Almost two hours! That is what it took to go from Downtown San Francisco to Emeryville, to the Pixar Headquarters, precisely. There I am, seating in a car, spinning my head to narrow my expectations for what is about to happen, as the car slowly moves towards the Bay bridge. I had to meet Darla K Anderson, a film producer for Pixar. What would be interesting to ask? How does Darla’s work relate to mine? Do we share some common interests? I was trying hard to find common ground between
“If you can’t fly then run if you can’t run then walk if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” Dr. King Year: Spring 2016 Location: San Francisco Mood: Defeated I was a year into founding my company, Blastchat. Blastchat is a social messaging app, and unlike other messaging apps that focus on one to one messaging (WhatsApp — Facebook Messenger — Kik), we focus on one to many messaging. The value proposition for the sender is that people who want to
My mother always told me growing up that “If you want something done well, do it yourself.” I write stories about founders & investors from diverse backgrounds to address the lack of tech inclusion across the globe. The 15 entrepreneurs featured in this article embody Gandhi’s quote, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Rather than complaining while sitting on the sidelines, they have taken accountability and started on the journey to build something bigger than themselves, a startup. Funding from investors by no means is a
If you had one year of living free of bills, what would you build, what company would you start, or what problem would you solve? The issue is critical because of some today’s most famous companies [both in technology and otherwise], began with the generosity of family and friends that provided them with ‘runways’ to start. What Is A Runway? One of many typical patterns that tie successful companies together is a ‘runway.’ I describe a ‘runway’ as dedicated time and resources to help get an idea to a successful
picture courtesy of #WOCinTechChat Written by Denisha Kuhlor Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Evan Spiegel. These are just some of the uber-famous names that come to mind when one thinks student founder. One can not help the grandeur that has been associated with dorm room startups over the years. Start a business in your dorm room and a couple of years later instead of collecting a degree you will be receiving millions. If only it were that easy. The harsh truth is startups founded in the college years are no different
Empowering The Next Generation of Black Entrepreneurs In response to USAToday Article about Nas and Minority Entrepreneurs [and the many other articles on the topic], the problem is evident but without a real solution. Instead of writing about the problem again, I want to write about a solution from the viewpoint of a Black entrepreneur. To improve Black entrepreneurship, we must have successful Blacks guide entrepreneurs, strive for better ideas and bigger goals, and establish a community. Lack of Guidance From Other Black Entrepreneurs As an Entrepreneur, my progress cannot be
