Emile Kinuma - CEO of MobiCash Rwanda

Emile Kinuma is the CEO of MobiCash Rwanda. MobiCash is Digital Financial platform specialized in payments. As the CEO of MobiCash has worked to promote the cashless economy and provide P2G payments solutions to ordinary customers and institutions. MobiCash recently started a campaign with RSSB to collect CBHI premiums known as “Mutuelle de Santé” by providing Umurenge SACCOS with its solution. Before joining MobiCash, Emile worked in various industries including: Telecom, Finance, Media and Entertainment and the Airline Industry. He has had successful experience in SMB, public and distribution markets. Emile has expertise in identifying profit maximizing strategies, direct mail, websites, sales floor promotions, print media, emails, events and trade shows. Solid financial acumen, interpersonal and decision making abilities.

WHAT IS THE VISION FOR YOUR BUSINESS IN THE NEXT 5 YEARS?

To expand the MobiCash Digital Financial Platform.

YOUR NETWORKING PHILOSOPHY

Get yourself out there!

WHAT SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT YOU PERSONALLY

Born and raised in Ethiopia, Studied in Concordia via France. Former President of the African Student Association of Concordia and the former President of the Canadian Association of Rwandan Youth - Montreal.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT?

Moving to Rwanda.

WHERE CAN PEOPLE FIND YOU ONLINE?

www.mcash.rw

https://www.linkedin.com/in/emile-kinuma-m-sc-b6518819/

Natalie Lewin - Remax Hallmark

With over 18 years in the business, Natalie Lewin assists singles and families advance to the next chapter in their lives through real estate! Prior to earning her real estate licence, she graduated from Windsor university with he Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology. 

Known by her clients and colleagues for her tenacity, perseverance, honesty, and integrity, Natalie exhibits a reputation for quick, timely response to each her client’s needs and concerns. Natalie is the proud recipient of the Re/Max Platinum Club Award and the Re/Max Hall of Fame Award.

When you think real estate, think Natalie Lewin of Remax Hallmark

WHAT IS THE VISION FOR YOUR BUSINESS IN THE NEXT 5 YEARS?

I would like to have a larger team of professionals all working for the common goal of serving our clients better. I would like to develop small residential projects in the city. My biggest goal is to have a property that houses single moms for approx 3-5 years, a space for them to finish school and start their careers without the barriers of raising children. I want to subsidize these women in order for them to realize their potential...this is going to need lots of love and funding.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE AT A MANYATTA EVENT

My very first experience at Manyatta was a year ago. and it was one of the best networking events I had attended, seriously! They gave out a name tag sticker that said “ask me about” and it prompted people to ask about the topic they listed.  Everyone was warm and welcoming, I remember feeling that sense of belonging and none of the usual anxiety that plagues me when in a room of all strangers. I Loved, Loved Loved that there was  great talent in the room and I remember posting on my social media platforms that this was the best networking event I had attended! Since then I don't believe I have missed an event and look forward to the next one!

YOUR NETWORKING PHILOSOPHY

My networking philosophy involves fact finding, ask questions, looking for commonalities and building relationships. I don't need to make it about what I do, that will come up by default. I had dinner with someone I met a a networking event recently. We connected the following weekend and had a wonderful time while conducting business. To me, this is what networking is about, finding and connecting with people you have similarities with and building your personal and professional network! 

WHAT SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT YOU PERSONALLY

• She  loves to travel the world and is convinced that if more people travel, they would have the opportunity to see that all people are more similar than they are different. 

• She is the soul parent  of her daughter Kaila, who is her heart, everything she does is for her.  Juggling the world of a soul parent with real estate is no easy task… like a boot camp for business. She has learned time management, the art of multi tasking and how to retain a sense of humour through it all.

• Through this all, Natalie rely's on the Christian beliefs that to those much is given, much is expected. She is a proud supporter of students and communities that have financial needs, whether it is providing university students with scholarships, grade school kids with bikes and opportunities to go to camp, Natalie firmly believes in giving back to the wider community and raises Kaila to do the same.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT?

To date this is my favourite story. This client, single mom with two girls from Cameroon, was looking for a condo in Mississauga about 3 years ago. We found a beautiful condo, older build, fit their family perfectly. Sophie was all excited to put in an offer, there were 3 or 4 of them at the time. Close to the time we had to have the offer signed, Sophie pretty much disappeared.  She was suppose to meet me and she was nowhere to be found. With minutes before closing, she reappeared. A little flustered I probed her to find out what was wrong and was she having cold feet... we had a little heart to heart and THEN...she started to bawl, tears flooded her face...my first thought was she was a single mom and this is a very nerve wracking process when you are doing it alone and with two little ones dependent on you but I wasn't convinced that that was the situation...Sophie shared with me that a few years before this she was living in a shelter with her girls, she didn't have a car and was not educated...She since got her teaching degree and became a teacher and saved her money, she bought a car and now a condo....I started to cry. I was over the moon proud of her and honoured that she put her trust in me to help her make the biggest purchase of her life and to start a new chapter with her girls. That was the lowest financial sale I had done in years but the most impactful one to date.  

HOW CAN INDIVIDUALS SUPPORT YOUR INITIATIVES?

How can you support me, call me, email or text me when you have to sell or buy real estate or when you know someone wanting those services

WHERE CAN PEOPLE FIND YOU ONLINE?

Event:  Virgin House Hunters Boot camp in September. Date and Venue TBA

www.Natalielewin.com

@thenatalielewinteam

Linkdin. Natalie Lewin

Lianne Hannaway - CPA, COO of Talent X, the Entrepreneur's Financial Advisor

Lianne Hannaway is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CA, CPA), working in Toronto, Ontario. She was born Winnipeg; raised in Mississauga, lived in Paris, France but her roots go back to the Caribbean. Lianne has built an expertise in Finance Transformation & Operations at KPMG, TMX Group and now as COO & CFO of Talent X.

Talent X is an organization founded to increase access to the tech sector for historically underrepresented talent communities by providing industry-relevant training, critical research, and networking opportunities.

Lianne is also in the process of building her accounting, tax and wealth management firm for passionate freelancers, entrepreneurs and professionals.

Lianne is a trusted strategic advisor and volunteer board member to a variety of local organizations. Having grown up in a strong single-parent household and in community-assisted housing, volunteering is one way she shows a sense of gratitude for her upbringing and the need to return the favour. She currently volunteers her time with on the Board of Governors of Humber College and as Treasurer to the Black Professionals in Tech Network.

ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS

I provide accounting and tax services to passionate freelancers, entrepreneurs and professionals. I use cloud-based technology to build accounting processes and create an efficient & effective service experience. This streamlined process allows me to focus on the strategic side of the business: to provide my customers the right advice, at the right time, so that they can make the right decisions to grow the business and their wealth.

WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO START YOUR BUSINESS?

“When you learn, teach, when you get, give.” – Maya Angelou.

I have learned a few things in my journey through this life from the unique perspective of being a first-generation Black Canadian professional woman raised by parents who immigrated from the Caribbean. I’m motivated to educate badass women on how to build WEALTH, master DEBT and invest SAVINGS to live the life they LOVE. I’m also motivated (and slightly terrified) by the opportunities presented by being an entrepreneur and working on my passions.

WHAT IS THE VISION FOR YOUR BUSINESS IN THE NEXT 5 YEARS?

In the next 5 years, I would like to build a Venture Capital firm focused on investing in businesses led by underrepresented entrepreneurs, particularly women of colour. Today, less than 17%, 1% and 0.2% of venture capital go to Women, People of Colour, and Black Women, respectively. In my experience, these underrepresented groups are underestimated and undervalued; however, exemplify grit by doing more with less. Even studies have shown that diverse teams have stronger business outcomes and more innovative ideas. Targeting capital, knowledge, and access to these underrepresented groups is a big opportunity for investment.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE AT A MANYATTA EVENT

I don’t remember which was my very first event as I have been going to Manyatta events since 2016 but I do remember feeling welcomed. I met a lot of new people and got an opportunity to practice my French language skills that were atrophying. My biggest memory was the Manyatta Cares event of that year. The event was done so wonderfully – both the speakers and the after-party were powerful 😊.

WHAT SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT YOU PERSONALLY

• I play volleyball at least once a week. It’s my needed competitive outlet. I play middle but prefer right side.

• I speak French fluently. My mom put both my brother and I in French immersion as pre-schoolers in Winnipeg. The city boasts the largest French-speaking population outside of Quebec.

• I love to travel with some notable visits being New Zealand, Japan, France, Jamaica and Barbados.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT?

After completing more professional experience requirements to obtain my CPA designation, I decided to more to Paris, France on an international secondment. Except for some visits in Trinidad, a had never been off the North American continent and hadn’t travelled much in general – let alone lived this far away from anyone I knew. The experience of moving, learning and integrating into another culture with another language was humbling, eye-opening and life-changing. It taught me a lot about my ability to change, about my parents’ immigration journey and what it means to be Canadian.

HOW CAN INDIVIDUALS SUPPORT YOUR INITIATIVES?

I am always looking to connect with entrepreneurs from the African diaspora that are doing great things for their customers and communities. I can be reached on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram; however, I do prefer a good old-fashioned email at hello@liannehannaway.com.

WHERE CAN PEOPLE FIND YOU ONLINE?

LinkedIn
Talent X
Black Professionals in Tech Network

BFuTR National Summit - October 25, 2019 (Launching May 2, 2019)

For the first time in Canadian history, over 1000+ Black professionals will come together to learn, build the future and facilitate opportunities in the tech sector in Downtown Toronto. The inaugural summit will bring together high profiled keynotes, sessions covering trending topics sourced directly from industry, and intentional networking, fashioned to AfroTech in the US.

Rodrigue Fouafou / Founder of HartNamtemah

Rodrigue FouaFou is the CEO and one of the global visionaries behind HartNamtemah Inc. a Startup Consulting and investment firm based out of Toronto, Canada which specializes in vetting, mentoring, investing and strategic planning for African Startups.  

HartNamtemah does not only invest in people from a financial perspective but also believes in investing in relationships by getting to know the person behind the idea and vision. Our philosophy is that through the mentorship and development of strong leaders and entrepreneurs, combined with sharing our network of connections, we can shed light on the amazing continent that is, Africa. Africa is a region on the move and we must allow it to shine. Over the last six years, we have invested close to $675K USD and mentored over 20 + entrepreneurs

Rodrigue, affectionately addressed by his colleagues as Rod, has spoken at multiple conferences worldwide on the topic of investing in Africa; including the Annual African Angel Investment Summit in Cape Town- South Africa, the NACO World Angel Investment Summit where he represented Africa and at the Africa Trade and Investment Speaker (ATIGS) in DC, ADIC (Africa Development and Investment Conference) in Zurich and on schedule Africa Financial Services Investment Conference ( AFSIC) in London 2019

A successful software engineer. Rod’s heart lies helping other entrepreneurs and Startups which is evident in his work as a mentor at the World Bank’s XL Africa a program that works to bridge the gap between African entrepreneurs and worldwide investors. And his work continues to embody leadership by providing support and funding for promising African Entrepreneurs.

Co-Founder & Chief Visionary Officer of Africa Angels Alliance (AAA), an upcoming angel investors’ network based in North America targeting African Startups, set to launch in February 2019.

Partner and Chief Operating Officer at OASIS Africa Innovation, The Leading Incubator and Accelerator for African Startups.

Partner and Chief Operating Officer at CBBC: Cameroon Blockchain Business Council

HartNamtemah in collaboration with AAA would be hosting the first Africa Startups Summit in Toronto in summer 2019.

For more on Rod follow AfricaConnects on all major social media outlets.

HOW CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ORGANIZATION?

OASIS Africa Innovation, The Leading Incubator and Accelerator for African Startups specializing in Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence (AI), the two key dimensions of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0)

CBBC (Cameroon Blockchain Business Council), The Cameroon Blockchain Business Council (CBBC) brings together enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, business leaders and leading businesses to highlight the latest innovations and advances in Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology.

 HartNamtemah Inc. (HN) , To cultivate and connect visionary Entrepreneurs of tomorrow to our network of Leaders and Experts that can help them evolve and grow their ventures through mentorship and funding. At HartNamtemah, everything we do is to build strong leadership and cooperation to ultimately create an inclusive continent for all.

Africa Angels Alliance (AAA), Our vision is to make investing in Africa not only accessible to everyone, but also advance the African Market as THE next Global Macro investment asset class.

DIAPORAFORCHANGE Initiatives

WHAT IS THE VISION FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION IN THE NEXT 5 YEARS?

To unlock Africa’s true potential with bigger projects (via Infrastructures, Connectivity etc….) HN expects to launch a VC Fund in 3 years.

WHAT IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW YOU HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE WITHIN THE DIASPORA?

Quite recently at the ADIC 2018 (Africa Development Investment Convention) Event, I had the pleasure to speak on “How to harness the investment potential of Diaspora for Africa’s economic future?”.  I got the opportunity to share my story; the daily hustler and my strong conviction of the great future of our great Continent. I hosted a symposium called, #diasporachatwithrod with African Diaspora and Africa Student in Zurich. At the symposium, there was a lot of enthusiasm, passion and motivation to return home and do business there. Thankfully, I kept in contact with a number of those students, many of which are now a member of the Diaspora Movement that we are empowering. 

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU FACE WITH BUSINESSES AND ENTREPRENEURS?

Well,  I will talk about my experience, and how it all began.  I started an online cooking video channel which then became one of the most popular Cooking website in the world within a period of 5 years.  Utilizing the power tools of social media search engines via PR, Online Marketing, SEO, Google Campaign, etc. … to become number 1 on Google Search on the keywords “Cooking Recipe Video” . We held this top spot for several months.

Then ranked #4 worldwide (behind Food Network) in online popularity in the food vertical. Source (from The New Yorker) : http://bit.ly/23h0IYY

WHAT IS YOUR NETWORKING PHILOSOPHY?

• Focus on Quality not Quantity.

• Target Networking

• Prior to any networking event, read much more about guests/panel/organizer/people attending. Ready to conduct an interesting conversation with them.

• Always follow up less than 24h after our meeting.

• Always ask of myself - What am I offering to bring value to other people?

• On a regular basis checkup randomly on at least one person in my network.

With more than 40,000 followers on all social network channels, my goal is to leverage that equity into becoming the most connected African in the world in at least 10 years time frame. #AfricanInfluencers.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE AT A MANYATTA EVENT

My first experience with Manyatta was in Ottawa in 2015. My good friend Bonito referred me to the group and I was impressed and truly enjoyed meeting like-minded people from our community.

I look forward to attending many more Manyatta networking events here in Toronto and I am very excited to see what the future has in store.

WHERE CAN PEOPLE FIND YOU ONLINE?

Linkedin: http://bit.ly/1qzPaSj

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RodrigueFouafou

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africaconnects

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rodrigue.fouafou

Angel Co:  https://angel.co/africaconnects

Personal website: RodrigueFouafou.com

Biz Websites:

CBBC.cm

OASIS.cm

Hartanamtemah.com

AfricaAngelsAlliance.com