Our Founder, Leyla F Karaha on her Techstars Startup Week/Weekend journey
YourY Network is a global community of social entrepreneurs and changemakers. Our first event was at the Techstars Startup Week Dublin 2019 and our community has been growing ever since. We are now collaborating with Ennovate Hub and Great Zambezi Initiative to organise the first Techstars Startup Week Dar Es Salaam this Aug 2021. We had a chat with our founder on her Techstars Startup Week journey.
When did you hear about the Techstars Startup Week events?
I came across Techstars Startup Week Dublin in 2018 while I was working on my personal SWOT analysis. I’m more of an introvert so one of my “Weakness” was I had to overcome my discomfort with networking. The only way to do that was for me to start attending a lot of networking events.
The first Startup Week Dublin event I participated in during that week was the #GoingFar event on Migrant Women in Business. I didn’t even have a business idea at the time but I knew that I wanted to start my own business someday. It was a great event, I connected with some amazing women and mentors. It was a great experience for me to become comfortable networking and was a real turning point. I ended up attending a few more events that week during Startup Week Dublin and met lots of amazing people.
How was your experience at the Startup Weekend Dublin Hackathon?
I ended up connecting with someone on the last day of the Startup Week Dublin 2018 and kept in touch on Facebook. This was how I heard about Startup Weekend Dublin hackathon. It was my first ever hackathon I attended. I didn’t know what to expect, I just wanted to meet and connect with new people. I had no plan of presenting my idea. However, early that evening while I was networking, I told people about this idea that I had. I was still insecure talking about it and found it easier one on one.
To cut a long story short, I ended up presenting my idea that evening in front of everyone. For a person who’s not really comfortable with public speaking, I spoke twice in front of the crowd that Friday evening. By the end of that weekend I had spoken publicly 6 times. I had a dynamic team, refined the idea, made a great pitch deck, got a taste of how to manage the team dynamic and we won third place. The experience was priceless. I would highly recommend participating in a hackathon to anyone who would like to start a business someday.
Tell us about our first social entrepreneurs networking event at the Startup Week Dublin 2019
So after the Startup Weekend hackathon that March, I ended up doing more research to develop my idea further. During these few months, I found the journey to be very lonely. By then I was more comfortable networking and was doing a lot in the Dublin tech ecosystem. The best ecosystem to be a part of, I met amazing people, learnt a lot and I was so inspired by everyone’s work. However, as a social entrepreneur, I didn’t fit in. I’m more impact driven and I was longing to belong in a community that gets me. I ended up organising a networking event for social entrepreneurs at the Startup Week Dublin 2019. That experience was a real turning point. I stepped outside my comfort zone and did something that I have never done before. The public interest and the feedback from the attendees really motivated me to keep going and do more events afterwards. A few months later, YourY Network was born. Without knowing it, our first networking event really helped me reconnect with who I was when I was a kid. I loved connecting my friends with my other friends. I lost that when I moved to Dublin as a teenager, but now I get to do it again.
Why did you want to bring Techstars Startup Week/Weekend in Tanzania?
Techstars Startup Week/Weekend Dublin has been a big part of my journey as a social entrepreneur. From having no business idea, to being comfortable talking about my idea, to now. This community has played an incredible part in where I am today. My hope is to do the same to others in Tanzania, a country where I grew up. There are a lot of talented people there who just need a little support to flourish and reach their full potential. I hope that Techstars Startup Week/Weekend Dar Es Salaam will be able to play a small part to facilitate that in the Tanzanian tech ecosystem.
What to expect at the Startup Week in Aug and Weekend Dar this July?
We want to connect the global community with the Tanzanian tech ecosystem and bridge the gap. We will be highlighting the amazing work of Tanzanian tech startups and entrepreneurs. The aim theme for Techstars Startup Week/Weekend Dar 2021 is Women, Youth, Innovation and Investment.
With the Startup Weekend Dar hackathon, we are hoping to join the youth and university students in Tanzania, Ireland and the rest of the world to form teams, collaborate and come up with great business ideas and make new connections.
Any Tanzanian tech founder to keep an eye on?
Ng’winula Kingamkono, founder of Tunzaa. Who also came up with an idea that was like Clubhouse a good few years ago but investment was one of his obstacles to take it further. Africa/Tanzania is full of incredible ideas and creativeness, but one of their obstacles is the lack of investment which can hinder moving them forward.
Techstars Startup Week Dar Es Salaam 2021
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