In this episode, Melvyn Lubega, co-founder of GO1 and partner at Breega, shares his remarkable journey of building South Africa’s first unicorn company. He dives into the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, the lessons learned along the way, and how a commitment to solving African challenges with technology has shaped his career.

Highlights

🌍 Building a Unicorn: Melvyn details how GO1 grew into a $2 billion company, attracting $450M in investment from global giants like Microsoft Ventures and SoftBank.
📈 Scaling with Purpose: From humble beginnings to employing over 800 people globally, Melvyn shares the inflection points that fueled GO1’s growth.
🤝 The Power of Partnerships: Learn why Melvyn believes in co-founders and teamwork as crucial for success in entrepreneurship.
💡 Solving African Problems with Technology: Melvyn discusses his vision of creating businesses that tackle Africa’s unique challenges while generating impact and opportunities.
📚 Lessons in Lifelong Learning: With a strong emphasis on education, Melvyn explains how GO1 is reshaping professional learning worldwide, likening it to a "Spotify for education."
🎯 Preparation Meets Opportunity: Melvyn reveals how being ready for key moments, like pitching to Microsoft, played a pivotal role in securing major investments.

Key Insights

🛠️ Building for Scale: Success doesn’t happen overnight. Melvyn emphasizes the importance of grit, adaptability, and a focus on solving real customer problems to scale a business.
📊 Luck Meets Preparation: While luck can open doors, preparation ensures you’re ready to walk through them. Melvyn highlights how this mindset helped GO1 secure key partnerships and funding.
👥 Co-Founders Matter: Melvyn underscores the value of having co-founders, especially during challenging times, to balance skills and share the load.
🌱 Creating Jobs Through Innovation: With a mission to create 100,000 jobs, Melvyn showcases how businesses can drive social impact alongside profitability.
🌈 Vision for African Entrepreneurship: Melvyn shares his hope for a future where African entrepreneurs create global solutions while championing the continent’s potential.
🧵 Adapting Your Offering: GO1’s shift from providing a learning platform to aggregating world-class content underscores the importance of listening to customers and evolving based on their needs.
📱 The Importance of Marketplaces: By creating a content marketplace, GO1 connected creators and consumers, boosting value for all stakeholders and driving revenue growth.

Vision for the Future
Melvyn Lubega envisions an Africa where technology drives education, opportunity, and impact. His story is a testament to what’s possible when passion, purpose, and preparation align.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a technologist, or someone passionate about Africa’s growth, this episode will leave you inspired and equipped to take bold steps toward your goals. 🎧

Follow us on
Instagram
LinkedIn
X
TikTok

Join us on Season 3 of #ChpterChampions, as we take you on an inspiring journey Down South 🇿🇦. In first episode, Theo Baloyi shares his journey as the founder of Bathu Group, an African footwear brand that has become a symbol of hope and creativity, detailing his path from a South African township to building a globally admired brand. He delves into the challenges, opportunities, and lessons learned while creating a business that embodies African heritage and innovation.

Highlights

🌍 From Township Hustles to Global Recognition: Theo recounts his journey from selling perfumes door-to-door to founding one of Africa’s most admired sneaker brands.
📈 Balancing Corporate Life and Entrepreneurship: He explains how he conducted 18 months of research and development while still working full-time at PwC.
👟 Bathu Shoes: A Brand with a Sole: Theo shares the vision behind Bathu—a sneaker brand that represents African culture and competes on a global scale.
💡 The Science of Money: Theo highlights the importance of understanding financial systems and building an intellectual relationship with money.
🤝 Giving Back to the Community: Driven by gratitude, Theo discusses how Bathu creates jobs and inspires hope in South African communities.
🎨 Designing with African Heritage in Mind: From the brand name to its storytelling, Bathu celebrates African creativity and culture.

Key Insights

🛠️ Sales vs. Branding: Theo emphasizes the need for a strong vision and authentic branding to compete in global markets while ensuring a customer-first approach to drive sales.
📊 Learning from Mistakes: Challenges like navigating corporate exits and overcoming resource limitations taught Theo resilience and strategic thinking.
👥 Building a Dedicated Team: Theo discusses how empowering his team and cultivating a shared vision have been critical to scaling Bathu.
🌱 Impact-Driven Business: Bathu isn’t just a sneaker brand; it’s a platform for creating jobs and uplifting communities, aligning purpose with profit.
🌍 Competing Globally: Theo highlights the lack of African representation in global footwear markets and his mission to change that narrative.
🧵 Creative Control: By designing products rooted in African stories, Bathu stands out in a competitive market while fostering a sense of cultural pride.
📱 Digital and Community Engagement: Leveraging social media and grassroots marketing has been key to building Bathu’s loyal customer base.
🔑 Paying It Forward: Theo’s philosophy of gratitude and giving back to those who supported him has shaped Bathu’s ethos and success.

Vision for the Future
Theo Baloyi envisions Bathu as not just a sneaker brand but a movement that represents Africa’s potential on the global stage. By empowering communities, celebrating African culture, and delivering world-class products, Bathu is a beacon of what African entrepreneurship can achieve.

Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a sneakerhead, or someone passionate about uplifting communities, Theo's story will inspire you to dream big, act boldly, and make an impact.

Follow us on
Instagram
LinkedIn
X
TikTok

In this episode, Mumbi shares her inspiring journey of founding the Power Learn Project and her ambitious mission to train one million developers across Africa. She discusses the challenges, opportunities, and strategies involved in building a thriving tech ecosystem on the continent.

Highlights

🌍 One Million Developers: Mumbi unveils her vision for training one million developers, explaining how this ambitious goal will create a new wave of tech talent and innovation across Africa.
💡 The Importance of Capacity Building: Mumbi emphasizes the need for targeted training programs that align with market demands, ensuring developers are equipped with relevant skills.
🤝 Partnerships for Impact: Strategic collaborations and partnerships have been essential in subsidizing developer training and making tech education more accessible.
📊 Navigating Challenges: Mumbi shares the obstacles faced, from bureaucracy to funding gaps, and her solutions for overcoming them to achieve tech empowerment.
🎓 Empowering the Youth: Through Power Learn Project, Mumbi is committed to providing young people across Africa with the skills and opportunities needed to succeed in the digital economy.
🚀 Scaling Across Borders: Mumbi discusses the expansion of her developer training program beyond Kenya to 52 countries, highlighting the global demand for tech skills from Africa.
🛠️ Innovative Curriculum: The Power Learn Project’s adaptive training model focuses on market-relevant skills and practical learning, positioning graduates for success in the global tech landscape.

Key Insights
👩🏾‍💻 Building a Developer Pipeline: Mumbi’s mission to train one million developers underscores the need for a structured approach to tech education, addressing both local and global skill shortages.
💼 Partnership Power: Collaborating with businesses and institutions can lower costs and enhance the reach of tech education initiatives, making them more accessible to underserved communities.
🚧 Resilience in the Face of Challenges: Mumbi’s experience reveals that persistence and adaptability are crucial when navigating complex challenges like funding gaps and regulatory hurdles.
🌐 A Vision for a Digital Africa: Mumbi envisions a future where Africa is not just a consumer of technology but a leading producer, fueled by a robust ecosystem of skilled developers.
🧑🏿‍🎓 Youth as Catalysts of Change: By empowering the youth with tech skills, Mumbi aims to foster a generation of innovators who will shape Africa’s digital future.
📈 Scaling Impact: The success of Power Learn’s training programs across multiple countries demonstrates the potential for African talent to compete and thrive on a global scale.
🏗️ Creating an Inclusive Tech Ecosystem: Mumbi emphasizes the importance of an inclusive approach to developing tech talent, ensuring opportunities for all, regardless of background.

Follow us on
Instagram
LinkedIn
X
TikTok