Founders Unfound

Khalid David is Founder and CEO of TracFlo, a company with a predictive financial management platform that is empowering America’s contractors.

Originally from the Bronx, Khalid was born into a family of tradesmen with a deep connection to his Afro-Caribbean roots. So it’s no surprise that, even with education from Morehouse, Columbia, and MIT, Khalid ended up in the construction industry. And it was those experiences that opened his eyes to the opportunity to better track the dynamic cost changes happening on today’s construction sites. And so TracFlo was born. Khalid is a passionate speaker and advocate, and has won competitions at MIT, Harvard, and Stanford business schools.

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

In this episode Khalid and Dan discussed:

• representing the Bronx
• His Saint Kitts and Nevis heritage
• Emerging from college during the Great Recession
• Building software inside a traditional construction firm
• How TracFlo replaces the pad and pencil in the field
• Wearing the mantle of pioneering black entrepreneur

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

Khalid:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/khalid-david-34a55824/

https://www.twitter.com/kdpegasus

https://www.instagram.com/kdpegasus

TracFlo:

https://tracfloapp.com

https://republic.co/tracflo

https://www.linkedin.com/company/tracflo

https://www.instagram.com/tracfloapp

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

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

Patrice Darby Neely, Founder and CEO of GoLogic, a data aggregation and economic development platform helping small businesses accelerate growth and reduce failure, while increasing the capacity and capabilities of the organizations that support them. 

Patrice spent many years in childcare before starting her first startup, GoNanny, to address the fragmentation of care occurring with the busy schedules of families on the go. Timing wasn’t on her side, unfortunately, as her company fell victim to the whipsaw of the US economy that came with COVID-19. With GoNanny, Patrice had a front-row seat during the height of the pandemic and she saw how vulnerable small businesses are and how inefficient the ecosystem can be in connecting them with timely and impactful resources. And so GoLogic was born. Patrice is an alum of 1871 in Chicago, TechStars, and has been funded by the likes of Pipeline Angels and Google for Startups Black Founder Fund.

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

In this episode Patrice and Dan discussed:

• growing up with two parent entrepreneurs
• what drew her originally into the childcare industry
• the devastating impact of COVID on her first company
• how GoLogic rose from the ashes of 2020
• the beauty and power of data, even for the small business

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

Patrice:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrice-darby-neely

https://www.gologicsolutions.com/our-founder

https://www.gologicsolutions.com/pitch2win

GoLogic Solutions:

https://www.gologicsolutions.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/gologicsolutions

https://twitter.com/gologic_solves

https://www.facebook.com/gologicsolutions

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

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

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Roger Roman, Co-Founder of AfriBlocks, the global Pan-African freelance marketplace and collaboration platform. They are building THE resource for devs, designers, and virtual assistants. 

Roger hails from Chicago, and in his home neighborhood there the Roman name is well known. He was pre-ordained to be a lawyer, but Roger took a different path: business. He leveraged his degree from Howard University to immerse in industries as varied as construction, video game development, and eventually marketing. Roger has been spotlighted in The New York Times, Black Enterprise, and VentureBeat. But it was when co-founder Tongai Choto came calling that Roger saw a chance to take on a massive opportunity: the emergence of Africa in the global tech marketplace. The continent has over 450M Gen Z and young millennials, all eager, ambitious, and tech-enabled. Fertile ground for a startup like AfriBlocks.

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

In this episode Roger and Dan discussed:

• growing up in Chicago
• how a chance encounter at graduation led to his first job
• the opportunity for law school - avoided repeatedly
• how one mentor changed his career
• why Africa should be on everyone's mind

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 streaming from your city.

Roger:

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

https://twitter.com/RogerLRomanII

AfriBlocks:

https://www.afriblocks.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/afriblocks/

https://twitter.com/afriblocks

https://www.instagram.com/afriblocks/

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

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

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

James Jones, Co-Founder and CEO of Ownors, an AI-driven Fintech platform that helps artists retrieve payouts from streaming services. 

Ownors isn’t James’ first startup. Inspired by his upbringing, James became an attorney. But he saw the gaps in the system. The fundamental way that legal services are sold and distributed is a straight-up disconnect with the vast majority of people who need it. So he and his wife formed Court Buddy, where he became Black Enterprise Entrepreneur of the Year. After successfully fundraising and scaling that business, James was eager to scratch the startup itch again. Leveraging his legal experience and personal passion for music, he set out to solve a different inefficiency he saw: creators being paid equitably and timely for their music. And so, Ownors and its flagship brand Bump was born.

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

In this episode James and Dan discussed:

• growing up with a brilliant father
• learning about justice by visiting courtrooms as a seven-year-old
• turning an IT job in college into an entrepreneurial venture
• his first startup and what's different with his latest journey
• how his clients as an attorney opened him to the inefficiencies for creators

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS EPISODE:

A focused community built for and by black investors.

If you ever thought about getting into Venture, you definitely want to connect up at blackvc.com or

follow @BLCKVC for more about their exceptional programs and events.

James:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-jones-jr-esq/

https://twitter.com/jjoneslaw

Ownors:

https://www.usebump.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/ownors

https://www.twitter.com/ownors

https://www.instagram.com/ownorsinc

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #entertainmenttech #hbcualum

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Melanie Akwule is Founder and CEO of MINWO, a DE&I tech company that connects companies with organizations that have a specific mission to support Black-owned businesses on their path to scaling. 

Originally from Virginia, Melanie was an NCAA track athlete who did her undergrad at Georgia Tech.She worked and excelled in the corporate world with GE. But it was at the Haas School, Cal Berkeley where she built her startup muscle. She used her time in school to conceptualize and develop MINWOA. Melanie is off to a great start in 2021 completing the Techstars program and gearing up for the launch of MINWO's flagship product Rialto. 

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

In this episode Melanie and Dan discussed:

• life as an NCAA student-athlete
• competing in the Olympic trials
• developing a passion for using tech to help businesses succeed
• how one rejection led to her pursuit of an MBA
• the highs and lows of early stage entrepreneurship
• the serendipity of the stumble

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.

Melanie:

linkedin.com/in/melakwule

twitter.com/mel_anuchi

instagram.com/mel_anuchi

MINWO:

minwo.co

linkedin.com/company/minwo

twitter.com/minwo_co

instagram.com/minwo.co

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #dei #haasberkeley

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Daricus Releford is Founder and CEO of StoreCash, a company that provides mobile banking for teens, as well as for unbanked and underbanked adults.

Daricus is the twin son of a mom in the military. And as you just heard, he came home one day as a kid to find that his dad had taken everything from the house. Since that fateful event, Daricus has been on an entrepreneurial journey, that's gone from cutting lawns to building a FinTech startup in Silicon Valley. Along the way, he's had to persevere through college, hustle his first company into getting promotion by Steve Harvey, to landing roles with Google, Facebook, and Apple.

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

In this episode Daricus and Dan discussed:

• driving hours with his mom to buy a hotdog stand
• getting through Penn State, initially without a dorm room or place to sleep
• finding a crafty way to get his products on the Steve Harvey show
• working for THREE or the big five tech giants
• how a chance request from his nephew led to his current startup

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.

Daricus:

daricusreleford.com

linkedin.com/in/daricusreleford

twitter.com/daricusreleford

StoreCash:

storecashapp.com

linkedin.com/company/storecash

twitter.com/storecashapp

instagram.com/storecash_banking

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

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

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

Black Entrepreneurship & Fundraising in 2021- have we made any progress?

In this special episode, we bring you the fireside chat moderated by Dan with:

 Amira Rasool, CEO of The Folklore

Daricus Releford, CEO of StoreCash

Kwame Boler, CEO of neu

In the session we talked about the state of black entrepreneurship and fundraising in 2021.

As we experience Juneteenth for the first time as a National holiday, we ask:

What has changed? What has remained the same?

Where are the opportunities for improvement?

The panel kept it real, as the conversation covered everything from exasperation to optimism, and everything in between.

This event took place on June 24, 2021 and was hosted by the Techstars Seattle Accelerator and Managing Director Isaac Kato

Audience Resources and Shout outs:

• Kwame's episode
• Amira's episode
• Daricus' episode - coming soon
• Techstars Seattle, office hours
• shoutout: Marlon Nichols, MAC Venture Capital
• shoutout: Paystack
• shoutout: fellow black Techstars alum Ikechi Nwabuisi

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

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

Ezinne Iroanya-Adeoye is Founder and CEO of SKNMUSE, the premium beauty brand dedicated to elevating the beauty experience for the modern black woman. 

Ezinne was born and raised in Nigeria. After graduating from high school at 15 and ace-ing her SATs, she came to the US for college. She thought she was going to be a petroleum engineer. Lucky for the rest of us, that didn’t happen. Ezinne never forgot the joy she found in the soothing remedies her mom and grandmother prepared for her dry skin. She’s paying it back now, with her luxurious balms, oils, and body butters. For Ezinne, beauty is culture, and she’s on a mission to make the beauty counter reflect more inclusively.

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

In this episode Ezinne and Dan discussed:

• Changing majors 3 times in college
• How her brand wants everyone to feel like "Omalicha Nwa" (beautiful one)
• The day her brand was featured by Beyoncé
• How her mom is even more of a fashionista than she is
• Her vision to create a space that re-imagines beauty for black women

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

Ezinne:

twitter.com/ZMuse_

linkedin.com/in/ezinne-iroanya-adeoye-567a6515b/

instagram.com/avenue_z/

SKNMUSE:

sknmuse.com

instagram.com/sknmuse/

twitter.com/sknmuse

linkedin.com/company/sknmuse/

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #beauty #blackskin

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

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 streaming from your city.

In this episode Sonja and Dan discussed:

• growing up in Durham NC
• The call to engineering
• The career arc between academia and entrepreneurship
• Why the legal system can feel rigged
• How African Americans are, by necessity, innovative and entrepreneurial

Dr. Sonja Ebron Co-founder and CEO of Courtroom5, a company that makes an automated legal toolbox that helps people represent themselves in court.

Sonja has one of the amazing backgrounds, engineering academia, a repeat entrepreneur, but it took a challenging experience of our own with the legal system to unleash your mission and passion for the startup life. She has a strong conviction that fairness and the justice system shouldn't depend on inequitable access to knowledge or resources and our conversation. She talked about the allure of engineering doing a startup in Durham, North Carolina, and so much more.

Sonja has a great story. Be sure to listen in. 

Sonja:

linkedin.com/in/sonjaebron

twitter.com/SonjaEbron

Courtroom5:

courtroom5.com

instagram.com/courtroom5legal

twitter.com/courtroom5legal

linkedin.com/company/courtroom5

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #legaltech

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

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

Get your annual subscription to The Plug at tpinsights.com

In this episode Amira and Dan discussed:

• growing up in the same town as Zach Braff and SZA
• The blog that explored Bobbie Austin's Closet
• Her college experience in CapeTown South Africa
• How her vision for The Folklore originated long before the company
• Her great advice for other black women founders

Amira Rasool is the Founder and CEO of The Folklore, an omnichannel platform that is bringing luxury and emerging designer brands from Africa online for the first time. 

Amira has that fearlessness that just draws you in. She says it got her in trouble when she was younger, but we're betting it will help her succeed as a founder. She and The Folklore have been featured everywhere from Forbes and Fast Company, to Vogue and Essence. Amira has just recently completed the Techstars program here in Seattle. Dan sat down with her to talk about The Folklore and how she sees it as so much more than a fashion brand.

Amira and The Folklore have a terrific story.

Make sure to listen in.

Amira:

instagram.com/amirarasool

twitter.com/amirarasool

linkedin.com/in/amira-rasool-52359855

The Folklore:

instagram.com/TheFolklore

twitter.com/TheFolklore

linkedin.com/company/the-folklore

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

#blackfounders #blackentrepreneurs #founderstory #underrepresented #underestimated #founderAfricandescent #ecommerce #fashion #Africadesigned #Africainspired

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