In Pursuit: Journeys in African Entrepreneurship

Description

In Pursuit - Journeys in African Entrepreneurship chronicles the journeys of two friends whose experiences in America shaped their approach to starting their own businesses in Nigeria. Drawing on their experiences of working, building and supporting business, and exposure to multimillion-dollar projects around the world, they uncover what it takes to own, run, and grow a profitable business. Through their personal insights, they relay information relevant not only to entrepreneurs and investors seeking to do business in Nigeria, but anywhere on the globe-after all, the heart of business is human interaction. Their conversational banter-jab style, for which they're known in person and on social media, invites readers into their circle where they can share the wisdom gained through continuous pursuits to fulfill their dreams. Business and life intersect. No matter your goal, you're not crazy, and no, you're not alone! Through In Pursuit, two Bendel boys invite you to laugh, yell, and reflect, as they converse from head and heart.

Osaretin Oswald Guobadia is co-founder, executive Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer of DBH Solutions, a building infrastructure and top tier technology solutions provider in West Africa. He is a business strategy and technology consultant with over 20 years' experience in technology and business strategy, and a non-executive director of Renaissance Capital (Nigeria), a leading emerging and frontier markets investment bank with access to over 50 markets globally. He sits on the Alumni Board of Wesley College, USA. His interests also span venture capitalism and entrepreneurship, with significant interests in mentorship and funding startups. He is actively engaged on several boards, providing guidance and oversight for their business operations, and contributes to an African economic renaissance by advising organizations on IT strategy, infrastructure and operations optimization, startup consulting, people development and leadership, process improvement, and business continuity. His goal is to help build sustainable businesses that contribute to economic development and job creation. He is committed to supporting social welfare programs that improve lives and communities. He created the Resolve Foundation, which offers credible and visible opportunities for private individuals and enterprises to execute their philanthropy, corporate social responsibility and sustainability initiatives. He is also a founding director of the Edo Global Foundation, an initiative focused on the development and support of the next generation Edo creatives; and the founder of Edo Development Organization, a non-partisan political and social group whose members collaborate on opportunities to support their respective communities. He is also involved in several other charitable initiatives through the Lagos Nigeria chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, where he is a founding member. He makes his home in Lagos, Nigeria and Delaware, USA. He's married to Tanisha and blessed with four children. As a family, they support philanthropic initiatives and enjoy travelling, reading and watching movies. On any given day, you'll find them piled up in a minivan driving cross-country and hoping for a rest stop. Chukuka Chukuma is an investment banker, entrepreneur and partner at Racecourse Capital, a private investment and advisory firm. With a career spanning over 20 years at world-class financial institutions like Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, Salomon Smith Barney, Citibank Nigeria, Afrinvest West Africa, and Stanbic IBTC Bank, he has executed deals in corporate and project financings across multiple sectors. He specializes in structuring and raising large, complex, multi-source and multi-currency financings from cradle to grave. He is committed to raising the economic potential of Africa through investments in human capital, the arts, technology and infrastructure where he sits on the board of several companies. One of them, Sponsors for Economic Opportunity (SEO) Africa, has impacted the lives of over 350 students from 10 African countries placing them in well regarded firms across 4 continents. As part of his contributions to raising the next set of entrepreneurs in Africa, he mentors new entrants in the Nigerian market and provides strategic insights on innovation. Chukuka draws from his wealth of experience across various markets in Nigeria and globally, while leveraging his extensive network to help startup entrepreneurs bring their ideas to the market and scale globally. He lives between Dallas and Lagos. He is married to an amazing woman, Elisa, and together they have three wonderful kids. Together they share a passion for food, travel, sports and are a very competitive family.