In 5 words, what does your company do?
Provide education to children in Tanzania.
What are your goals and how will you get there?
Our venture aims to provide sustainable access to education for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children by creating community farms for caretakers to work on, selling the produce to pay for school fees. We have built 2 poultry farms and currently have 13 caretakers and 56 children enrolled. We hope to expand our farms later this month, allowing us to sell more chickens and more eggs. This increase in profit will allow us to enroll more families, and we hope to be sustainable by the end of this year.
Why have you chosen Baltimore as your startup’s home?
Attending Hopkins, I learned that Baltimore offers a wealth of opportunities for success- from the Johns Hopkins Social Innovation Lab (the mentors, the advisors, bootcamps, contacts, and resources) to work spaces such as Impact Hub, Baltimore has many resources for helping grow social impact ventures- even ventures overseas like mine!
What opportunities make it a good place for growing a business?
Working in the same space as other like-minded people, having connections and resources to a huge social impact network, and many opportunities for growth.
In terms of startups and innovation, what’s one (positive) thing that separates Baltimore from other tech hotbeds?
I personally don’t have any experience in other tech hotbeds, but the network of support that is fostered here in Baltimore seems pretty hard to match. Co-work spaces, impact cohorts, mentors, and the other like-minded people working in the same city all contribute to an overwhelming amount of support, not only for the venture, but for you personally.
If you could give your past self one piece of advice for creating a startup, what would it be?
Remember to take time for yourself! Life gets extremely busy when creating a startup and it’s important to take a step back and make sure you’re prioritizing your health and your wellbeing.
What book are you currently reading?
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, Siddhartha Mukherjee
What innovator do you look up to? Why?
Our director, Alex Riehm, and all of my cohort members in the Social Innovation Lab cohort- they have given me so much advice, support, guidance, and feedback throughout this process, and I don’t know where I would be personally or venture-wise without all of their help.
It’s after a long day of work, and you don’t feel like cooking. What is your go-to Baltimore restaurant?
Papi’s Tacos in Fells Point
What’s your favorite non-work-related thing to do in Baltimore?
Explore restaurants and cafes, finding different study spots in different neighborhoods- it’s nice to take a break from the library!