Rise and Play Podcast 155. Rise of Fearless: Building Africa’s Fortnite from the Ground Up With Kanessa Muluneh
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In this episode, Sophie Vo sits down with Kanessa Muluneh, an Ethiopian-born serial entrepreneur, Web3 educator, and the creator of Rise of Fearless — Africa’s first blockchain-enabled mobile battle royale game. From humble beginnings as a refugee in the Netherlands to raising $10M in under 10 days through social media, Kanessa shares her transformative leadership journey, her mission to reframe Africa’s global image, and how she leveraged storytelling, blockchain, and gaming to empower African youth.
💡 Key Learnings:
* Selling a Startup at 22: Though she earned a medical degree, Kanessa discovered her true path in solving real-world problems through business—starting with a telehealth platform she sold for €1M at age 22.
* Serial Entrepreneurial Growth: Kanessa went on to build and exit multiple ventures. Her approach: identify a big problem, validate a solution, test with real users, and execute relentlessly.
* Building in Africa Means Building With Africa: Kanessa’s strategic use of TikTok helped her circumvent traditional gatekeeping by generating visibility and credibility with the public—and eventually, investors.
* NFTs and Blockchain in Action: By launching an NFT collection and accepting crypto, Kanessa created a groundbreaking way for Ethiopians in rural areas to transact online, bypassing broken financial systems.
* Rise of Fearless – A New Gaming Paradigm:
* A mobile battle royale game inspired by African history (notably, the Battle of Adwa).
* Designed to instill pride, knowledge, and a new narrative of African strength and unity.
* Built for mobile to maximize access, and powered by blockchain to enable ownership and decentralized engagement.
* The Big Africa Gaming Vision: Kanessa plans to build a platform for other African creators to launch games. She sees this as the starting point of a movement beyond just a company.
🔗 Resources & Links:
* 🎮 Rise of Fearless Game Website
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