RareBirds Emerging Markets Podcast

Pascal is the CEO of SaukiBit. He is an expert in the respective fields of telecommunications, decentralized computing and software development with over nine years of experience in designing, optimizing and operating complex multi-million dollar digital systems. SaukiBit is driving innovation and choice for customers, businesses, fintech companies and banks with modular API standards. We are in the business of simplifying the blockchain and cryptocurrency ecosystems for the African focused next gen data driven market. SaukiBit are building a powerful API and payment platform offering the easiest way to create sophisticated wallet addresses for Blockchain assets of choice and digital financial solutions.

Gustavo Diaz Skoff grew up in the Startup Ecosystem in Puerto Rico. At 18 years of age, he founded the first youth-led non-profit organization for aspiring entrepreneurs in Puerto Rico with the support of 3 Government agencies. During his time at the #1 School For Entrepreneurship (Babson College), he studied and produced the only non-government commissioned study of Act 20 & Act 22. At 24 years of age, he built his fair share of companies (crash & burned them), worked with a wide array of firms, led last-mile data gathering efforts with 78 mayors in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria, and performed some incredible stuff.

Sweta Sureka

A Public Speaker, Author, Topnotch Lifestyle Coach and an Explorer, Sweta’s list of accomplishments is nothing shy of astounding. Sweta has put many hours into building a version of her life that she loves and creating her purpose. Her life of hard work groomed her journey to self-empowerment and self-employment.

Sweta strongly believes in taking control of life and living at its best by building positive habits. Her life experiences make her connect with her clients and help them upgrade their lifestyles. Growing up, in a typical Indian family, Sweta learnt that the topnotch lifestyle is not just about having first class life, but feeling first class, content and happy. Abundance comes to those who are happy. Confident in her abilities and proud of her trials and tribulations, Sweta’s sole purpose is of giving individuals the assistance they need to live a healthy, positive life and enjoy lives. Aside of her triumphs, Sweta remains a very humble and engaging coach.

Anuradha Kapoor
Anuradha Kapoor discovered her passion for writing around 5 years back which led her to become a freelance author, blogger and content writer. She is proud to be one of the top bloggers on Momspresso, where she has written more than 100 blogs. Having written around 30 short stories till date, she has compiled most of them into a book by the name of 'STORIES FROM THE HEART' and an ebook ‘The Facade'. She was recently awarded by the Women Economic Forum for being an Exceptional Woman of Excellence, by the Indian Awaz for being an inspirational author in the year 2018, title of Influential author by The Spiritmania and the prestigious Swami Vivekananda Award for Excellence in literature among various other accolades. She has conducted various blogging and story writing workshops for adults and children. She is the Chairperson of ALL Kolkata Chapter for Cinema, along with being the Secretary at the All West Bengal Chapter and committee member of ALL Ladies League Kolkata chapter. She is also an active member of the Screenwriters association of India too.

Aarti Bhatia

She started as an aspiring doctor. She landed up a seat in a pharmacy college. She went on to secure an MBA in marketing. Post that, she joined an FMCG company in a metro city, only to shift base to her hometown, with work in a construction firm’s office. She went on & published a book titled ‘Me to Mommee’, just a year after her child’s birth. But it was only some time ago that she found her true calling -

Storytelling

That’s her venture, passion & profession, today : Tell Tales – Where stories come to life! Yup. The movie of ‘3 idiots’ should have had her as an opposite-to- Rancho-kind-of-character, who landed up in her current field after multiple hop-skip-jumps! That’s how fluffy her hat of myriad experiences in various sectors is. But she believes that no experience ever goes in vain, as the learnings come to use in the most unforeseen ways of life. Combine that with the world’s most powerful muse, one’s imagination, and you get a person who can go on & on with words! Aarti Khatwani Bhatia says ‘Hello, everyone!’ Oh, no, don’t run away because I just wrote over a 100 words quoting myself in third person! Please wait, as it is just about to get even sillier! Who gained anything by being serious, anyway? No woman with an office bag in one hand, & a diaper in the other; that’s for sure!

Siya Shaik
Siya Shaikh is a civil engineer by profession and social entrepreneur by passion. 10 years of Marketing and networking experience has helped her to achieve her goal of ‘empowering women. Currently running a firm called ‘Goa Metal Composites’ which deals with manufacturing of fibre doors and allied products. She is best described as a passion-driven person whose mission to support start-up Goan women entrepreneurs has led to her create a powerful platform that will serve as a milestone for Women Entrepreneurship in the State. Her mission to empower every Goan woman to achieve her dreams & be financially independent. To ensure that a strong support system is available to Goan women entrepreneurs. To make Goa an example of powerful collaborative effort towards empowering women.

Aruna Sampat

A successful purpose-driven entrepreneur, running two companies in diverse industries. Founder of Femori, a travel enthusiast and a logical thinker with strong analytical mindset which enables her to help businesses and her team in breaking down problems, analyse, and optimise them.

Aruna is an MBA is Human Resources from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management and has 25 years of industry experience of which 10 years is corporate experience with like L&T ,UPL and Citigroup before the entrepreneurial bug bit her and she started Career Catalysts , a manpower search company which became very successful under her leadership.

As her passion was in helping women, she decided to start Femori. It’s is a platform for women to come, share their dreams/goals, seek inspiration from other women in the community and accomplish them by connecting with the right Experts and availability of Resources.It’s an extremely great platform to network with like-minded women. It caters to also showcase women businesses and help them get access to a larger segment of the women audience.

Our seventh and final guest in the East Africa bloc is Rwandan, Vivens Uwizeyimana, the Chief Executive Officer of UmuravaWork, a one-stop Pan-African freelance services marketplace. If you are curious, then listen in and as always I will see you at the end.