The Seeds

Genevieve is the Co-Founder of MDaaS Global, a start-up providing convenient, affordable, and high-quality diagnostics and primary care for Africa’s next billion, starting in Nigeria. In this episode, learn how Genevieve immersed herself in the world of public health and noticed one major flaw in the way the system was working. You'll also hear about her experience as a female founder, why having a systems mindset is so crucial, and what it’s like when your partner in business is also your partner in life!

Eva Olbers is the co-founder of STEMgem, a smart-device company dedicated to engaging young women in the STEM fields. Eva is a student at the Harvard Kennedy School, and a winner of the 2018 Harvard President’s Innovation Challenge. Prior to her degree, she worked in the strategy consulting, technology and venture capital space in over 15 countries across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. On this episode, learn from Eva about the exciting new apps girls are making through STEMgem, how friends and connections reappear in your life in surprising ways, and how Eva has managed to learn 7 languages!

Cara Myers is the co-founder of the Mozambique School Lunch Initiative, a comprehensive solution to ending child food insecurity while promoting education, nutrition, and farmer livelihoods. On this episode, hear how the large initiative started out as only a 30-day pilot project, the benefits and challenges of cross-sector collaborations, particularly working with a post-communist government, and also how Cara’s go-getter attitude is manifested in all of her life endeavors, including being a polyglot and an iron woman!

Meghan McCormick lives and breathes entrepreneurship. As the CEO and co-founder of OZÉ, she is combining her strong business background and passion for increasing financial opportunities in emerging markets. Meghan first co-founded Dare to Innovate, francophone Africa’s most active social business accelerator. The team then developed an OZÉ app to support the entrepreneurs they were working with, which then became a viable company of its own. On this episode, Meghan explains the pivotal service OZÉ, provides, hurdles they’ve had to surmount working across sectors, cultural and regional considerations for scaling up, and what motivates her to put in the long hours every day for this cause.

Emma Morse is Manager of Strategic Initiatives for Accion’s Global Advisory Solutions, which provides strategic and operational support to financial service providers around the globe to meet the financial needs of underserved individuals and small businesses. A former Fulbright Scholar, she has worked in Tanzania, Jordan, Kenya, and Uganda and holds a Masters degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

On this episode, I discuss with Emma the importance of financial inclusion in promoting global health, trends in digitization and mobile money in East Africa, as well as when to be wary of technology going too far. 

Welcome to the Seeds: Growing Ideas into Impact, hosted by Julia Bunte-Mein. The show highlights social innovation, for-profit-for-purpose business, and sustainability all through the lens of inspiring leaders.

Julia is an undergraduate at Harvard University.