Afrotech 2022-Learnings, Inspiration, and what's next

There it was. Everything I had known to be true was not only validated, but furthered.

Afrotech 2022 had as much of an impact on me as I expected, and then some. We hear so much about the Forbes 30 under 30, and the amazing accomplishments of the people on lists like those, but it's hard to truly relate to their experiences until you're physically in their presence listening to them speak about the paths they've taken to get where they are today. Last week I got that experience, and more.

A tremendous part of the entrepreneurial journey is believing that you can accomplish anything you set your mind on, despite the doubts of others. Along the way, so many of the founders I heard speak, experienced exactly what I have. Doubt from the rest. What separates them from others though is 100% confidence in themselves, despite the naysayers. When they were told they could not accomplish something, they dug deeper & didn't prove those people wrong, but instead validated their belief in themselves.

A few of my favorite sessions from the week are listed below:

• Pigeonly: The Product of My Environment; Hosted by Pigeonly CEO, Frederick Hutson

-Learning:The problems we are most uniquely capable of solving are those we have lived, ourselves.

• How to Go Beyond the Hype: Web 3.0; Presented by Salesforce

-Learning: Prepare for the future as you build. Keep an eye on current and possible new regulations.

• I may have snuck into the executive stage at the end of a session I didn't catch the name of(oops)

-Learning: Dream bigger. Do not limit your TAM, the stars should be the goal when you're thinking big picture.

Collide Capital Launch Party

• Collide Capital Announces Close of $66M Fund I, the First VC Fund Simultaneously Backed by Amazon, Alphabet, and Twitter

The highlight of the entire week was undoubtedly Collide Capital's launch party. A mentor of mine was able to snag me an invite, and it was truly a life changing event. As soon as I stepped into the room I knew I had found my people. From having conversations with the nights hosts, Aaron Samuels and Brian Hollins, to meeting some of the most incredible founders I have had the pleasure of speaking with, I've never felt more inspired. I was happily surprised at how many young people were in the room. Age is always used as this defining characteristic of a persons ability to be successful, but that fallacy must fall. What I saw that night was a room full of inspired superstars who built empires from the ground up, at the same age I am, and it lit a fire under my a**. The week & this event specifically didn't show me that I can do it, it told me that it's time to do it now.

What this all means & what's next

Renaissance; (N) the activity, spirit, or time of the great revival of art, literature, and learning

For the last ~1.5 years I have been building a business in my mind. For now, I call it Renaissance. The purpose of Renaissance is to expose students to the right kind of education before they enter college/the working world. No I'm not talking about replacing math, english, etc-but instead, providing a tool for students to learn about different careers and skills & exactly what their options are in the world, so they actually know what a career at Bain, or Google, or in PE/VC actually looks like and is.

Access to the right information is tremendously powerful, but it's impossible to know what you don't know. Growing up, my parents gave me the best education possible and put me in private school for most of my upbringing, but I still wasn't sure what I wanted to be by the time I got to college. Sports has always been a huge part of my life so I figured I would go to law school & become a sports agent, but that lifestyle didn't really speak to me. It wasn't until the beginning of my Junior year at Howard university when it all clicked. I was introduced to the business & executive search worlds through a man by the name of Aaron Clubb. He recruited me twice for different search firms, and ultimately introduced me to the tech startup that really blew my mind, AboveBoard(the inclusive platform for executive hiring). The more I learned, the more I realized how little I knew. I never had a fair shot of getting into PE or VC because I simply had no idea they existed. If this was the case for me, someone who grew up with tremendous access, just not the knowledge...how many other students are unaware of what's out there?

And as such, Renaissance was born.

My target audience will primarily be underrepresented communities with the goal of increasing diversity in the business world, but will of course be open to all people, regardless of background. Education is powerful & if we can give kids the right information early on, who knows how we will change the world.

3 years on from entering the startup world, my idea is coming to life. If y'all know any technical co-founders excited about EdTech/changing the world, send them my way. ツ

Cheers,

TNT