 Hello, I'm your moderator Preston James, and I would like to welcome you to today's global innovation through science and technology or just Tech Connect Africa, conversation on best practices for growing your venture. Today we have viewers from Africa and around the world to discuss entrepreneurship challenges. We will answer some of your questions about the unique challenges and opportunities for technology venture development in Africa. The Just Initiative is funded by the U.S. Department of State and implemented by the University of Texas at Austin's IC Square Institute. Just empowers young innovators through networking, skills building, mentoring, and access to financing through its various programs. Today we are delighted to host a live web chat connecting you with three exciting African entrepreneurs. Since its inception, Tech Connects have reached tens of thousands of viewers from more than 75 countries around the globe and discussed topics important to science and technology entrepreneurs. We look forward to a continued partnership between the State Department, IC Square, and our many Just partners. You can learn more about our programs and partners at our website, justnetwork.org. Please use the hashtag JustTechConnect when tweeting about the event today. We are collecting your questions to ask our panelists, so please start sending us questions now throughout the program by typing in the chat space beside the video. I would like to thank those of you hosting viewing parties and encourage you to submit your questions in live photos early. I would now like to introduce you to our panel of experts. From Zimbabwe, we have Andrew Bright Chacomba, managing consultant at Jim Witt's Enterprises, a green solutions company he founded and has cultivated since 2012. Andrew has a special interest and expertise in solar projects to benefit communities in Zimbabwe. From Nigeria, we have Cynthia Ndubuyisi, CEO of Kadarsh Production Company, KPC for sure, a social venture aimed at improving cassava production efficiency for local women farmers in Nigeria. And from Benin, we have Marlise Marcho, founder and president of Femtick Dev, where she supports women and girls by equipping them to become important actors in technology ecosystem. Welcome to you all. As we wait for your questions to come in, I'd like to start off by asking each of our panelists a question. Cynthia, let's start with you. Thank you. How did you get started and how long has it taken you to get to this point where you are at today? Okay. Thank you very much, Prism, for the question. Before I answer the how, I would like to start with the why, because basically it's all boys and it's a why to redo what we do. So early in my high school days, I had the opportunity to leave it my own to a cassava farmer and she was actually the one providing for the family and paying her children's trophies. And the process of producing this cassava and producing it into consumable products where she could sell was quite the tedious process for her. So I experienced the challenges she went through and it was the same for lots of women and farmers. Because Nigeria is the world's largest producer of cassava and lots of these women contribute basically to the production output. So I began to figure out and think, how can we make this people's life better? How can we improve their way of doing things so as to help them support your family? But because I didn't have any experience and I was a young girl, I didn't have, I didn't know how to set up a processing plant, I had no experience, but I really loved entrepreneurship. So while in school, I started my own small business, making, it's now called Chin Chin, I was selling to my friends, gradually, and then I learned how to make a dishwasher liquid soap and it was growing and with time after I graduated, I was able to set up my own production factory, had the brand called Everglow. And I haven't got support from the government and but after two years, the business actually failed because I actually didn't get so much experience or expat too. I didn't do my work well and I kept on spending money, but I later realized that it was okay because I learned a lot and then that was the time I realized this is the time I need to set up my processing plant. I need to do what I've always wanted to do. So I did some studies, wrote business plan, I engaged with a mentor, a wonderful mentor I had called Gary Mastru, who dedicated his time to helping me build my business and I pitched my first business, my business idea to Gistec Eye, where I got a grant of $10,000 to start my business. And then I got a grant from $25,000 from USADF Yali to scale up the business and met with partners and all that and that's how it's been going for me. So I actually started small with nothing to learn the experience of entrepreneurship and I tried scaling it and because I had a vision of what I wanted and tomorrow I believe so much that I want to build a process of me just like the dangute that could improve the economy of Africa and basically that's how I'm going to go about it. Excellent. Thank you. Cynthia, thanks for the insight and I think you called out some really great points about your vision and your persistence, your ability to fail and continue to move forward, which I think are really great and important points for all entrepreneurs. So thank you again for that insight. Angel, here's a question for you. What is the best way to attract funding and expand your startup in Africa? Thank you Preston for that question. Well, there are various factors besides just having a very good product or service. I think when you want funding, there has to be an issue of trust because you're in Africa, the investors are here in the United States or overseas. So basically you need to practice ethical business practices. Also, you need to tell your story. You need to spread the reach on what you're doing, whether it's via video or pitching or write up. You just need to get it out there so that people can see it. You can put it up on Kickstarter. You can find an angel investment online where you can actually put that up as well. Another thing is to put in the necessary systems, you need best practices, international standards. As long as you've got all of those things, systems, record keeping, you've got a track record. The last thing that I think people actually need, as much as we've got startups, we need to have a board of advisors. You might not be able to afford to pay like a board of directors, but just have a board of advisors, people you can look up to, people who are trustworthy, who can give you advice and give you that platform for you to do your business in a reputable way. I think that's more or less it. That's excellent. Excellent feedback. And I would actually just reiterate a couple of points that we've already uncovered already. We've heard mentorship is very key. Best practices, having advisors, having strong product, and then also building a very trustworthy business ethically sound business. So all of those, I just wanted to call out those key points with a very, very important for entrepreneurs to really kind of take away. So thank you again for that feedback. Well, Lisa, I have a good one for you. What role, and Cynthia alluded to this a little bit earlier, what role does failure play for successful entrepreneurs? Thank you, Mr. Pretzel. I think that failure is not a bad word for me. It's just a data point on the way of the success. It's helped to go back, to analyze, and to improve, to go forward. And I think that Cynthia said, soon, it's because she felt that she realized she learned from her failure. And she tried to elaborate her business model. And I can say that it's because she felt that she is where she is now. So for me, failure is a key point on the success of entrepreneurs. Thank you very much. And again, I call out, really encourage not to fear failure, embrace failure, because it's part of the growth and enabling entrepreneurs to become even more successful with their experiences and being able to analyze their past work. So we have another question for Andrew. What should you ask potential investors to ensure you're selecting the right ones? Well, that's a tricky one. I think besides the money issue, it's not all about the money. You want to find out how much commitment they've got to your business. What else are they bringing to the table, whether it's management expertise, whether it's mentorship, connections to a market for your product or service, those are things that you should also look at. Don't just look at the money. It's not all about the money. Fantastic. Thank you for that answer. I would like to add to that. Basically, I like the aspect of the expertise because it helps grow the business. It helps you, apart from money, investment is not all about money. But I also like to look for investors who has connection with your mission, your passion, and knows that it's OK. You might possibly fail along the way. And they are not going to eat you up for that. But they are there. And they are ready to be patient with you to ensure you grow steady. So you should look for people who are out for, who believe in your dream, who believe in you. Absolutely. And I think that's a fantastic insight for entrepreneurs that are out there is to look for partners and investors, those who are going to be there alongside, be able to provide value to you who are aligned to your goals, who have industry expertise, that can actually add value to you growing your business. And I think when you find that match, and it actually provides a formula for great success as opposed to just picking any folks and trying to pitch to them where there's no alignment. So great insight there. Marlise, I'm coming back to you. How important, I mean we just kind of touch base on this, how important is finding a mentor when it comes to growing your startup? And are there any resources to connect with mentors in Africa? Yeah, I think that it's very important to have a mentor. Because for me, a mentor is someone who has passed through in the past what you are doing now. So he had some experience that can help you to not fail, where he failed in the past. And that can help you to better succeed. So I think that it's very great to have a mentor. And a mentor in Africa, I think that there are a lot. The big thing to do is to know what you want. You must know what kind of mentor you need. And if you have to define clearly what kind of mentor you need, what will be the skills, the qualities, they can help you to better know who to approach and who can be your mentor. Absolutely, absolutely. Thank you for that insight. Yes, Cynthia, I'm sorry. There's a program called Micromental Organization. You can go to micromental.org. So this platform helps you register. You tell us, you explain what exactly you need, the expertise and all that. What's your challenge? So they connect you with mentors. They show you varieties of mentors all over African countries and even abroad. So you get to see their expertise and where they can help you. So you can send them a request. And then at times, the mentors are the one who connect to you and say, OK, I have this. I would like to help you with this. That was how I met one of my wonderful mentor, Gary Mastro. He sent me a request because I was looking for a particular expert. And he's a UPS Global Marketing Director. He's retired, though. And I was so happy because over time, I worked for him for two years. And presently, he was so excited I was coming to the US for us to get to meet. And every week, we committed time to talk. He's not from Africa, though. But he committed his time trying to be hard Skype calls. And then I could give him feedback. And it was the process I was ready to add hair to him. So first of all, you must be ready. And then when those people dedicate their time to you, they have a lot of things to do. So you should value it and make good use of it because it helps a lot. Excellent. Excellent. And one more time, if I may ask, what was the name of that resource so our viewers can write it down? OK, you can Google Micromental Organization or micromental.org. OK, thank you. And just to recapitulate, I think a very important point, and what Marlies mentioned, is you have to really know what you want and what you're looking for. Because oftentimes, that's going to be one of the first questions that mentors ask is, what are you trying to accomplish and what do you want in order to find a good fit? And if you don't know, it makes it more difficult to find that match. So great, great points there. So I have a question that can be answered by any of you. What are the unique challenges that women entrepreneurs face in Africa? And how have you overcome them? So I will start with the ladies first. And then Andrew, we'll chime in safely, safely. Cynthia, Marlies, OK. I think that the big challenge is access to funding. Because we are not a lot. There are very few women entrepreneurs. So they didn't do their proof. So people don't know. So it's very difficult to trust them. So I think that is the big challenge. And to overcome that, it's just to be more confident, to not look for funding at the beginning, but to try to elaborate something, to start small, to have a proof. If you can start small and maybe have at the beginning one client that you serve maybe at free or change, and after you succeed, that client can be your advertiser for other clients, and so on, you will build your brand. And people can get more confident. Because the problem is that at the beginning, most of the people think that you can do that. So if you start small, you try going, and you have a small, small success, I think that people can more trust you, and you can easily overcome that. Fantastic. OK. Thank you, Cynthia. I actually like the statement she made, starting small. And because I believe that people actually buy in you first before your product. Because when I started my first liquid soap, and I was trying to do the business, and my friends were like, wow, you're doing this. That's good. Let me try it. Because I've built a good relationship with them. They are not actually buying it, maybe because I started with a local bottle. It wasn't so beautiful. And then they see them talking to other people. Ah, see my friend, those that buy this, you understand? So they first of all buy in you. So you must first of all build your product first. And then good investors try to find out what input have you made. Because before they trust you to give you funding. So the women must understand that they need to start something. They need to build the quality stuff. They need to improve. And then before they can ask. But another challenge I've realized is the issue of balancing family and business. So because most women are attached to their committed, especially rural women, they committed to helping their children go to school. They sacrifice more. Before they can sacrifice their business for that. So they prefer doing the same thing over and over again, even if they are not making profits. But as long as it's feeding their family, taking their children to school, that's OK for them. And it's not growing the business. They are draining the business. And they don't have good understanding on how to manage that. So they need to engage with people to mentor them, to teach them, people women who have families but have grown their business. They need to learn how to handle the aspect of business and family and not to let it affect the business. Because you need the business to be sustainable so that you can also help your family. But you don't need to keep on draining from the business. So I think they need to realize that engage with fellow women mentors who can help you as well. And I think it's very key to your point is to be able to provide the support programs for the women. You talk about the mentorship, starting small, helping to build confidence. I know Marley, she do that for the young girls. And all of you do for the young and up and coming. And I think that's really, really, really key. We'll learn to build the sisterhood of African women to empower them to excel. And Andrew, I'm going to, a question just came in. So I'm going to go ahead and direct it to you. How do we promote bottom up entrepreneurship in emerging economies of Africa? OK, over the top of my head, I could say we need to just reach out and educate people. They need to know that you don't need millions of dollars to start a business. A lot of people wait to get all sorts of funding before they can actually start doing something. But I want to encourage young people that they need to start with what they have. And they need to be good curators of the small things they have, plow back, and grow their businesses. Yeah, excellent, excellent. And if I may add to that as well, something very similar in the US, and I'm sure it's in Africa and other entrepreneurship communities, is to be able to enable and empower the young people to feel like they can create, and to encourage them to build, find a problem, find a challenge that they see every day, and say, hey, I can find a solution to that. And it doesn't take millions of dollars to be able to do that. Just go and follow that passion. Use your God-given creativity and do it. And we help the responsibility to empower them. So thank you for that. A question for Cynthia that was submitted from the viewing group in Tunisia. So thank you for that. Can you tell us about the technology used in your startup? And what is the hardest part of your project venture? OK, talking about technology, my business actually has to do with the factory has to do with producing, processing cassava. So we have lots of, we have different kinds of processing machines that can take the process from the root crop to the finished product, either it's Gary or it's starch kind of floor for making starch. So that's just the technology aspect. And then we also engage in, we're working with one of an engineer who helps us consolidate this process. So you don't go from one batch to the other, because the process is quite tedious. And it needs a lot of expertise. So we are working on producing in a way that it just goes within a particular unit and comes out in a product that can be used to produce different types of varieties. So basically what's the second question? So the other part was, what is the toughest part of your project? OK, the project is trying to handle these farmers, trying to, because you don't want to mess up, because first we are rendering a service. And then when they bring it to us, you don't want to mess up their different units. And also we don't want to produce just small, too small this and that at the time, because it involves lots of diesel and all that. So what we do is to help them, we give them a particular target on what we can start with. So if they can bring those things in that large quantity to also that we can process at the same time. And as it's going out there from that unit, we are processing another one on. So we give them time when we can deliver it. So they don't have expedition that just come there and wait and wait. And the other part of it is trying to get our own brand and sending out to the market. It's been quite difficult because it doesn't take one day to push your product out in the market. You need time. So we have to be very patient, try to meet people, keep talking, just keep talking about your product, carry your product everywhere you go, be your brand. And that's it. So I would say, I think the last point you made, I think entrepreneurs struggle with that. I mean, if you have a great product, how do you build that brand? That brand is tough. And you've got to deliver. Everybody here is about the elevator pitch. But one thing that I did share is that you are the pitch every day. Everybody that you're talking to, everybody that you're engaging with, you are building your brand. And trying to get your product and your brand out there. So great point there. So we have a question now coming in from Albania. And so let me go ahead and ask that one. How open is Africa to foreigners for opening new ventures? That's open Andrew. That's a very simple question. And it's an excellent question. We are open for business. We're always looking for partnerships. We're always looking for new ideas, especially in the service industry where we're lacking some services. We are always looking for partnerships. So we are open for business. Africa is open for business. Yeah, we're ready. Anything? Everybody agrees? It's a fertile ground. Just try as much as possible to connect with the right people in the country that you want to start the business and learn how it operates in that business. Do your studies well. Do your research well. You don't want to get surprised through what is a fertile ground to produce. And I think my personal experience has been as you have visited to the US and I've encouraged those of you who have been here in the US that I know you're here to learn, but I also encourage you to educate us or educate foreigners about Africa. So they do understand Africa is open for business. But then again, how do we take that to the next level in terms of building relationships and networks where we can actually get engaged more effectively? So again, Africa is open for business. I love that. All right, so this question comes in from Guinea Kanakri. Do these, again, I'll open it up. Molly, I'll probably start with you on this. Do these best practices apply the same way as well for social entrepreneurs? So you have best practices for tech entrepreneurs. Do those same best practices apply to social entrepreneurs? Yeah, I can say their best practice is the same, but with some difference. For if you want to use a social media, you need to know what do you want, what's your targets, what do you want to... What is your plan? What is the plan you want to bridge? And it's based off that, that you can know what materials or how you can proceed to arrive. Absolutely, absolutely great. So talking about, it's talking about social entrepreneurs, right? Social entrepreneurs. So you have the tech entrepreneurs and you also have social entrepreneurs. There are some similarities in terms of how they do, but are the best practices for entrepreneurship, are they relatively the same for social entrepreneurs as they are for tech entrepreneurs? Okay, because basically what I do is social entrepreneur and the business just... So it's like, I understand that for a social entrepreneur, first, you have to put your mission, like what's goal, what is it that you're trying to... What impact are you trying to make? It's also, it's different for someone who is just an entrepreneur doing business to make profit and make money, because at times a social entrepreneur might not really make profit, so much profit along the way, but you are fulfilled when you're doing, making that impact. So the practice actually, it works for both. If you do it well, you do it rightly, but it always has to do with different goals. Both of them have different goals, but the practice following it goes almost the same way. Okay, great. Andrew, tell me about it. From my perspective, it's about sustainability. At the end of the day, they're both businesses, but you need to be able to sustain it. So if you run your social enterprise like a normal profit-making business, you've got best practices that are standard worldwide. You'll be able to prolong the life of the enterprise. So that's my perspective. Absolutely, absolutely. And I think there's a foundation of best practices that spans across both. I mean, they are businesses, and I know many social entrepreneurs are learning to run their social enterprises as a business, not necessarily profitable business, but to Andrew's point, a sustainable business. And so I think there are some best practices that definitely overlap with some slight differences and how you actually execute some of that perhaps. All right, so thank you all for that insight there. I have a viewer from Nigeria coming from the home country. How can entrepreneurs raise the quality of products they produce to attract foreign market interests and be globally competitive? Very good. Okay, I really like that question because it reminded me of what we did back at, started at Dartmouth College, where we were trained about design thinking. And it helped us understand how to build our product, starting from idea to a quality product. So first of all, you learn how to, it always reminds us of understanding the needs of the people. View it from the standpoint where you ask questions, why? Always ask the question, why? You interview your people, interview your customers, try to, you keep on asking them, why do they do this, why do they like this? Why do they, you keep asking why and then you'll find out what exactly they need because at times, and some of us are standing in a position where we are saying six and we believe our idea is perfect is best but at the other end, the customer is saying nine and there is nothing you can do to change what the customer is saying. So you have to go to the other end where the customer is saying nine to actually understand what he wants. So by the time you realize that, you'll be able to know the needs and know what kind of product you build to solve that need. And then when you want to build your product, you start by producing it, do a prototype in a small, do something small, like a lady who was trying to do a bamboo bicycle stuff and then somebody advice her, why not make a small bicycle with bamboo tree and take it to people and tell them, what do you think about this? So produce a small prototype of your product and give it to people to try. And they try and give you feedback. So from the feedback you get, you get to know the rights. If it's okay, is it color too much? Is it too big? What should I do? Keep asking questions. Every innovative business is growth from questions they ask, so they learn from their audience. So that's how you build a quality product. Very good, very good. You could also associate yourself to some standards organization, international standards organization. I know most of the times we manufacture things within our communities that we think are good enough. But they're good enough for the community and people are willing to take them because they've got no other options. But if you want to go international, you need to associate yourself with an international body so that you can have standards that are world class. So if it's solar, then power Africa or something like that. Yeah, so go for it. That was a good pitch, that was a good pitch. Thank you. In great points, I think Cynthia and Andrew both raised them in terms of being able to capture the needs, understanding the needs of the market and be able to build quality product for the market. And to best understand the market, you need to be engaged with customers all the time and you also need to understand the standards in which a quality product is defined. That's the baseline and then you want to build above that. Exactly, so great points by both of you. We have a question from Philip from Liberia who asks, having worked in post-conflict development initiatives in Liberia, how do I take this knowledge to start my own business to address these issues? So post-conflict Liberia, how do I take the knowledge that is learned from the post-conflict, the initiatives in Liberia and create my own business? Annie? Yeah, I think that to start any business, you need to know the needs of the community. You need to know who wants to buy your products and you need to be a good observer to ask the right question, to ask why, why am I doing that? Don't just limit yourself about what you want or your passion. But after you build your products, ask the question that if your product is the answer of the real needs of the community. So I think that if in Liberia, he finds a lot of problems and his product can bring a solution for that problem, it's okay. Thank you, thank you for that great insight on that. And I will add also, again, it goes back to what are the customer needs? What are the needs of not just your community, but what are the needs on a broader scale? And by defining what that need is and trying to solve the problem associated with that need, if there's not a product or a service that's there, then you be the one that you need to be passionate and get behind that and build that with the correct resources and support that we've been talking about during this session. So question from Twitter. Mafuja Parvin who asks what specific programs are available to help young science and technology entrepreneurs succeed? So if each of you can probably share some insights of some key programs that you participate in that are great for science, technology, entrepreneurs that would be great for Mafuja. Okay, so basically I participated in just tech eye competition. It's a yearly program that holds alongside the GAS, so it's open for science and technology entrepreneurs. So you must have something very innovative and that has a good impact on the society. So you can apply for it, it's every year and it goes wherever GAS go. So that's one of the programs. I haven't participated in any of these programs, the science and technology ones, but I know that the Yali network has a vast amount of resources that they can access and they're all free. All you have to do is join the Yali network. That's part of the Young African Leaders Initiative. Okay, great, great. To add water history, we have the Yali network and also we have Google and I think that today we have all needs. The real problem is to know what you want. If he can, I have to describe what he needs. He can find it, it's a bad relationship. Okay, fantastic, fantastic. And there are quite a few programs out there. I really would encourage to reach out, starting with the Just Tech Connect. It was a great place. The Yali Initiative, Young African Leadership Initiative is an awesome program that they've all participated in and I do know that University of Texas and then also the State Department has several programs throughout Africa as well. So something to really look in, do some research on for there as well. If I can put on that. There's a website called opportunitydesk.org, opportunitydesk.org. When you log in, you see varieties of opportunities you can. So if whatever you're looking for, you can find it there. Okay, fantastic. Thank you, Sadie. Okay, we have a question from your audience member in Pretoria, South Africa who wants to know, what government programs support technological innovation? So I think we just talked about the Just program. I mentioned University of Texas, IC Square has a program today, do on a regional basis throughout Africa and I believe they will be implementing a program either later this year or early next year. So University of Texas, IC Square, Just, Yali Youth African Leadership Initiative and one more, you mentioned? Okay. Go what you want and Google, yeah. That's a good idea. So a lot of programs out here. So let's go back to Tunisia for a question. How do you build your brand and grow activity in local markets? How do you build your brand and grow activity in local markets? So I remember when I said trying to do elite, starting from asking why, what's the people actually need to provide the solution that suits their needs? So when you do that, when you realize what solution you want to provide, then you start by building, it could be a service, it's more than be a product. But you start by asking people, testing it in a small way, what they think about it. When you ask, you improve on it, then you talk about it and okay, I remember a friend of mine who started a floor product and he was always taking it in the boot of his car, anywhere he goes. And anybody he meets, he gives them to try and gives them his contacts. And after they use it and they call him, he will send them to a local distributor to get an ask for that product or a retail shop. And by the time they go to that store once or twice, later he sends a sales team there because most times retail store and wholesalers, when you bring your products, they don't take it from you until they hear people start asking. So he actually used people to send them to a place, knowing fully well that his product is not there. So when he got there, they said that, we'll say, oh, some people have been asking for your product, bring it. So that's one strategy. So, but the other ways you can build in local markets, but keep, be your brand, like I said, keep talking about it, keep going out and doing something. Andrew, I know you have some insight. Yeah, I believe that you are your brand. Walk the talk. Another thing you have to do is tell your story, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, tell your story. People will get to know about you and what you do and try and use publicity more than marketing. You don't want to be always paying for people to know about what you do. So do something unique. Gorilla marketing is something that's coming up a lot. So yeah, get people talking about it. Get the hype out. So great points about telling your story. You are your brand. So it can go from everything to how you dress, how you communicate, how you treat people, and then also the story of your product or your service, how it's differentiated. And I think each one of you have a very differentiated product or how do you talk to people on a daily basis about how you are different and why you, right? Why you, so exactly, exactly. And to add to that, I think that to tell your story, you can start at home with friends because most of the time, if we are with friends, we try to talk about anything but not about our story. But it's very important to start talking your story with your friends. Keep talking and I think that it's a good starting, yeah. I think it's really critical because if your friends understand what you're trying to do, then it could easily resonate with everyone else. But if your friends don't get it, then you need to keep working on it, right? Keep working on it. All right, so we have a question from the embassy of Dhankar for Marlis. What opportunities in the education sector are there in Africa? That's the question number one. And then part two of the question is, is the rate of internet and mobile penetration rate helping? So I know this is one that's dear to your heart. That starts, yeah. So the first one is, what are the opportunities in the education sector in Africa? There are a lot of opportunities in the education sector. And I think that education is the basis of everything. And now we have, we know that technology is growing and it's helped a lot. And how, I miss. Take your time, I mean, you know. I think that in Africa now we don't have a lot of, you know, that technology is growing and it's the most fast growing sector. And there are a lot of jobs in that field. And if I took the example of Africa, for instance, there are, we don't have, we have a lot of local language, but, and at the sector we have a lot of people, the population who don't be educated, they don't know anything about French, anything about English. So they can't use technology. And we need to develop apps who answer the rare needs, who is very specific, maybe, who are, apps who are developed in the local language. So it's, I think, a big market. And to develop apps, I think that we can ask for an American, for instance, to come to our country to develop apps in our local language. It will be you, us who are in the place, who know the local language, who know the needs of the population, who can be able to develop that kind of apps and so on. So I think that's, based on that, there are a lot of opportunity, we have a lot of markets, we need, yeah, we need a lot of people to come, to develop what the population needs. And I think that it will help to increase the use of internet. Today, yeah, the internet are growing, but very slowly because a lot of people can have access, the language barrier is a big issue. Yeah, yeah. So I think that if we can develop apps, very kind of. Yeah, and I'll just, you know, just sort of add on to that. Huge education opportunity. I've talked to so many of the African YALI participants. Education seems to be really on the forefront in terms of the difference maker, in terms of giving people great access to opportunities. Do you have a challenge though? I believe that the internet and mobile access is a challenge in many, many, many areas. And that needs to improve. So I know ICT is very, very important throughout Africa. So all set in tow, education, huge opportunity, internet mobile access, we need a lot more access to really improve access to better education and information in general, especially training in English and things of that sort. So, great. So this next question is, looks like it's for Andrew and it's from a viewer in your home country in Zimbabwe. In solving Africa's chronic energy problem, finding alternative renewable energy sources is important. What role do you think energy conservation can play to solve this problem? Thank you, Zimbabwe. Energy conservation is actually one of the biggest things that we should be looking at before we even try and look for new solutions. People say we need to develop all these technologies and do all sorts of things, but you don't know what you've got till it's gone. So the first thing is to save as much energy as possible, save your environment, take care of your fossil fuels and stuff like that because you're actually destroying your world. And before you know it, you actually have to produce twice as much energy just to cover up for that. So conservation of energy is a big thing. And also we're not expanding, unfortunately our energy resources are not expanding at the same rate at which we need energy and at which the population is increasing. So we need to balance that out somehow. So yeah, I think conserving energy is a big thing. It's a big deal. Turn off those geysers, switch off those lights. You know, the small things, the small things that can't, yeah. Absolutely, absolutely. Great, great points there. And we're gonna, I know we're coming close on time, so I'm gonna try to get to as many questions as I possibly can in the next few minutes. So we have a question from Yasa in Liberia. What role does failure play for successful entrepreneurs? And how do you know when it's time to stop working on a particular venture? That's a great question. We talked a little bit about the failure piece. We can just kind of touch base on that, but also when do you know when it's time to start working on a particular venture? Okay. So I had an experience with a mentor who said, a good entrepreneur knows how never to take no for an answer. But a smart entrepreneur knows when it's time to move forward. So, and then I, that was when I realized at the time when I was sitting in my dishwash business and I kept spending so much money, I kept losing. And I was putting so much effort into this. It's okay. At times some people who, there are some people who their breakthrough could be maybe in five years time. And then at the fourth and half year you give up. But there are reasons, there are things surrounding it that makes you know, okay, you need to change what you're doing well so that you just strategize. But there are some kind of business or some kind of things you're doing that you know is not just taking you there. You are making the mistakes and you actually don't have good knowledge in that area. I just started it because I loved the idea. I wasn't really saying the solution. I wasn't really saying the need I was providing. So that was when I realized that I'm not doing what I want. So, and so I realized it's time for me to do exactly what I wanted, what I have passion for, what I can sustain over time, stretch, even if there are still breakdowns sometimes. I know I can still cope with it and build my capacity over time. So at that point, you know, okay, you need to change something or it could be you love what you're doing but you're making some mistakes. Just find out what you're not doing well and correct them so you know how to move forward. I have a simple, I have a simple philosophy. Fail fast. Fail fast. Fail fast. Failure is just a process that you go to but you need to realize. So can you elaborate just very quickly for that viewer? What do you mean by fail fast? You need to realize as soon as possible that something is not working and you need to move on. Don't keep on holding onto it as much as you might have a passion for something. It might not necessarily be the right time. You can always come back at a later time and re-initiate that idea but realize that there are some boundaries that you might not be able to surpass at that particular time. So move on, go to the next thing, you can always come back. So you come back? Yeah. And I will also add to that the fail fast concept is really critical and I think we talked about a little bit also is when you're talking with family, right? Or this is where mentors and advisors become very, very helpful is as you're trying to build something and it's not necessarily gaining traction, the people who are your mentors and your advisors will should be guiding you and saying, hey, you know what? Either we need to pivot away from what we are doing and make some changes or we need to stop and start something completely different. So again, surrounding yourself with mentors and advisors and people around you who can give it to you straight and also understanding that, you know, this is not working and that fail fast concept holds very, very, very true. So thank you both for that insight. Next question, question for Marlise from Alaya at Espirit Tunis. What are the technical challenges facing startups in the IT field in Africa? So I know I have two people on this panel or the ICT experts. So Marlise, I'll let you start and then we have time, Andrew, chime in. I think that the fail challenge is infrastructure. We don't have a lot of infrastructure in Africa. If for instance, here in USA, you can easily develop apps if you need because you have all the maps in digital and you can easily use it. But in Africa is not the case. We need to breed all yourself. So I think the infrastructure is the big challenge and also another challenge is the language barriers. As I said, because most of the population don't understand English or maybe French. So the only language they understand is the local language. So we need to develop apps maybe in these local languages. And here. Thank you. Thank you. So two big challenges there. Andrew, you want to add to that? Well, in terms of infrastructure, I think there's not the fiber network all over Africa. So that's coming up. But the issue is more on affordability of accessing that infrastructure. The same goes to technology as in hardware. It's quite expensive right now as well, especially for Africa because we're not producing as much within Africa and we have to import most of our hardware. But I would encourage people to set up maker spaces, cooperative and collaborative spaces where they can actually share this hardware and it will allow them to work on their projects at a more affordable rate. I think we need to just promote collaboration within Africa. Yeah, that's very, very, very key. And I know Marlisa is working on that in her initiative where she's actually trained 200 women of one computer, which I think is pretty amazing. So in terms of building out the infrastructure that collaborative sharing environment that will go a long way. You go from 200 to thousands that you're able to train and then you also go from a select few entrepreneurs to several hundred thousand of entrepreneurs doing that co-working space. So building that infrastructure, getting the support, education around language I think is really, really critical. So that answers the question. So this is our final question and it comes from the US Embassy in Wago-Dougal. How did you access the American market? What are the means and prerequisites to access the US market? Big smile, big smile. Cynthia, you wanna take that first shot? Okay, first of all, I don't have my product yet in the American market. But from the knowledge I've gotten so far, the American market is a big one and there are lots of competitors. So you know what you're going out for. So, and then another thing is you must be able to understand the standard of the American market, the quality of product they want from you before you can build something to match that. And the second step is to identify strategic partners in the United States that can help you with this product to come in here because if you're coming in from half of the African countries, you can't just do it as an individual. You must be able to go meet strategic partners in your home country that have been into that or you just have to have someone on ground and you can look for that how to get to people who can help you but there's just no way you can easily go individually on your own or possibly you can travel to the US and meet with people, try to identify, talk about your product, identify how to go about it, then from there you'll be able to figure it out. But I don't have my product yet, but I'm hoping to. It's coming, it's coming. And Andrew, one last one? I would say build your brand, build relationships and find a product champion for your product here. Just identify one person who can shout out your name and your brand in the United States and if it's of the good quality, well, you make it. That's fantastic, that's fantastic, thank you. So just to recapping is key partnerships, quality product and understanding the standards of which are here and also build that brand and find those champions that can actually help you get into the States. And I will add the last piece is that United States opportunity, if you can find opportunities to come to the US and maybe spend some time here to learn the market and build your product here, that's also a great opportunity as well. All right, so I'm afraid we're out of time. Thank you so much to our wonderful panelists and everyone viewing today, some great questions from all over the world. Special thanks again to the hosts of the viewing groups around the globe for mobilizing the entrepreneurial communities. And just last week in Nairobi, Carlos Francisco Bernal of Mexico and Rudy Cook of South Africa were crowned winners of the startup and idea categories of tech-eyed competition and were awarded $25,000 each in Seed Money for the adventures out of the total of 140,000 to entrepreneurs. Go to justnetwork.org to learn more about the winners. If you are a budding entrepreneur, we welcome your application for next year. It could be you on stage as a winner. Please check the Just Network for updates on our Next Tech Connect live chat. We hope to see you here for future discussions on topics of importance to entrepreneurs like you. You can stay informed about these and other Just programs by registering at justnetwork.org. In conclusion today, I'd like to note there are numerous opportunities for African entrepreneurs in the science and technology fields. I especially encourage the female youth of Africa to get involved in the African technology ecosystem. We hope to see you all on Justnet. Please stay tuned for some closing remarks by Macon Phillips coordinator of the Department of State's International Information Programs. Thank you. Hey everyone, I'm Macon Phillips, the coordinator for the US Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs. We're wrapping up a great live event and I want to say thanks to our panel of experts, Andrew, Cynthia and Marlies for participating in today's program. But most importantly, I want to thank you for joining us today to share your experiences and ask your questions. I hope you enjoyed this Just Tech Connect focused on promoting entrepreneurship, best practices in Africa. I'm particularly excited to be here on the heels of last week's Tech Eye competition at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi, which awarded almost $150,000 in seat capital to its global winners. I encourage you to visit Justnetwork.org to hear about those inspiring stories, learn more about those ventures and consider applying for next year's competition yourself. I was also thrilled to hear that so many of you who joined today's program are part of the Young African Leaders Network. As President Obama has said, you're the foundation of our partnership with Africa's youth. As many of you know, the YALI network stems from the Young African Leaders Initiative, President Obama's signature effort to invest in the next generation of African entrepreneurs, educators, activists and innovators. The network, which now numbers over 140,000 talented young Africans, helps develop the skills and connections needed to build a brighter future for your communities and for your countries. As a YALI network member, you have access to free educational resources, digital engagement with topic experts and meetings created exclusively for young African leaders. So if you're not already a member, I hope you'll join YALI at yali.state.gov or Just at Justnetwork.org. Both YALI and Just are also on social media. You can catch them on Facebook and Twitter here at the handles on the screen. I encourage you to continue to engage the YALI and Just communities through these webinars and other programs. Thanks again for your participation and have a great day.