate the power that technology could have on the industry. And like many famous tech entrepreneurs before him, he made the tough call to pursue his startup dream instead of focusing on college. A hustled-for internship, a hack-a-thon, and a call from Google Startups followed, changing everything. And so Raxplay was off and running.

Isaac has a great story, you’ll want to listen in.

In this episode Isaac and Dan discussed:

• growing up in a Detroit suburb
• how he relentlessly pursued an internship in music
• perspectives on raising money in the LA ecosystem
• his thoughts on the future of VR

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

VC for the Multicultural Mainstream

Aperture is the new $75M fund that wants to amplify the voices of diverse founders

Share your story at aperturevc.com/founders

Isaac:

linkedin.com/in/isaac-lymon-24ab9515a/

twitter.com/Isaaclymon

instagram.com/isaaccorey___/

Raxplay:

raxplay.com

linkedin.com/company/raxplay

twitter.com/raxplayxr

instagram.com/raxplayxr

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.