Minds in Motion with Charles Fatunbi

On this episode, I sit down with Alykhan Kaba, solo General Partner of Aries Media Ventures, a venture capital fund investing in early stage, tech enabled media startups across sub-Saharan Africa.

Alykhan was born and raised in Canada to parents of Indian heritage who grew up in Tanzania, and that multicultural upbringing shaped the investment thesis he eventually built his career around. After roles at McKinsey, Live Nation, Activision Blizzard, and NBCUniversal, he set out to close a gap he kept running into across the entertainment industry: the investors who understand media don't understand these markets, and the investors who understand these markets don't invest in media.

We talk about his internship at a media company in Kabul that first convinced him media could drive real social impact, the annual planning ritual he uses to decide when to pivot his career, and what it actually takes to convince skeptical investors to write a check into a region most of them have already written off.

🎙 Find Alykhan Kaba and his work:

📸 Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/alykhankaba/

🌐 Website — ariesmv.vc

🧠 Follow Minds in Motion:

📸 Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/mindsinmotionpod/

🔗 All Episodes and Platforms — https://beacons.ai/mindsinmotion

👤 Follow Charles:

📸 Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/charlesfatunbi/

💼 LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesfatunbi/

In this episode, I sit down with Cynthia Katz, a partner at Fox Rothschild and one of Billboard's Top Music Lawyers, to unpack the business behind music catalog acquisitions. Cynthia leads the entertainment and music practice at Fox Rothschild, where she advises private equity firms, record labels, and songwriters on the sale, acquisition, and financing of music catalogs. Her firm most recently represented HarbourView Equity Partners on the acquisition of select assets from the estate of the legendary Quincy Jones.

We use that deal as a case study to understand how transactions of this scale actually come together, from due diligence to valuation to legacy preservation. Whether you are an aspiring attorney, a music or entertainment professional, or a creator trying to understand the business side of your work, this one is for you.🎙 Find Cynthia Katz and her work:💼 LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-katz-goldfrach-544bb810/🏢 Fox Rothschild — https://www.foxrothschild.com/cynthia-l-katz🧠 Follow Minds in Motion:📸 Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/mindsinmotionpod/🔗 All Episodes and Platforms — https://beacons.ai/mindsinmotion👤 Follow Charles:📸 Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/charlesfatunbi/ 💼 LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesfatunbi/

In this episode of Minds in Motion, I sit down with Kennedy Ezumah — software engineer, co-founder and CTO of My Native Tree, and founder of Nzuko Brand. Kennedy is building at the intersection of technology, media, and cultural preservation in a way that few people are, and this conversation gets into all of it.We talk about how losing his grandmother sparked the idea behind My Native Tree, an AI-powered platform that helps families preserve their lineage and the stories embedded within them before they're gone. We also get into Nzuko Brand, Kennedy's media company telling African stories to global audiences, from board games manufactured in Nigeria to a docu-series sold to Africa Magic and a first feature film.If you've ever thought about your family's history, what gets lost between generations, or what it takes to build something mission-driven from the ground up, this one is for you.

Chapters

00:00 Kennedy's Journey

02:54 Transitioning from Civil Engineering to Software

12:59 My Native Tree: Documenting Family Histories

21:20 The Importance of Data in Decision Making

24:02 Core Features of My Native Tree

33:21 User Case Studies

33:24 Technical and Creative Challenges

38:16 Business Model and Target Demographics

41:57 Introducing Nzuko Brand: A Cultural Media Company

46:09 The Business Model of Nzuko Brand

50:52 Evolving Offerings and Revenue Streams

55:21 The Media Landscape in Nigeria

01:00:47 Production Challenges and Strategies

01:03:35 Balancing Entrepreneurship with a 9-5

01:06:04 Advice for Aspiring Builders

Kennedy Ezumah & His Work

🌐 My Native Tree — https://mynativetree.com/

📸 My Native Tree (Instagram) — https://www.instagram.com/joinmynativetree/📸 Nzuko Brand (Instagram) — https://www.instagram.com/nzukobrand/

📸 Kennedy (Instagram) — https://www.instagram.com/emeka_my_guy/

Minds in Motion with Charles Fatunbi

📸 Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/mindsinmotionpod/

🔗 All Episodes & Platforms — https://beacons.ai/mindsinmotion

Follow Charles

💻 LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlesfatunbi/

📸 Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/charlesfatunbi/

In this episode of Minds in Motion, I sit down with Fassa, founder and CEO of Callo, a tech platform designed to give independent creators across film, TV, and other media formats the end-to-end infrastructure they need to operate like real businesses. From finding collaborators to managing projects, Callo is building what the industry left out.

We get into:

• What life inside a major Hollywood studio actually taught her about the gaps in the system
• Why independent creators struggle to get projects off the ground and what's changing
• The role of collaboration in a creator economy that often celebrates the solo hustle
• How technology is reshaping who gets to tell stories and on what terms
• What the future of independent film and TV actually looks like.

If you're a creator, a founder, or someone paying attention to where media and technology are colliding, this conversation may give you a lot to think about.

00:00 - Introducing Fassa Sar

00:55 - Fassa's Journey in the Entertainment Industry

14:26 - The Fulbright Scholarship and Building Callo

24:26 - Building a team for Callo

29:04 - What is CALLO?

38:47 - Revenue Model

42:34 - Outlook on the Creator Economy

54:32 - Callo's Long-Term Vision and Goals

In this episode of Minds in Motion, I speak with Kofi Dotse (@kofigramm), a Ghana-based travel creator and producer whose work has been featured by BBC, Global Citizen, Volkswagen, and more.

We unpack Kofi’s pivot from a conventional STEM trajectory into content marketing and storytelling for some of the world’s largest brands, and what it really takes to survive and thrive as an Africa-based creator operating on a global stage. We also explore the overlooked economic potential of the continent’s young workforce, tourism industry, and creative economy, and how Kofi turned limited opportunity into leverage.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction

00:48 - Kofi's Journey: From Sciences to Content Creator

03:11 - Navigating Education and Career Expectations in Ghana

11:30 - The Impact of COVID-19 on Freelancing and Opportunities

15:01 - Embracing Public Presence and Storytelling

15:27 - Creating Authentic Connections Online

16:39 - Navigating Opportunities in International Collaborations

20:09 - The Conflict of Migration and National Growth

22:16 - Learning from Other Nations

29:33 - Tourism in Ghana: Opportunities and Challenges

33:48 - The Future of African Creatives

35:42 - Monetizing Creativity in Africa

In this conversation, Charles Fatunbi interviews Adam Miko, the founder of Echora, a platform designed to protect artists' rights in the age of AI. Adam shares his background in music publishing and art direction, discussing the importance of ownership and consent for creators. The conversation delves into the functionality of Echora, its role in the creative industry, and the ethical considerations surrounding AI. Adam also emphasizes the need for collaboration between AI technologists and artists, aiming to create a future where creators are fairly compensated and respected for their work.A must-listen for creatives, technologists, and anyone curious about the future of art in the AI era.

Chapters

00:00 Adam Miko's Journey in Entertainment

00:52 Transitioning to Art Direction

02:37 The Role of an Art Director

04:05 Behind the Scenes of Production

05:51 The Genesis of Ikora

13:44 Understanding AI and Copyright Protection

18:10 The Three-Sided Marketplace of AI

19:13 Empowering Creators and AI Companies

19:50 Navigating Partnerships in the AI Landscape

21:54 Adams Technical Background

25:55 Building a Diverse and Passionate Team

28:06 Advice for Founders on Team Building

29:19 Trust and Skepticism in AI Integration

32:46 The Ethical Use of AI in Creativity

33:11 Legal Challenges in the AI Landscape

36:41 The Future Role of Human Creators

40:58 Actionable Steps for Emerging Creatives

In this episode of Minds in Motion, Charles sits down with Frank Akinwande Williams, Co-Founder and CEO of Lingawa, a platform using AI to preserve and teach African languages. He discusses cultural identity, his entrepreneurial journey of building Lingawa, and the role technology plays in preserving African languages.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Frank and Lingawa

00:32 Frank's Journey: From Medicine to Entrepreneurship

04:02 The Role of Language in Identity

07:32 The Decline of Native Languages in the Diaspora

11:13 Cultural and Practical Benefits of Language Preservation

13:55 Learning Languages in an Immersive Environment

16:42 Overcoming Shame in Language Learning

20:28 What is Lingawa?

22:32 The Rebranding Journey of Lingawa

24:02 Building Lingawa: From Idea to Execution

28:50 The Fundraising Journey

34:08 Challenges of Pitching to Investors

36:05 Achieving Product-Market Fit

37:17 Building a Personalized Learning Experience

41:42 Quality Control and Tutor Management

46:07 Impactful Customer Success Stories

49:32 Unexpected Challenges of Leadership

54:56 Vision for the Future of Lingawa

58:25 Closing