The Intersection Magazine Podcast

This is a conversation we had regarding volunteering and the possible transition between executive roles to voluntary roles and positions. I was curious about how to think about a life that is designed around giving back to communities especially after years of making money (even this is service within itself). Key takeaways are the importance of Depth verses Breadth, Team composition and Placing Value in Locals and their structures. Kimberly Haley-Coleman is the founder and Executive Director of Globe Aware, a US & Canada based nonprofit that leads and mobilizes volunteers for short-term service projects in over 25 countries (since the year 2000). With a background in international business development and finance, she previously held leadership roles at global firms including CNBC.com, Space Services International, and Investtools. Kimberly holds an MBA in International Business, an MA in Art History, and a BA from Emory University. A multiple patent holder, SMU Guest Lecturer, and recipient of the Texas Business Hall of Fame Award and long-time Hall of Fame member, Chairman of the Executive Board for the International Volunteer Programs Association (IVPA) and actively engaged with organizations like the Building Bridges Coalition and United Nations ESOC Consultative Status Committee and variety of other nonprofit boards focused on international service, community development, and environmental improvement. 

Here is a great conversation about the quite a number of subjects but with one underlying idea. #Fashion, #Technology and #Innovation and how to merge these ideas into creating great looks while also managing the vast amount of waste that is generated to make these clothes. The guest Julia K. Dietmar also talks about tools that they have developed to make you dress smarter as well as some really interesting ideas about how she #transitioned into #Fashion. Those who follow us know that we have a soft spot for people who make these transitions seamlessly. #SoftwareEngineer and #coder to #MBA. Working for Large and small companies. How she entered into #retail and #apparel angle almost accidentally. The company she was working with got #acquired by Walmart where she got to learn more from about the retail space. Major challenges regarding selling apparel and #forecast #demand. Entrance Now #circular economy and 2nd hand apparel. #Computervision to find pictures and items in catalogues. Foray into #AI. Then deep tech focus. AI for retailers to find customers. Generative AI in 2017 (early adopters). 90% of the customers were apparel brands. Two major approaches that her company has. 1. Mindful dressing...consumers empowered to make better decisions about how to dress when buying or using what you already have. Digitize the wardrobe by taking a picture. Then use AI to be more creative. Spark creativity to increase utilisation. 2. Tools around education. Preferences style #personalities, #bodyshape and others to aid in #decisionmaking. Did you know that a) Every year 11.3 million tonnes of textiles. b) Today we have already produced enough clothes to dress 6 generations of humans. c) 30% items manufactured are never sold.

Here is another piece where we cover BBC's coverage of Finland as a DefenceTech Superpower. Definitions of Ecosystem and the use of these definitions to break down the success of Finland as an amazing DefenceTech Space. We also look at the historical case and geographic influence and the effects of proximity on its pivot towards DefenceTech. What role does government, business and Educational Institutions play in the DefenceTech space and how is the government in Finland directing its efforts to improve it effectiveness. How to balance the needs of the public (and their taxes on startup and SMEs and their development) given the timeframes though which innovation takes place in typical defence related projects.

Here is another well done piece from the BBC which we mine for content. Some of the major ideas that stand out are seen in almost all stories that were done with the BBC where they always start with a country summary. This may be useful because these characteristics often form the basis or foundation upon which the innovation is built or the platform upon which development will be based. The show covered the Nordic spirit and culture of Finnish people in general. It talks about the size of the ecosystem and the benefits that this brings to the startups here. While there is a focus on Maria 01 (Zero One), the nationwide drive to improve the country and its local and international role in startup development is visible. Whether this is by incentives in immigration for builders, great English language skills, communal feel or the hub spaces, focus on growth and expansion, mentorship across all circles and a merger between local and foreign founders (internationalization). The episode also deals with the geopolitical lssues that may prove to be pain points in the future as well as taxation especially with the Right Wing Pro Business Party desire to improve the economy.

We continue a review of material as presented by the BBC. We think it will be useful to compare our coverage of the Innovation and Technology Space with what some of the giants in Media are saying. Here we talk about India's approach with view of capturing lessons that can be used in other third world countries. This episode is a timely conversation when many potentially profitable businesses are struggling to fit into the molds that are created by predominantly by American VC and Angels. This podcast shares the example of a porter, farmer and botanist and tackles questions such as government funding and educational gaps that exist in rural areas and the marginalized populations that should be harnessed to solve the massive employment challenges in our countries.

In the second installment of our coverage of BBC's Startup Focus, we present Armenia. What are the historic and geographic challenges she has faced and what opportunities exist in overcoming them? How does Armenia plan to use Education and Technology to Its advantage both locally and globally. We look at the devotion to early stage education and give examples of about three pre-teens and the aplications that they have developed. We examine the pipeline of talent and allows former students in the Armath System to become instructors. We also look at the importance of Public Private Partnerships. We also look at the international linkages between Armenia and SV through purposeful engagement. We also look at the success of the Armath Model Internationally.

After quite a while of not seeing Mr. Bwire we connected a few months ago at a Corporate Venture Capital Training Event. Our conversation on that day was filled with life changing insights on growth and longevity which in my view can benefit Startups in Uganda and young founders. Ancel's encyclopedic knowledge of the Ecosystem and its success and failures form some of the basis of the conversation in this podcast as does his experience in varied fields. From leadership in a continent wide Accelerator to Mentorship to Leadership and direction in marketing and branding companies, Mr. Bwire will help you learn how to naviage the employment landscape as you transition to the possibility of self empployment and entrepreneurship.

This long awaited conversation with Grace Miller Lead of Echo Community In Nothern America is finally here. We talk about the importance of the work they do and the broad areas that they focus on. We also share a snippet about some of their very important events including some of what is coming up towards the end of the year. You can visit Home - ECHO as well as ECHOcommunity.orgWe see several major areas of focus and discuss them in brief from Agricultrual Practice, To Appropriate Technologies ,To Development, and Animals. We were also keen to explore the subject of genetically modified seeds and crops. Mrs Miller Shares interesting thoughts about the implications of GMO adaptation on Seed Storage.

A few weeks ago, the BBC Business Daily Program had a series of episodes devoted to the subject of Startups. In the next few programs we share some of these highlights just to give you a perspective from a different source and how we see this coverage. Here we share insights into the Biotech Startup System of Argentina how the country has faced the challenges of Brain Drain and Inflation as well as a history of Military Governments to becoming a regional powerhouse in the Biotech Industry. Equally interesting is how the use of a sub sector can drive a whole ecosystem. What lessons can other countries learn about collaboration between government and private business, science and technology focus as well as policy.

It’s been almost 12 years since I published a post called Apply No More My Son. It was a slight jab at the system and the process that many of us have to go through and bother with even if sometimes we realize that the whole thing is rigged against us. Fast forward a few years and I did it again. This is therefore an exploration of the same subject and two different areas where I have directed my attention in the last weeks. We explore areas of improvement and failures as well as possible direction steps for the next few months for me as well as my company. For those who want to read our piece written years ago but just a relevant use this link https://telcomwatchuganda.blogspot.com/2015/06/apply-no-more-my-child.html

In this episode of the podcast we wanted to share some useful insights from someone in a different ecosystem about some of what they think Uganda is doing right. This is great coming from a country that ranks amongst the top four in terms of VC fund attraction and investment. We are calling it a Vote of Confidence to the Uganda Tech and Innovation Ecosystem. What are we doing well? Where are the challenges in the current state of things? What does the big picture look like and what practical examples exist to support the approach Uganda has?

In this conversation I am thrilled to share insights with one of the early pioneers in the startup space. We talk about a range of subjects including some of his work with Ugabus which went one to be acquired by Treepz. Ugabus was an online ticketing system that was built to make it easier to book travel tickets in the country and region. The same went one to represent the country in a startup competition where they were top 10 coming home with a prize of USD 100,000. Hakiza Ronald also serves on the board of a few important NGOs and has a keen interest in the lives of youth in the Nation. In a previous podcast I talked about the work of Livingstone Mukasa popularly know as the People’s Professor. He started a company called BitBricks where you can own small percentages of property and be part of the contraction process so that when the sale is made, you profit based on what you invested. We see this as a trend towards fractional ownership and investment. Mr. Hakiza is doing the same expect he is making it simpler to own and invest in Condominiums. We also talk about the important part that travel to places like Silicon Valley has helped shape his thinking as well as the role that he has played as board member and what founders can learn from this. Those who are interested in learning more can do so on www.vestafi.co

This year's event marks the 4th Blockchain DevFest organized and founded by Eng. David Lumala and his team. Over the last few years this has become a important event for anyone interested in learning and building in the web3 space. Guests and speakers now come from all over the region and continent to engage and connect with the community here. In this podcast we talk to all the major exhibitors about their projects as well as attempt to summarize some of the conversations that took place in the two days of the event. From scalability in web3, to inclusivity in a decentralised world, to sustainability through governance and community and a host of other important subjects. The event was a healthy mix of expert keynotes, panels, meetings both formal and informal as well as structured hackathons. Want to know how to go beyond the Hackathon and sustain momentum? Yup that was covered too😄

For two days I was privileged to be part of the program designed to tackle the Establishment of an Immersive Corporate Venture Capital Ecosystem in Uganda. The Uganda National Council of Science and Technology and Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation in collaboration with Startup Reseau created a three pronged program that combined Online and Physical events in a phased arrangement. In this episode I share some of the insights from one of the main speakers covering what makes CVC such a necessary investment and direction step for Corporations. He also describes the overall goal of the interaction that took place in the last few weeks. Those who may not have had access to the training materials will also appreciate his in-depth discussions and practical examples such as the exploration of local champions who have successfully navigated the change into CVC such as Naspers, Azam of Tanzania and Chandaria of Kenya. Azam for example started off working in milling and then pivoted into media and TV eventually going into payments realizing the advantage they had and the trust that they had already established in the space. Other conversations center around why it is so challenging to infuse entrepreneurial thinking in corporate organizations as well as how to gauge or measure innovation.

In this extensive conversation about Investment in Uganda and Beyond Industry veteran and ecosystem VC builder makes a case for a proven path that he has used for the last 20 years. Moving from Why there is so much promise for scaling startups in Africa, to Smart Capital, The pathway for impact startup investors, the recipe for successful investment (hint collaboration, syndication and scale) and finally the path ahead (exits versus the focus on unicorns which incidentally are cheaper to create but may not be the best overall path for the continental ecosystem given its needs). Startup Funding Vehicles is the brainchild of Kenneth Twesigye of Tech Buzz Hub. Mr Twesigye has participated in the policy team for the startup Act of Uganda and has travelled and engaged with many key people included leading figures in the Tunisia Tech and Innovation Ecosystem. Tech Buzz Hub has also won awards in the Tech Hub category on the continent.

In this June Issue we talk continue a conversation we started last month where we featured an important Included VC Event called Africa Reimagined. Last month we shared a presentation given by Nonnie Burbidge on VC in Africa. This month we present a piece by Sheriff Nessim of Jedar Capital covering Northern Africa’s Tech and Innovation Ecosystems. Key ideas in this presentation are geography, language, access to VCs and Angels, Internal Infrastructure and well as Politics. We also share our usual piece in Founders Freedom. Want to know what makes startups standout? NFX’s James Currier has an amazing piece sharing 9 characteristics of successful startups. Later we talk about Reputation as a currency for business with a thread shared on X on the life of Warren Buffet.

This is really an exploration of the recent move to put into practice some of Balaji’s Srinivasan’s Network State ideas championed through his book by the same name but then taken further in this move to create a central place where these concepts can be tested. In this podcast we share how you can apply and get involved in this $100k fellowship and why it matters. In the call for applicants, the author makes a case for the decline of traditional success models that have been for the longest time been based on the Silicon Valley Model. On a personal level my exploration and attempt to cover the Tech and Innovation Ecosystems of African countries has been based on a model created from what we have from one of the most successful regions in the world. Balaji here uses the example of Sun Microsystems and its two founders to talk about how the possibility of a similar company will rise in this same manner is highly unlikely. The takes you from Stanford to Silicon Valley to San Francisco to California and Finally the United States. In each of these geographical areas the author examines some of the challenges and changes in each of these places from decline in education to pressure from local inhabitants to legislation to regulation and immigration. He later makes the case for Singapore and Asia with its massive influx of Millionaires, desire to attract talent through aggressive VISA programs, lower cost of living, as well as regional GDP and massive population and talent pool.

Interesting conversation about Fatherhood, Mentorship and Technology. Broad themes some more fitting for our more spiritual podcast-Transformation, Transition and Radical Thinking Podcast. TTRT Podcast covers mainly spiritual or religious subjects so this show probably fits especially in the discussion about fatherhood. Special shout out to all the parents trying their best to create amazing opportunities for their children, sacrificing their lives so that the little ones may go beyond where they have gone. Also some ideas about the importance of translating technological ideas into local languages so that citizens can understand and engage with these potentially life changing tools.

This months issue of the May Magazine, we have a few ideas in mind. First is an event I stumbled across on my LinkedIn. Africa Reimagined. Two days of intense and productive conversations between some of the leading funds sharing perspectives about Africa’s Investment landscape. In this issue we cover the first of a key conversation about the myths of VC in Africa with @Nonnie Burbidge. She tackled some major ideas such as the questions of population and market, VC presence in Africa, profit versus impact, the role of Fintech in Africa and much more. In another of our favorite conversations we share some insights from Founders Freedom. This is a group with which we are currently pursuing a partnership for useful financial content as well as leadership and governance direction. We are keen to share their ideas about how organizations and companies can make the most of governance and board structure for the success and future of businesses and to guarantee succession. James Currier makes a comeback with his piece about what makes successful startups. NFX is determined to support the most promising startups and shares ideas about this can be done in James’ article. After loosing my Father in 2019 I was keen to see if I can reproduce some of his ideas an$ thoughts. This is therefore a posthumous interview capturing key ideas that in my view shaped what made him special. From leadership, to faith, to challenges, to upbringing to family and friendship. Finally in a section that we have created to see if we can more effectively cover the most important events in the country here is a summary of three of the top April events. @Sling launch (a Fintech), @Caleb Maru and his Tech Safari as well as @Africa’s Business Heroes. Read this for strategies about launching and making inroads in new markets as well as possibilities of new funding opportunities.

In this month of April, we have several ideas at the fore. Firstly, there was an earth shattering moment when a Chinese company took the AI world by storm. The apparent ability of this company to do so much with so little is the definition of disruption. It sent shockwaves through the financial markets. To this end we chose to share Nancy Kacungira’s X piece where she explains what these technologies mean for typical Africans. Then I juxtapose this piece with some projects that India has taken on in space exploration. We compare this to what other countries spend (the USA). The ideas is to see if the Chinese and Indian Stories present some ideas that “third world” countries can make use of to leapfrog into a future of dominance by simply building well but cheaply. This will not happen though without an investment in technical skills covering many critical areas. Next we continue the conversation where we look into the return of the customer. This well written article examines some of the most important ideas that help define customer behavior. We highlight the major theme of defensibility. Those of you who make use of our (both the magazine and podcast) material will find these conversations in podcasts such as Acquired. The hosts Ben and David analyze companies and determine what makes these successful companies great. The idea of defensibility is often mentioned as is the word moat (a defense system created in medieval times where a deep lake was used to surround a castle to increase security against attack or infiltration) which has been spoken about a few times by Warren Buffet. The article’s examination of several important trends from social to mobility to accommodation between 2009 and pre-Covid help bring to the surface key thoughts in how to keep customers engaged. We also shed some light on what makes Intersection Magazine Different with our Media Kit. Finally we make some suggestions about the possibility of new learning paradigms that have emerged in the last few years. I draw from some of my experiences in the distance learning phase of my life. I attempt to link the ‘invasion’ of technology companies into the University space as a major shift in culture as well as the increasing urge to bring down the cost of University Education and the democratization of the space MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). For entertainment we recommend Electric State which I review drawing similarities from some other influential Hollywood pictures forecasting a future where there is a merger between technology and humanity.For reading material we present a book that was shared as part of the school of African Leadership on Networking written by Farouk Khaillan.