FT World Tech Founders

By Financial Times

What's FT World Tech Founders about?

Financial Times World Tech Founders is a new series on entrepreneurs in emerging markets. Founders talk about the rewards and challenges of starting up a business in countries such as Egypt, Tanzania and China.

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FT World Tech Founders episodes:

11.28.2018
‘When I started, no one knew what a start-up was’
Aktau, on the Caspian Sea, is far from being a tech hub. Yet one entrepreneur from Kazakhstan is changing that For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy
10.29.2018
‘Africa should not copy and paste Silicon Valley’
Ghanaian tech entrepreneur Ethel Cofie on the advantages of simple and cheap innovation For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy
09.28.2018
What is it like running a ride hailing app in war-torn Syria?
A talent pool of women programmers has helped two entrepreneurs solve the tricky problem of finding a taxi to take civilians between Syria and Lebanon For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy
07.27.2018
Bulgaria reverses the IT brain drain
Bulgaria was once a centre for production of IT hardware for Soviet bloc countries. Now, as the tech hub of the Balkans, salaries are rising and more developers who moved away to earn better wages are returning home For...
06.28.2018
“Starting a business young is a bonus” says Kenyan tech pioneer
Dorcas Muthoni on the opportunities in Silicon Savannah and how to avoid corruption For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy
05.30.2018
Ukrainian 3D-printed house takes on US market
Conflict with Russia has not stopped a new crop of entrepreneurs finding funding, including Maxim Gerbut, the creator of the ultimate smart house For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy
04.26.2018
The woman turning Emiratis into entrepreneurs
Najla Al Midfa is teaching young people in the United Arab Emirates how to start and run their own businesses For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy
02.28.2018
Ukrainian migrants rev up Poland’s tech scene
Poland has seen a surge in Ukrainian immigrant workers since fighting started in Ukraine in 2014. Among them are an increasing number of highly skilled migrants who are entering Poland’s technology industry. One of the start-up success stories is CallPage,...
11.29.2017
Cryptocurrency companies in Russia remain wary
It is not a bad time to be a cryptocurrency business in the country at the moment, says Marina Guryeva, co-founder of Cyber Fund, since president Vladimir Putin has indicated he is unlikely to ban these activities. However, blockchain professionals...
08.15.2017
Arabic language ebookstore finds readers but not payers
Ammar Mardawi is discovering just how tricky it is to run an ebook business in the Middle East without customers being able to pay via electronic payments. FT contributor Burhan Wazir, met Mr Mardawi to find out more For...
07.11.2017
An app to change how Chinese students pick jobs
Wendy Wu is hoping her new job and dating advice app Wonder Tech will help students pick jobs based on their passion and interest rather than simply on university entrance exam scores. The FT’s Beijing correspondent Yuan Yang met Ms...
06.13.2017
Can tech start-ups help Belarus come in from the cold?
It is said that a company from Belarus has to be twice as good to be taken seriously, even one referred to as Google for videos. Maija Palmer, a Special Reports commissioning editor, visited Minsk to find out why. ...
05.16.2017
Romania’s cyber security success
In the 1950s, Romania was one of the pioneering countries developing computers. Programming skills still run deep and this is what inspired Florin Talpes to start Bitdefender, a cyber security company. But is Bitdefender an exception or simply the first...
04.11.2017
Free online 'crowd teaching' in Egypt
The Egyptian educational system is heavily reliant on private tutoring, which puts huge financial pressure on families. FT correspondent Heba Saleh met up with Mostafa Farahat, who created his start up, Nafham, to provide students with online video lessons free...
03.14.2017
There is much to learn from a failed start up believes one Moroccan entrepreneur
Learning to play the piano on a boat in the middle of a storm. This is how serial entrepreneur Amine Azariz describes the challenges facing tech founders in Morocco. FT reporter Siona Jenkins met up with Amine to find out more...
02.14.2017
A Turkish operation is in the forefront of killing off the dreaded password
SaasPass is in the forefront of developing ways to rid us all of the dreaded password. This San Francisco-based company has an extensive operation in Turkey. FT Correspondent Mehul Srivastava met its Turkish founder Sal Karatas to hear about the...
01.10.2017
Jordanian start-up Mixed Dimensions takes the pain out of 3D printing
3D printing has so far failed to live up to initial hype, but Mixed Dimensions is developing software that takes the pain out of the process. FT correspondent John Reed met up with co-founders Mo Taslaq and Baha Abunojaim to...
12.13.2016
Ride-hailing service Grab in Indonesia is taking on the big boys
We are talking to Hooi Ling Tan, the co-founder of one of Southeast Asia's biggest start-ups, mobile ride-hailing service Grab. Our Singapore correspondent, Jeevan Vasagar, discovers that it all started from her own experiences as a teenager. For information...
11.28.2016
Bill Gates and Nandan Nilekani on India's digital transformation
The 'India stack', the digitising of identities and bank accounts, will help people out of poverty, say these two tech billionaires. FT reporter David Keohane caught up with them both in Mumbai. For information regarding your data privacy, visit...
10.28.2016
Introducing FT World Tech Founders
Financial Times World Tech Founders is a new series on entrepreneurs in emerging markets. Founders talk about the rewards and challenges of starting up a business in countries such as Egypt, Tanzania and China. For information regarding your data...

What's FT World Tech Founders about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

FT World Tech Founders episodes:

‘When I started, no one knew what a start-up was’

‘Africa should not copy and paste Silicon Valley’

What is it like running a ride hailing app in war-torn Syria?

Bulgaria reverses the IT brain drain

“Starting a business young is a bonus” says Kenyan tech pioneer

Ukrainian 3D-printed house takes on US market

The woman turning Emiratis into entrepreneurs

Ukrainian migrants rev up Poland’s tech scene

Cryptocurrency companies in Russia remain wary

Arabic language ebookstore finds readers but not payers

An app to change how Chinese students pick jobs

Can tech start-ups help Belarus come in from the cold?

Romania’s cyber security success

Free online 'crowd teaching' in Egypt

There is much to learn from a failed start up believes one Moroccan entrepreneur

A Turkish operation is in the forefront of killing off the dreaded password

Jordanian start-up Mixed Dimensions takes the pain out of 3D printing

Ride-hailing service Grab in Indonesia is taking on the big boys

Bill Gates and Nandan Nilekani on India's digital transformation

Introducing FT World Tech Founders