![]() But what I could not find were many stories about people who started a successful $5 million or $3 million business in Ghana or Kenya or South Asia, about the unique challenges that they faced, or the unique ways that they tackle problems that might seem routine here in Silicon Valley. And frankly, they’re becoming cliches, at least in my opinion. So if you want to know how Uber or eBay came to be, you can hear those origin stories over and over again. And now those founders have their own podcasts. The world is awash in podcasts featuring the founders of billion-dollar unicorns. We started this podcast last year based on a simple premise that stories of entrepreneurs in India and sub-Saharan Africa would be inspiring and instructive to a wide audience across emerging markets, but especially to entrepreneurs and those who dream of starting their own business. If you are a company you know may be interested, please visit /apply to learn more. founders and CEOs of companies based in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia with annual revenue of at least $300,000 are eligible to apply. You’ll have the opportunity to participate in a cohort of 60 other like-minded entrepreneurs from across your region. The 11-month intensive program will start in January and it includes a combination of face-to-face teaching, networking, and virtual learning. Listen to highlights and observations from our first season, tune in to the full stories of these amazing entrepreneurs, and get ready for Season Two.ĭarius Teter: For all the CEOs and founders who are listening, on April 1, we will start accepting applications for the 2023 class of the Seed Transformation Program. And I learned that being an entrepreneur in these markets can be a lonely journey, and they value the opportunity to network and learn from each other.” Often, just doing business in some of these markets is a problem worth solving, from providing access to markets or using machine learning to providing short-term financing.įrom creating dignified work and highlighting the importance of mission to considering the role of governance and securing financing to scale their businesses, these entrepreneurs showed true grit and growth.Īs Teter looks back and to the future of entrepreneurship in the region, he says, “What I have learned through my association with these incredible people is that the locus of innovation is rapidly shifting to these emerging markets, where a combination of necessity, untapped consumer demand, network penetration, and new technologies is leading to an explosion of business activity. Shuchin Bajaj, who built a network of affordable yet sophisticated hospitals across India and staffed a 1,000-bed hospital in weeks during the darkest days of the pandemic, and Samuel Appenteng, whose company brings drinking water to seven countries in Africa. ![]() ![]() “The phrase ‘purpose and profit’ may be overused, but these remarkable people are solving important problems as a business, not a charity.” “It got me thinking that much of what we take for granted are really fundamental human rights - access to food, water, basic health care, and information,” Teter explains. Working to solve important problems is a thread throughout many of the conversations. ![]() Kwami Williams, whose company suffered from two fires, the pandemic lockdown, and personal tragedy, talked about the importance of taking one step at a time to stay resilient and recover. ![]() No surprise, grit is one of the qualities that stood out in the entrepreneurs Teter spoke with, especially in the face of unprecedented adversity. It’s hard to pick favorites, but some stories held special resonance and, in retrospect, revealed key themes about the long, often lonely, yet rewarding journey of entrepreneurship. He not only shares powerful moments but also some of the lessons he’s learned along the way about the struggles and opportunities of entrepreneurship in emerging markets. After a year of Grit & Growth podcasts, Darius Teter, our host and executive director of Stanford Seed, looks back on his conversations with entrepreneurs from Africa and India. ![]()
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