About Kanu
Co-founder and CEO of Speek Health, providing personalised support and community for parents caring for a child that self-harms
2nd time founder, previously built a Med-tech startup
Ex-Director of Data Analytics and Business Intelligence at International SOS
Key ‘a-ha’ moments from this podcast
Being an entrepreneur is not easy, so be clear on WHY you are turning entrepreneur
“I think it’s the most difficult thing I am doing but if it doesn’t connect with your WHY and your reason, you will not be able to take it forward…For me, the corporate space…I somehow found it limiting for myself”
“Know what is the company you want to build, instead of what the world or an investor wants you to build”
Be an opportunist in learning as a founder. Every day is an opportunity to learn from your mistakes, and make small changes
“It’s everyday…this morning I realised that I just brought someone onboard and put them to work right away…and I was like okay I need to change this because it is their first week. There are also changes that you experience in your personality and belief system. Resilience is so important in this business - you build a lot of spiritual elements because it is not easy”
You have to have a positive spin to things that happen…become an opportunist in a way”
If you are a social impact company, consider raising financing from family offices who are increasingly investing in impact-related topics
“[Raising from family offices in the second round] was an intentional decision. We decided that as a social impact company, it is important to focus on the impact / clinical outcomes before focusing on growth. Family offices are great for impact investing”
Entrepreneurship can be lonely - if you like working in teams, having a co-founder help from both a rational and emotional perspective
“Having a co-founder was a conscious choice from an emotional perspective but also from a rational perspective…I needed someone who looks at the business from a different lens and is able to challenge me. Having someone on this journey has pros and cons - co-founding relationships are not easy, but what matters the most is trust, support, and it is very philosophical in so many ways”
Simplicity wins in the early stages of entrepreneurship. Talk to your users, and have a simple funnel (landing page) to draw them in
“Don’t kill yourself on the perfect name, logo, or website. We just built a simple landing page, and posted Meta Ads and we had 20-30 people sign up right after. In our case, because it is a taboo topic, this method worked. But if you are not in a stigma-related topic, the best way is to go out and talk to people”
“Also build your community, where you can find users. Think where your user is, and how you can connect with them”
Kanu’s advice to women who want to build businesses on their own terms
“If it is on your own terms, knowing the terms is important…and that is not easy. Knowing the terms on a regular basis and your negotiation strategy. Know what you are willing to let go. There will be a lot of let gos - your users dictate things, and so do investors. And for that, don’t be shy to speak to other founders and investors….talk to people, do a mini project in the area you are interested in and when the time comes, take the risk!”
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