The Grinders Table

In this inspiring episode, Mayowa Ali, co-founder of Traction Apps, shares his journey from studying engineering to launching a digital operating system for SMEs in Africa amidst a global pandemic. Mayowa's passion for technology and entrepreneurship led him and his co-founder to address the underserved SME market and pick so many invaluable lessons along the way.

Learn about the challenges of building a startup in financial services, fostering a collaborative remote environment, and the importance of understanding your motivations and staying true to yourself. Join us for a fascinating conversation with Mayowa Ali and see how embracing resilience can lead to success on your entrepreneurial journey.

In this inspiring episode, we dive into the entrepreneurial journey of Angie Madara, a passionate advocate for women in tech entrepreneurship. Angie is a Founding Partner at AthenaFundX, a fund that invests in providing women entrepreneurs with the support, resources, and visibility they need to turn their ideas into successful businesses. Angie shares her experience in business and her foray into tech which led her to create groundbreaking projects like M-Pesa, a mobile money platform widely used in Africa.

We explored Angie's lessons from the acquisition of her startup to the importance of preparing entrepreneurs for the types of questions they may face when pitching. She emphasizes the need to give value to receive value and to focus on building and improving the lives of others.

I thought to share a conversation I recorded in 2016 with Yusufa Sey, founder of Northern Industries. In this BONUS episode, our guest shares his incredible entrepreneurial journey from Gambia, the United States, London, and finally Denmark, where he co-founded Athene, a personal genetics company that unlocks the secrets of sports and diet genes. He discusses the importance of taking calculated risks and embracing uncertainty as an entrepreneur and shares his experience of moving to Denmark, overcoming challenges, and the power of perseverance in building a global business. The episode also explores the importance of risk-taking in life and business, the story of Facebook's unexpected growth, and the key to successful entrepreneurship: facing uncertainty and moving forward with courage.

In this insightful episode, we speak with Dayo Odutale-Ademola, Managing Director for Nigeria at Branch International Financial Services, about her professional journey driven by the desire to create an impact through her work. Dayo shares her experiences, emphasizing the importance of growth, risk management, and building a sustainable business for long-term success. We also discuss the transformational experience of losing her father and how it led her to reconsider her views on mortality and legacy.

Additionally, we explore the significance of empathy and patience when dealing with others in the workplace and the power of understanding different backgrounds and perspectives. Listen this thought-provoking conversation and learn valuable lessons that will be worth revisiting.

In this episode I sat down with fast-rising Filmmaker and Creative Director, Diji Aderogba, where he shared his creative journey, experiences working with big brands and achieving success despite the odds. Diji talks about his love for cultural storytelling, his background as an actor, handling criticism and the lessons he's learned from various projects that have shaped his career. This conversation provides valuable insights for aspiring creatives and entrepreneurs.

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I had the pleasure of talking with Hafsa Jomari, CEO of CoAmana, an Agtech startup operating in Nigeria and Kenya. We discussed her inspiring journey from academia to entrepreneurship and how her obsession with solving the issue of market access for smallholder farmers led her to create CoAmana.

(0:00:01) - Exploring Curiosity and Leadership in Business

We spent time with Desigan Chinniah aka Dees or Cyberdees, a successful technology entrepreneur and investor in under-represented minority founders.  In this episode, we explore his journey through the dotcom era (his time at Mozilla and deprecating Flash), taking risks, building diverse teams, the rise of AI, and much more.

This episode is full of insights into succeeding as a technology entrepreneur! From staying curious and staying focused on things that bring joy and energy to exploring new opportunities through taking risks - there is something for everyone! So why not give it a listen? We guarantee you'll learn something valuable about navigating the world!

(0:06:03) The Journey of a Technology Entrepreneur: Dees talks about his personal experience of getting into the tech industry, nurturing relationships, and his multicultural family background.

This week we had a chat with the amazing Ashley Immanuel, the Co-founder and COO of Semicolon. Semicolon's goal is to turn Africa's vibrant youth population into an army of technologists, software developers, enterprise architects and project managers.

Ashley shares her journey with us, how she followed her passion and experiences, as well as one of the coolest intros you'll ever hear!

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(0:00:00) - Unlocking Potential to Change the World: Ashley shares her personal and professional journey, highlighting the importance of being inquisitive and open-minded when starting out in a career.

This week I had a chat with Oyinkansola Fawehinmi, a 'fast rising' entertainment business leader and lawyer from Nigeria, also known as FozaDoza. She has years of experience in entertainment and media law, a path not many female lawyers tend to tow in Nigeria. She has brokered deals worth over $10,000,000 working with top talents across various nationalities, as well as advising several governments in the sub-Saharan African region on IP matters. Foza shared quite a lot of gems with us so listen, subscribe, and share with a friend.

Ps. you can get the full gist of her journey in her memoir - So Far, So Foza.