8. Why we need more startup giants - not just tech: lessons from Hubspace with Melilizwe Gqobo
07/30/24 • 50 min
1 Listener
Today’s guest, Melilizwe Gqobo (he/him) - Founding Director of Hubspace (Khayelitsha) and Venture Scout, has successfully created space for founders and entrepreneurs to thrive by strengthening and reinforcing their capacity or ability to seek opportunities.
With the hindsight of co-founding Hubspace, a pioneering startup ecosystem or incubator space to bring communal offices and resources to entrepreneurs and founders within the township economy, meaningfully contributing over 5% to South Africa’s GDP, Melilizwe shares key lessons and insights on what it takes to make a successful venture while highlighting examples from Bolt and Uber’s entry to the South African/African market.
What's Covered On This Episode:
0:00 - The Entrepreneurship and Founder Ecosystems
1:23 - Founder Lessons and Challenges
4:40 - Reasons why I became an Entrepreneur
6:02 - The Opportunity Set – NGOs
8:07 - Making a successful venture
10:51 - Does First Mover Advantage Exist?
12:50 - The Role of Enterprise Development
14:51 - The Township Economy
25:39 - The Importance of Patient Capital, Support, Routine and Mindset for Preservation
32:57 - Allyship: Creating space and an intentional community
38:29 - Innovation and AI
46:17 - Wrap-up: Key Takeaways
RESOURCES:
https://disruptafrica.com/2014/11/15/townships-offer-real-investment-opportunities-hubspace/
https://www.news24.com/news24/partnercontent/the-rise-and-rise-of-the-township-economy-20230621
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz5reve8476o
Follow Melilizwe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melilizwe-gqobo-6229a729/
Thank you for listening, following and sharing the podcast. Did you love this episode? Please feel free to leave a comment and let us know.
★ Support this podcast ★Today’s guest, Melilizwe Gqobo (he/him) - Founding Director of Hubspace (Khayelitsha) and Venture Scout, has successfully created space for founders and entrepreneurs to thrive by strengthening and reinforcing their capacity or ability to seek opportunities.
With the hindsight of co-founding Hubspace, a pioneering startup ecosystem or incubator space to bring communal offices and resources to entrepreneurs and founders within the township economy, meaningfully contributing over 5% to South Africa’s GDP, Melilizwe shares key lessons and insights on what it takes to make a successful venture while highlighting examples from Bolt and Uber’s entry to the South African/African market.
What's Covered On This Episode:
0:00 - The Entrepreneurship and Founder Ecosystems
1:23 - Founder Lessons and Challenges
4:40 - Reasons why I became an Entrepreneur
6:02 - The Opportunity Set – NGOs
8:07 - Making a successful venture
10:51 - Does First Mover Advantage Exist?
12:50 - The Role of Enterprise Development
14:51 - The Township Economy
25:39 - The Importance of Patient Capital, Support, Routine and Mindset for Preservation
32:57 - Allyship: Creating space and an intentional community
38:29 - Innovation and AI
46:17 - Wrap-up: Key Takeaways
RESOURCES:
https://disruptafrica.com/2014/11/15/townships-offer-real-investment-opportunities-hubspace/
https://www.news24.com/news24/partnercontent/the-rise-and-rise-of-the-township-economy-20230621
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz5reve8476o
Follow Melilizwe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melilizwe-gqobo-6229a729/
Thank you for listening, following and sharing the podcast. Did you love this episode? Please feel free to leave a comment and let us know.
★ Support this podcast ★
Previous Episode
7. Pride and community: What rights do LGBTQ+ people have? with Udoka Maya Okonkwo
1 RecommendationsE7: We delve into the concept of visibility vs freedom in the LGBTQ+ community with the multi-talented Creative, Writer, Performer, and Organiser, Udoka Maya Okonkwo (they/her).
They begin with a personal "Visibility Journey" followed by a thought-provoking discussion on articulating the idea of freedom for LGBTQ+ individuals today.
The conversation explores navigating different Pride experiences (Black, Trans and Commercial) by addressing community needs more while stressing the importance of finding the right community. Self-acceptance goes a long way in underscoring this as Udoka reminds us that: "there is no such thing as being Queer enough, or Trans enough, or Gay enough. You Are Just Enough."
In our conversation, we shift focus to widening opportunities and access within the community, before tackling critical issues that necessitate collective action and intersectionality. Strategies for addressing injustices, continuing allyship, and organising are explored.
RESOURCES
https://www.consortium.lgbt/member-directory/black-trans-foundation/
https://www.instagram.com/londontranspride/
https://www.ukblackpride.org.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/miseryparty/?hl=en
https://www.leonardcheshire.org/get-involved/campaign-us/cost-living?gad_source=1
https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/04/04/un-body-calls-uk-end-detention-people-disabilities
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-68849843
https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9602/CBP-9602.pdf
CLUBS
https://dalstonsuperstore.com/
https://www.instagram.com/heavenlgbtclub/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/tboys.club/?hl=en
BOOKS
- Against Equality: Queer Revolution, Not Mere Inclusion (Ryan Conrad)
- The Discworld Collector's Library (Terry Pratchett)
- Global Black Narratives for the Classroom (BLAM UK)
- Kindred (Octavia E. Butler)
Thank you for listening, following and sharing the podcast. Did you love this episode? Please feel free to leave a comment and let us know.
★ Support this podcast ★Next Episode
9. Better community: doing the best you can with the trauma you carry with Annemarie Shrouder
1 RecommendationsAnnemarie Shrouder (she/her), international speaker, consultant and author of Being Brown in a Black and White World, which shares the personal and organisational costs of polarisation, joined me today to talk about the essentials for community building and what we can borrow or learn from post-COVID-19 amid waning global commitments.
On today’s episode:
0:00 - Intro & welcome
0:24 - Common frustrations shared since the start
2:47 - Inclusion vs Belonging and other polarisations
4:12 - “Healing requires that we all need to do our own work”
5:52 - Learning from parenthood for the best workplace
9:42 - The impact of COVID-19 on community and balance
15:09 - The tools we can use today
17:39 - The power of intersectionality on how we show up
20:58 - Wellness and heart-based exercises as impact drivers
24:20 - “Everyone is doing the best they can with the trauma they carry”
26:15 - Looking ahead with 5% more courage
30:53 - Wrap-up
RESOURCES
Annemarie’s Book: https://annemarieshrouder.com/book/
(Amazon) - https://www.amazon.com/Being-Brown-Black-White-World-ebook/dp/B09224CN47
The HeartMath Institute: https://www.heartmath.org/
More About Annemarie Shrouder:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemarieshrouder/
Website: https://annemarieshrouder.com/
Thank you for listening, following and sharing the podcast. Did you love this episode? Please feel free to leave a comment and let us know.
★ Support this podcast ★If you like this episode you’ll love
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