Andy Davis has been a startup founder for about as long as he can remember. From conducting market research for ideas while in university to launching multiple companies in industries including edtech and enterprise software, a passion for entrepreneurial ventures has guided his life. He’s now taking that passion and using it for a singular mission: to support black founders and investors throughout the United Kingdom via his organization 10x10.

“10x10 initially started about six years ago as a group for black founders,” says Davis. “Since then, it has developed to not only support black founders with mentorship, but also funding.” Much like any successful entrepreneur, Davis saw a clear need in the market and then set out to offer a solution.

Andy Davis has been a startup founder for about as long as he can remember. From conducting market research for ideas while in university to launching multiple companies in industries including edtech and enterprise software, a passion for entrepreneurial ventures has guided his life. He’s now taking that passion and using it for a singular mission: to support black founders and investors throughout the United Kingdom via his organization 10x10.

Andy Davis has long had a passion for the startup space, and he’s now turning that passion to help fund black founders throughout the U.K. 

Supporting Black Founders and Investors with 10x10’s Andy Davis

Once thought to be a feature and not a business, messaging apps have seen a meteoric rise to popularity over the past decade. There’s WeChat in China, KakaoTalk in South Korea, and now TelloTalk in Pakistan. Founded in 2017, TelloTalk has seen remarkable growth in recent years thanks to focusing on the unique needs of their local market, per CEO Shahbaz Ali Jamote.

“A key differentiator we’ve found for our company is to be highly localized. From supporting the various regional languages in Pakistan to surfacing all the local services and content, TelloTalk is purpose built for our specific market.” With that as a guiding principle, the company has grown to not only support peer-to-peer communication, but also business-to-consumer.

Once thought to be a feature and not a business, messaging apps have seen a meteoric rise to popularity over the past decade. There’s WeChat in China, KakaoTalk in South Korea, and now TelloTalk in Pakistan. Founded in 2017, TelloTalk has seen remarkable growth in recent years thanks to focusing on the unique needs of their local market, per CEO Shahbaz Ali Jamote.

TelloTalk has emerged as a leading messaging platform in Pakistan by building an experience customized for their local market

The Key to TelloTalk’s Success: Localization 

For being home to the fifth largest population in the world, Pakistan has a comparatively small startup community. That said, the country is hitting an inflection point, with internet and smartphone usage becoming more and more common. It’s not dissimilar to the technology adoption spikes seen in other countries across Southeast Asia, like Indonesia and Vietnam, that led to a wave of high-flying tech startups. Bykea, a Pakistani startup that offers everything from motorbike hailing to delivery of goods, is set to ride that wave in its home country to become the next local tech giant.

“One of the key differentiators we see for Bykea is a focus on being local,” says Founder Muneeb Maayr. “That is showcased in everything from our use of motorbikes for navigating the tight city streets, to having our app support voice interactions because many of our customers cannot spell or type in their own language on a smartphone.” This strategy has proved successful, as Bykea leads in a market where giants like Uber and Lyft have tried to make headway.

<description>For being home to the fifth largest population in the world, Pakistan has a comparatively small startup community. That said, the country is hitting an inflection point, with internet and smartphone usage becoming more and more common. It’s not dissimilar to the technology adoption spikes seen in other countries across Southeast Asia, like Indonesia and Vietnam, that led to a wave of high-flying tech startups. Bykea, a Pakistani startup that offers everything from motorbike hailing to delivery of goods, is set to ride that wave in its home country to become the next local tech giant.</description>

By heavily focusing on its local market, Bykea has been able to stave off competitors and looks to be the next Pakistani tech giant

Building One of the Tech Giants of Tomorrow in Pakistan

Looking back on the past decade, one of the most notable shifts has been the rapid spread of mobile technology, especially in Southeast Asia. But while consumers and startups were quick to make that shift, older companies found it difficult to quickly pivot to the new standard. Jirnexu was founded to bring those two parties together, specifically in the financial services sector.

“Having moved back home to Malaysia in 2010 after ~15 years living abroad, I had to go through the process of restarting my personal financial life,” says CEO Yuen Tuck Siew. “The process was extremely manual, often requiring me to physically go to a branch to get any service.” Jirnexu bridges that gap between existing providers and consumers, offering an easy way to find and buy financial services straight from your mobile device.

<description>Looking back on the past decade, one of the most notable shifts has been the rapid spread of mobile technology, especially in Southeast Asia. But while consumers and startups were quick to make that shift, older companies found it difficult to quickly pivot to the new standard. Jirnexu was founded to bring those two parties together, specifically in the financial services sector.</description>

From banking to insurance to credit cards, Jirnexu offers an easy way for any person to find and buy financial services directly from their phone

Taking a Mobile-first Approach to Democratizing Financial Services in ASEAN

They say that with startups, timing is everything. Being early, or late, is the same as being wrong. This year has brought about more change than we can count, but with change comes opportunity for some. And for Johnny Boufarhat and the team at Hopin, the worldwide move to remote conferencing as a result of the pandemic accelerated a trend that they had seen coming for years.

“I initially built Hopin to scratch a personal itch,” says Boufarhat. “I was stuck at home with an autoimmune disease, but still wanted to connect with people, network, and attend events, not unlike the situation many around the world find themselves in today.” Listen to this episode to hear how Boufarhat tested his MVP, applied lessons from previous startups, and navigated the journey from launch to leading a team of now 150+ at Hopin.

<description>They say that with startups, timing is everything. Being early, or late, is the same as being wrong. This year has brought about more change than we can count, but with change comes opportunity for some. And for Johnny Boufarhat and the team at Hopin, the worldwide move to remote conferencing as a result of the pandemic accelerated a trend that they had seen coming for years.</description>

What led Hopin founder Johnny Bourfat to launch a virtual events platform years before the pandemic hit, and lessons learned along the way

The Journey to Launching a Virtual Events Platform Years Before the Pandemic Hit

Get the inside view from startup founders across the globe who reveal the tools that work, the leadership practices that make a difference, and the lessons you can only learn by building a company. And one more thing, what startup jockeys do with a very rare item – their downtime.

The AWS Startup Podcast

Details

Recent Episodes