Faith Driven Investor

These are the 3 beliefs that drive Kwami’s passion. (1) poverty is an injustice, (2) we have a responsibility and a joy to solve this man-made problem, and (3) every problem presents an opportunity for business. If that doesn’t get you excited to hear about what Kwami has to share, then we don’t know what will. Listen in to hear how Kwami Williams is discovering entrepreneurial solutions that tackle the challenges faced by the poor and marginalized in our world today, especially on the African continent.Useful Links:Our Resilience StoryUp Close with Kwami WilliamsForbes 30 Under 30 2017: Social Entrepreneurs

Ray Barreth is a serial entrepreneur and dynamic visionary. He has spent over thirty years creating, directing, and leading new ventures in the U.S. and the U.K. Ray has broad experience in bringing companies from product inception to funding and launch. Today, Ray is going to join Reuben Coulter, Director of Ecosystems for Faith Driven Investor, to share a bit about his passion of coaching extraordinary entrepreneurs to create legacies that go far beyond themselves. And together, they’re going to walk us through what it means to create networks of trust through the use of light touch due diligence—all the way from New York to Nairobi.

We are so excited about the abundance of opportunities we’re learning about outside of America. And today’s guest is going to tell us all about those specifically in Africa. Ndidi Nwuneli founded LEAP Africa—a leading nonprofit that provides social entrepreneurs, youth, and small scale business owners with leadership training and executive coaching services. She is also a co-founder of AACE Foods, a Nigerian food processor. Ndidi is a leading authority on social entrepreneurship and, in addition being named as one of the 20 Youngest Power African Women by Forbes, in 2004 she was bestowed with the national honor, Member of the Federal Republic (MFR) by the Nigerian President. All that to say, through her work in food and agriculture, and as a leadership development mentor, Ndidi is building economies in West Africa that you’ll want to hear about…Useful Links:The Role of Faith and Belief in Modern AfricaRage for Change20 Youngest Power Women in AfricaSocial Innovation in Africa

Today's show is a great reminder that Faith Driven Investing is not limited to North America, nor is it limited to any one part of the globe at all! And our guest today is living proof of that. If you've been following along with the show, you know that Africa has been a recurring theme, and it is again here today. Iyinoluwa Aboyeji (or E, as he goes by) is an entrepreneur from Nigeria who has founded several startups—one of which received funding from Mark Zuckerberg and another which has processed over $1.2billion in transactions—all of which he's going to tell us about. E is also a great example of why investors need to know about what's going on in the continent of Africa. Listen in to hear him tell you why.

Today’s guest is Ben Chelf. Ben is a founding partner at Elementum Ventures, has been named to ComputerWorld's Top 40 under 40 Innovative IT Professionals, and is in the Stanford Inventor Hall of Fame. He has lived every part of the entrepreneurial cycle and is passionate about sharing his knowledge and experience. As part of this work, Ben also heads up the Venture Lab at Praxis, helping serial entrepreneurs research and develop new organizations from the moment of inspiration to incorporation. He has lived both the Faith Driven Investor and the Faith Driven Entrepreneur story, and we think you’ll enjoy hearing him talk about both.

We can confidently say that today’s guest is the first person we’ve had on the show who was also a part of The Bachelorette. That’s right. Before Jason Illian was pioneering disruptive technologies, he spent time sharing a house with 24 other guys trying to woo one girl’s heart. He didn’t make it very far in the show (something he and his current wife are both grateful for!), but he did take that platform and use it for something else—namely, sharing his faith. He has written a book, started a Christian version of YouTube, but is here today to talk to us about Koch Disruptive Technologies, where he is looking for emerging high-growth technologies across a range of industries that are poised to be a benefit to society.

Community. It’s one of the core tenets of the Faith Driven movement. If you’ve been listening for a while, we hope you’ve heard stories from around the world that have opened up your eyes to see that FDEs are everywhere, and they’re faithfully pursuing God’s will right where they are. Today, we’re talking with Sue Alice Sauthoff who has recently joined the FDE/FDI team as our Community Manager. She’s going to share all the new initiatives intended to foster community among FDEs all around the world. We’re so excited she’s on the team, and we think after listening to this podcast, you will be too...

Today’s episode features one of the great thinkers in the FDI community talking about a topic that, well, frankly none of us like talking about. And that is “how to say no.” No investor can say yes to every deal that crosses their desk (nor should they!), but learning how to say no is a uniquely acquirable skill. Today, Jake Thomsen of Sovereign’s Capital is back after talking to us about Fundraising 101. He’s here to walk through some of the practices he incorporates in situations where he has to say no, and how these tips might serve you. 

No one likes to be a part of a dysfunctional relationship. Yet, entrepreneurs and investors can often be on completely different pages with completely different goals and expectations.Today’s conversation between Henry Kaestner and Jessica Kim gives both sides of the story. Jessica shares how setting unrealistic expectations hurts the entrepreneur’s ability to follow through and the investor’s ability to determine success. And Henry talks about the fundraising side of his entrepreneurial journey and what he now sees from an investor perspective.Both sides are worth listening. Both sides have a lot to learn. Both sides can do a lot better. So, regardless of whether you’re an entrepreneur or an investor, today’s episode is for you.

Today’s guest is Michael Arrieta, the CEO and Founder of Garden City Companies. And while normally, we try to introduce you to our guests, for today, you should read you something that Mike wrote himself: “At Garden City, we’re reimagining existing service companies by ensuring workers are radically cared for and truly love their jobs. Service companies where innovation & technology is the norm. My hope is that decades from now thousands of service workers are thriving and together we built the future of service companies.” That’s his mission, that’s his vision. Listen in as he walks us through how God led him to where he is today...