Writings
Recent
Setting the Foundation[s]
I just landed in Kenya. As we were landing, I found myself looking down not just at the beauty of the landscape, but at continuity. I was looking for light. I was looking for the dark patches.
Jump First
I am presently reading the book ‘Big Bets’ by Rajiv Shah – president of the Rockefeller Foundation. I am reflecting on why some systems work, and where some fail. I am thinking about farms.
How [Not] to Pitch
How to Win, and How to Not Win Pitch Competitions I actually was not sure
Black-Owned
At the Howard Family Bookstore, I ran into Antonice J. Strickland, founder of Nice’s Tea House. She carried me through her origin story in a plain way: entrepreneur to entrepreneur; when we are not performing for investors.
Rebuilding Detroit
By the time I attended my first major ecosystem event in Detroitโafter living in the city for about a monthโit was late winter edging into early spring.
Markets Don’t Care
Detroit is a useful contradiction because it was not a peripheral city trying to become relevant. It was relevantโtechnologically, industrially, and culturallyโat a scale that reshaped the global imagination of production.
All About the Numbers
I was casually scrolling on Twitter [now X], and I came across a tweet, expressing shock at the fact that there are no Apple Stores on the African continent.
Africaโs Next [$] Billionaires
Africa continues to be framed as the โfinal frontierโ: a vast, youthful market whose growth is preordained by demography and digitization. And yet – the facts are incomplete.
[Useless] Demographic Dividend
In recent development data and reports, Africaโs demographic future has been described as its greatest economic opportunity.
Every 30 Seconds
I was standing on the factory floor at the Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan, and I could not help but focus on the thirty-second mark.
