Paint & Pipette: The Art & Science of Innovation S2Ep10: Thriving Nigerian Entrepreneurship with JR Kanu, Founder CEO of REACH
The COVID-19 pandemic was devastating for a huge swath of the global population. This is especially true for families and individuals living from paycheck to paycheck. One major component that can make a difference in how people grow their wealth and manage their money, is financial literacy. This week on the show we sit down with JR Kanu, Founder and CEO of REACH, a technology company based in Lagos, Nigeria, to talk about how he turned his back on a great opportunity in America to build a legacy in Nigeria and what he’s learned about himself, entrepreneurship, and tech, over the course of his journey. JR expands on why it was so important for him to return to Nigeria after studying and working in America, as well as why the impact of other successful entrepreneurs in Africa was so inspiring to him. Tuning in, you’ll hear JR expand on the founding of the company, how it started as a credit scoring algorithm, and why they made an important shift to helping Africans across the continent better manage their finances. He also shares how his faith helped him to not make decisions based on fear, and how his wife helped him stay the course when he doubted the important work he was doing. Tune in to learn more about JR’s journey, the importance of investing in Africa, and how REACH has helped thousands of individuals improve their financial lives!
Key Points From This Episode:
- Introducing JR Kanu, the Founder and CEO of REACH.
- How long REACH has been running and the scale of their audience.
- How REACH started as a credit scoring algorithm, and how they’ve changed.
- How REACH realized it had a responsibility to the people whose data they were using.
- Why REACH has put a pause on lending and how they are prioritizing financial literacy.
- The concept of Black Tax and how it affects generational wealth and wealth accumulation.
- The questions posed by REACH’s audience and the cumulative process of answering them.
- How to find the balance between focus and being adaptive as an entrepreneur.
- JR’s connections to America and Africa and how he felt compelled to serve African consumers.
- Why JR declined a very appealing offer from Amazon to continue his work with REACH.
- JR’s relationship with his wife and her enduring support of REACH’s mission.
- How JR’s faith has helped him not make decisions based on fear.
- JR’s hopes for a broader conversation around Africa and the positive associations he wants to build and impart when it comes to the African continent.
- What it means to have a good relationship with your homeland and what JR observed about families who had built their business at home.
- Some of the long-term benefits that JR hopes to see for users of his product.
- How Afua Osei, a fellow business school graduate, helped JR get an important new perspective on his business.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: