Two days of meetings with amazing people and groups began on Thursday morning in Oakland with Farhana Huq, Founder and President of C.E.O. Women and an Ashoka Fellow. We had planned to meet the week prior, but Farhana received some unexpected visitors via canoe. I understood.
My favorite aspect of C.E.O. Women is their focus on giving immigrants the tools and training they need to “further their own economic empowerment.” This focus requires empowering people, not cynically assuming their incapacity and offering “hand-outs.” This focus requires a fundamental belief in the potential of an under-served group to achieve greatness if connected to fundamental education and network resources (human capital and social capital). I could not agree more.
Four quick takeaways from my bagel and tea with Farhana:
- Partner with like-minded organizations in the early stages of growing a venture, especially when trying to establish a proof of concept.
- Entrepreneurs want to change the world. That’s great. But start by changing one community. Or better yet, try to make a meaningful difference in the life of one person or for one group. Then its time to learn, iterate, and build from there.
- Be acutely aware of the pros and cons of various funding options (VCs, angels, foundations, grants, small donations).
- Consult on the side if you can.
When working on a project, sometimes the essential elements of who you are and what you do can get lost amid the noise. Farhana summarized what we do that in as succinct and straightforward a manner as I have heard from anyone: bring the college alumni network model to high schools to engage disadvantaged youth.
