6. Sandrine Nzeukou in the valley "Sports ownership, as an asset class, needs diversity."

Silverbacks Valley welcomes Sandrine Nzeukou, founder of Tessa Sports.

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In this episode, your host Ibrahim Sagna welcomes a founder who dominated on the basketball courts for the university of Nevada Las Vegas and her home country Cameroon before switching her jersey for a suit and paving her way in the corporate world. She served as Executive Director for Invest Africa, an organisation working towards the stimulation of investment towards African economic growth. Now, she is forging her own path as the founder of Tessa an Africa-first, sports business platform directed at enabling Africans to maintain ownership over an increasingly attractive sports industry. Today, the valley welcomes Sandrine Nzeukou.

Disclaimer : Silverbacks Valley's host and the guests of this program may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.

5 BIG IDEAS DISCUSSED IN THE VALLEY WITH SANDRINE NZEUKOU

1.) "Sports has made me a better person"

Sandrine shares the origins of her passion for sports: her father was the captain of the national basketball team of Cameroon and he ensured that her and her siblings tried out different sports from a young age. She explains why sports makes you more grounded and how you can become more aligned with the best version of yourself through sports.

2.) "We should learn from the West's mistakes in not including women in business"

Sandrine speaks openly about the challenges that one is expected to face as a woman working in the sports industry: She commands the efforts made by organizations such as NBA Africa, the Basketball Africa League and Giants of Africa to educate young boys and men about the relevance of gender equity. She calls on African organizations, private and public, to consider the benefits of inclusivity at all levels.

3.) "Tessa was born out of my realization that my Cameroon national teammates had less opportunity than me"

Sandrine details the process in the creation of her company Tessa: her experience as a professional basketball player for the Cameroon national team exposed her to the stark differences in opportunities that African-based players had to face. She envisioned Tessa as a platform that could service the growing sports African industry with a clear mission to keep its ownership African.

4.) "We want to promote the type of access that sports ownership can grant to a person"Sandrine discusses the bridge that can be created between sports ownership and African development. She considers sports' economic opportunities not only can the industry generate revenues and create jobs, it can offer access that can be used as a lever to advance key economic projects for African countries.

5.) "A lot of what I've learned as a pro athlete is helping me in business today"Sandrine explains why transitioning from the basketball courts to the boardroom has been seamless : there are many elements of sports (the practice, the physical presence, the challenges and hurdles) that you build an appetite for and that same appetite can come in handy in the business world. Athletes are naturally groomed to become entrepreneurs.