Great story, and then what?
By: Mark Karake
Tags: BlackLivesMatter, Give Back, Startups Africa, Africa, Impact

I posted an article on my experience as a black person in Silicon Valley and it got some attention. Some tech CEOs were moved to action. This particular piece is a call to action for those moved enough by the original piece to support the work we are doing with Impact Africa Network to bridge the genius / opportunity gap for young talented Africans.

The last thing one expects on a Sunday morning is an email from a successful Silicon Valley CEO acknowledging what you have written, and informing you that the Executive Chairman at LinkedIn has posted your work on his platform. Shout out to Aaron Levie CEO at Box, who is now also a member of our 100 Founders Challenge.

Since it happened, I have been racking my brain trying to figure out how to turn this into results.

Stories that inspire, are the ones about turning adversity into outcomes, flipping pain into purpose.

We have all witnessed those hapless efforts to plug a ‘Sound Cloud’ after a tweet goes viral. Viral tweet 134K, Sound Cloud plug 22 likes.

But I do have something to plug, and it is nothing short of changing the African narrative!

I hope mine performs better.

In March 2018, after much soul searching and anguished second guessing, I made the decision to repatriate back home to Africa to immerse myself in the economic development struggle. This is what I have dedicated the rest of my life to doing, my TED talk if you will.

I had finally come to my ‘two roads divided in a wood’ moment, and realized I could either let my life peter out in an unhappy, warmed over false sense of financial ‘security’ in the Bay Area, or, I could dive head and feet first into the adventure of making an impact.

In January 2019 I launched a non-profit startup studio in Nairobi with a mission is to ensure young talented Africans have a chance at participating in the digital transformation of Africa as creators and owners.

Africa’s story is not just about poverty and disease. Those of us who grew up here know a different version exists, and it is about the potential of the continents irrepressible, abundant young talent.

But whose job is it to unlock that potential? More to the point, where could my suppressed 15 years of Silicon Valley experience be most useful?

At Impact Africa Network we offer 12 month Innovation Fellowships to talented college graduates providing them the opportunity to work on well-vetted ideas with like minded peers under the guidance of an experienced leadership team and mentor network.

We do 3 things:

Develop innovation leaders Launch startups Build community

We opened our doors (my apartment) in January of 2019 and so far we have provided the opportunity to 25 fellows and are working on 7 exciting projects including; a STEM school, a media platform, Gen Z fintech, Upwork for Africa, a documentary,…… there is so much to be done

Why non profit?

Because it is the only financing model that can work for the patient, capacity building work that needs to be done at this very early stage. Don’t argue with me on this one.

This is hard, unglamorous work and only possible when one is truly in love with the process.

Impact Africa Network is a non profit charitable entity US 501(C)3 EIN 83–2020331

Champions

Despite the challenges we are facing the world is filled with individuals with amazing hearts, and I always knew we would find believers. Here are some of those who have stood in the gap so far.

The 10 10 10 plan

By 2030 our vision is to have developed 10 scale-ups, that provide 10K jobs, with a combined value of $10B.

Make An Impact

Most people are eager to be support causes they believe can make a difference. Like every non profit we are always fund raising and would like to invite you to be part of our micro-donations support program. It works just like Netflix.

We are seeking 500 champions willing to give $20 a month until December 2021. For this, I will send you a signed copy of the book before the end of the year.

Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn has committed to match every donor who subscribes to our micro-donations support program via LinkedIn.

Alternatively, click on the image below to get directly to our donation page. Choose the ‘Give Monthly’ option and become part of the solution. Leave us a comment while at it.

We also need mentors in; product dev/design, software engineering, digital marketing, finance, hr, legal, writing, PR & comms, and leadership. If interested, add that to your comment.