Benjamin Fernandes grew up in humble circumstances in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. His life changed when he was given a scholarship to Haven of Peace Academy, but struggled academically. His sister, however, found her way to an American university, and Benjamin knew he had to follow in her footsteps. Initially denied entrance to Northwestern College in Minnesota, he called the admissions director. The director was so impressed, he let Benjamin in...and Benjamin achieved a 4.0, graduating in 3 years.
He soon found himself at Stanford where he was inspired to build a company to solve financial access for his fellow Tanzanians. After a stint at Harvard, then as one of the first African founders to be accepted to the prestigious Y Combinator accelerator, Benjamin now runs Nala out of Tanzania. He is one of the leading lights in the African entrepreneurship scene, leveraging his former career as a television personality to inspire thousands.
On this episode, we discuss:
+How making cold calls and being determined can unlock opportunity
+What African retail finance looks like now and what Nala hopes to accomplish
+Why Africa may be poised to be a breakout star in the coming decades when it comes to new technology
+How rejecting high paying jobs in pursuit of a God-given passion can change your life
