Founders Unfound

Follow Founders Unfound : Like and share - help us grow!SummaryCherae Robinson is founder and CEO of Tastemakers Africa, a company that connects black millennials to culture forward experiences. Cherae, a former Public health advocate and change-maker, has created what Fusion calls “the sexy, dope way to experience Africa.”Our sponsor for this episode: The PlugFULL EPISODE drops April 30th! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Follow Founders Unfound : Like and share - help us grow!OUR SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE: Trajectory SeriesPODCAST TRANSCRIPTAs a public health advocate and consultant, Kevin Dedner was well aware of the disparities in the health and longevity of black men in America. African American men have the lowest life expectancy of any group...67 years of age. This number is in stark contrast to their white counterparts who see life spans into the early 80s on average.Dr. Sherman James described this impact as "John Henryism" based on the folktale of steel driver John Henry. As the story goes, John was a black man and the best in the land at driving steel into mountainsides - necessary for the building of railroad tunnels. He was challenged to race a machine - a steam-driven hammer. He defeated the machine, and then had a heart attack and died. Dr. James saw this as a metaphor for the life of the American black man. Basically: work at full capacity ALL THE TIME, with all the extra stresses and striving, which results in a shorter life.So with this as a backdrop, Kevin undertook his own personal journey in mental health. His epiphany from the experience: finding a provider is a big challenge AND cultural context of your therapy matters. Henry Health (named for John Henry) was born in 2018. The company is building a digital platform that provides culturally sensitive teletherapy services. Their first community is, as you would expect, black men. Dan and Kevin talked about his background, the origin story of Henry Health, and certainly the current situation with the Coronavirus pandemic.What else did they cover? Listen in and find out!Kevin and Dan talked about her startup journey, as well as:Attending the high school where Brown vs Board of Education was testedHis personal journey with mental healthHow Kevin and his team are coping with COVID-19 crisisA shout out to the Transparent CollectiveThe "questions behind the questions" from investorsEpisode Shout Outs:Transparent CollectiveStartup HealthMorgan Stanley Multicultural Innovation LabDr. Sherman JamesMORE on KEVIN and HENRY HEALTHKEVIN:https://twitter.com/kdednerlinkedin.com/in/kevin-dedner-mph-HxD Conference VideoHENRY HEALTH:https://twitter.com/HenryHealthApphttps://www.henry-health.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kevin Dedner is co-founder and CEO of Henry Health, a platform that provides culturally sensitive self-care and mental health services. Their first ecosystem of communities is built around black men.Our sponsor for this episode: Trajectory SeriesFULL EPISODE drops April 16th! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Follow Founders Unfound : Like and share - help us grow!OUR SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE: Founders LivePODCAST TRANSCRIPTDr. Kala Fleming has a passion to bring technology to the places and people where it can have dramatic impact. All the way back to her time with IBM, she's pursued projects that help solve healthcare, food security...and water. These fundamental needs lead Dr. Fleming to found Diaspora.ai  as a vehicle to tackle these challenges head on It's this last essential, water, that preoccupies her current startup, SMAJI, which is using AI to address water scarcity. The company employs a combination of technology and human feedback to accurately assess and validate water levels for property managers, in near real time.What else did they cover? Listen in and find out!Notable Interview HighlightsKala and Dan talked about her startup journey, as well as:Growing up in Antigua, a water-challenged islandGoing from the Virgin Islands to Wisconsin - brrrrrr!A PhD dissertation on...you guessed it...water.AfroTech and Founders GymResisting pre-conceived notionsMORE on KALA AND SMAJIKALA:https://twitter.com/thekalafleminghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kalafleming/TED talkSMAJI and DIASPORA:https://twitter.com/SMAJIcloudhttps://www.smaji.ai/https://twitter.com/diasporatechhttps://diasporaai.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Fleming is co-founder and CEO of Diaspora.ai and SMAJI, a company using AI to address water scarcity.FULL EPISODE drops March 26th! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Follow Founders Unfound : Like and share - help us grow!OUR SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE: Founders LivePODCAST TRANSCRIPTKahlil Ashanti has one amazing and unique journey. Starting with a challenging childhood, to the Air Force, to performing in Caesar's Palace, to an award winning show on Broadway...and even to Hollywood.But in this episode Dan spoke with Kahlil about his startup weshowup - a company that works with venues and artists to serve event audiences the option to "pay what you want." The conversation ranged across many topics, including the origin story of weshowup, which includes an experiment with Kahlil's own show - netting 82% more revenue than fixed price!What else did they cover? Listen in and find out!Notable Interview HighlightsKahlil and Dan talked about his startup journey, as well as:The Air Force as "the family business"A military version of American IdolDoing a one-man show on BroadwayHis adventures in HollywoodLeveraging the networkMORE on KAHLIL AND WESHOWUPKahlil:twitter.com/kahlilashantikahlilashanti.comTED talkweshowup company site:weshowup.io Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kahlil Ashanti is the founder and CEO of weshowup, a company that brings the concept of "pay what you want" to entertainment and events.FULL EPISODE drops March 12th! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Follow Founders Unfound : Like and share - help us grow!OUR SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE: Washington Technology Industry AssociationPODCAST TRANSCRIPTBrooke Sinclair has a great job: take tasty, unique beverages from independent, craft brands, and bring them to eager taste buds around the world. She has a unique background: a family engineering heritage (she’s a self-professed tech ‘nerd’), theater, non-profit, and corporate logistics. She’s also a vibrant member of the startup community as an alum of Founder Institute and a Scout for Female Founded Club.In this podcast episode, Dan spoke with Brooke about her startup Velour Imports - a company developing technology to bring craft brands from your local neighborhood across the planet. The conversation ranged across many topics, including of course the wonderful origin story of Velour. What else did they cover? Listen in and find out! Notable Interview HighlightsBrooke and Dan talked about her startup journey, as well as:How religion contributed to Velour’s beginningsbeing trapped in an airport for 7 dayswhether Brooke gets to sample the beers she exportsA shout out to MS DOSMORE on BROOKE AND VELOUR IMPORTSBrooke on LinkedIn:linkedin.com/in/brookesinclairVelour Imports company site:https://www.velourimports.com/or check them out on Twitter:https://twitter.com/velourimports   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brooke S. Sinclair is the founder and CEO of Velour Imports, a company that facilitates independently-owned craft brands distribution around the world.FULL EPISODE drops February 27th! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

OUR SPONSOR FOR THIS EPISODE: Perfect Pitches By PreciousFull TranscriptModjossorica (Rica) Elysee represents why we started Founders Unfound: brave, capable, inspirational, and determined. She pulls no punches. Rica took lessons from her community and nonprofit experiences and transformed herself into an entrepreneurial force. She's a sought after speaker on the fireside chat founder circuit. And has boldly helped bring together other women entrepreneurs with @thetable and Female Founders Day. She's been featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, and Black Enterprise.In this podcast episode, Dan spoke with Rica about her startup BeautyLynk - a company transforming the on-demand beauty market. The conversation ranged across many topics, including of course the wonderful origin story of BeautyLynk. What else did they cover? Listen in and find out!Notable Interview HighlightsRica and Dan talked about her startup journey, as well as:her "third culture" life between America and Haitibeing on billboard in Times Square (New York)how music fits into her management approachglobal expansionwhat Rick Ross and Cardi B have to do with Morgan StanleyMORE on RICA AND BEAUTYLYNKRica's site:(always looking to give back with speaking opportunities)http://ricaelysee.com/BeautyLynk company site:https://beautylynk.com/or check them out on Twitter:twitter.com/BeautyLynks/  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rica Elysee is the founder and CEO of BeautyLynk, a company transforming the on-demand, in-home beauty market.FULL EPISODE drops February 13th! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan previews what to expect from Founders Unfound in 2020.We would love your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, feedback. Please DM us today!social:instagram : linkedin : youtube : twitterpodcast:apple : spotify : soundcloud : sticherweb:www.foundersunfound.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AK Ikwuakor, or "Coach AK" as he prefers, is a man of many talents. He’s been both a collegiate and Olympic athlete. Motivational speaker. Educator and Social impact entrepreneur. And even dabbled in some standup. In this podcast episode, however, Dan spoke with him as Co-Founder and CEO of ELETE Styles - a startup on a mission to create professional attire with fit, function, and fashion for the athlete build.ELETE takes the broadest view of the value it adds. From athletes to first responders to returning war vets who need adaptive apparel. Men, women, casual, formal...and everything in between. AK's life journey has included Olympic trials, world travel, and even a stint of being homeless. How does all this connect with an eCommerce startup?Listen in and find out!Notable Interview Highlights(04:14) How ELETE works to bring consumers custom attire (09:00) How AK's love of his mom's homecooking led to ELETE's origin story(15:05) The challenges of making ONLY one piece (vs. 1000) for a custom design(16:55) Complexities of tariffs and currencies for a global business(23:35) Powerful origin story of AK's NGO startup Empower 2 Play(33:10) The 400M race as a metaphor for life (41:21) AK's adventures as an Olympic athlete(46:44) Personal choices, perspectives, and growth(50:00) Sources of influence: mentors, friends, enemies, and books MORE on ELETEAK's Youtube Channel, company site, and linkedin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Dan has a great conversation with Bara Cola, founder and CEO of Carbice. Bara's startup is revolutionizing the new standard for thermal cooling in the global electronics market. What does this mean to you and me?We are surrounded by a global infrastructure - from power plants and satellites to your Amazon Echo - that is powered by electronics. Electronics generate heat. If they kick out too much, well, then they shut down or at least slow down. Carbice's magic material manages the heat better - so full performance can be realized. Bara makes the case that everything from Arab Spring to high end gaming is all made possible by better thermal management.Listen in to hear how and why!Notable Interview Highlights(02:42) EVERYTHING that generates heat must regulate it (06:14) Carbice has invented the first new cooling material class in 100 years!(12:58) Bara connects thermal management to the Arab Spring(14:56) Bara talks Carbice's current traction(19:44) Homebase: the choice between Atlanta and Silicon Valley(21:22) Closing a lead investor on a Sunday afternoon walk around the neighborhood (26:00) Growing up in Pensacola, Florida...AKA "lower Alabama"(31:28) Early entrepreneurial aspirations(32:35) Meeting President Obama at the White House(37:44) What Bara considers the most important skill(40:41) Bara gives advice to his 22-year-old self(42:31) Important mentors(44:02) props to TechSquare Labs - Paul Judge and Allen NanceCheck out more about Carbice: carbice.com, @carbice, @baratundecola Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Dan Kihanya talks fundraising, Techstars, and jollof rice with Ikechi Nwabuisi, co-founder of TRiBL, a trust network helping black migrants identify and connect with locals.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here is a short preview from Dan and Deborah of what to expect with our exciting new project! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Dan Kihanya catches up with the founding team of Neu Inc. Based in Seattle, Neu facilitates hotel-grade turnovers for Airbnb/vacation rentals. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Founders Unfound host Dan Kihanya catches up with Stella Ashaolu, founder and CEO of WeSolv. Based in Chicago, WeSolv uses performance data and predictive analytics to help companies reduce bias and hire a more diverse workforce. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.