Entrepreneurial Appetite

The Scholist App: Abidemi Awojuyigbe's Journey to Entrepreneurial Success

August 19, 2024 Abidemi Awojuyigbe Season 5 Episode 37

What if securing over $200,000 in scholarships was just the beginning of an inspiring journey? Join us as we sit down with Abidemi Awojuyigbe, a Nigerian-born graduate of Prairie View A&M and prize winner of the Black Ambition Contest. Abidemi shares her incredible story of overcoming the financial hurdles international students face, and how her relentless pursuit of scholarships not only funded her education but also ignited her passion for helping others through the creation of the Scholist App.

Moving from the University of Houston to Prairie View A&M University, Abidemi discovered a unique landscape of opportunities specifically designed for students of color. We delve into the innovative programs like HBCUvc and Black Ambition that provide unparalleled support for HBCU students and graduates. Abidemi opens up about how these programs helped her excel in her entrepreneurial journey, and we discuss the strategic advantages that HBCUs offer over less prestigious PWIs, especially in fields like engineering and science.

In our conversation, we explore the game-changing features of the Scholist App, from its snooze function for scholarship reminders to its marketplace for personalized scholarship consultants. Abidemi's dedication to making educational opportunities accessible to all students, including undocumented, non-traditional, and transfer students, is truly inspiring. We also highlight the vibrant culture of innovation and entrepreneurship at HBCUs, particularly at Prairie View A&M University, and how these institutions are nurturing the next generation of successful entrepreneurs. Don't miss out on this empowering episode filled with insights and inspiration!

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Langston Clark:

What's up everybody? My name is Langston Clark. I'm the founder and organizer of Entrepreneur Appetite, a series of events dedicated to building community, promoting intellectualism and supporting Black businesses. And today we have Abedemi Awojuyigbe who is a graduate of Prairie View A&M, who also participated in the Black Ambition Contest and she was a prize winner, and she is the founder of the Scholar's Scholars App. And so, before we get into this interview, I have to mention that the first person I interviewed, who is, I guess, maybe a generation I would say half a generation younger than me, was a graduate of an HBCU who was a founder, was Anastasia Jackson, and she was the founder of we.

Langston Clark:

Knight has been critical. Connecting me with all of these younger HBCU alum who are doing really good things in terms of pouring back into the communities that we come from with their innovative approaches to tech startups, and so Abidemi is one of those people. And I have to give Anastasia a shout out because she's the person who connected me with Abidemi. And so, abidemi, before we get started into talking about the app and your journey, tell us a little bit about your story, like how did you become who you are and get to the point of doing the amazing things that you're doing?

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

Yeah, thank you, Langston. A little bit about me. So I'm actually Nigerian. So I did come from Nigeria into the US at 16 to study chemical engineering. So I'm actually an engineer, my background is chemical engineering. So I'm actually an engineer, my background is in engineering.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

So when I came to the US, it was so something a lot of people don't know about being international being an international student is that you don't qualify for like FAFSA and we also pay out-of-state tuition. So out-of-state tuition is like three times the amount of like in-state tuition or normally like we pay like international tuition, so we do like three times yeah, three times the amount of out-of-state tuition. So that was like it was just a lot and for me I was fine. I would look for scholarships and I just felt like there was nothing out there for me because everything would say like US citizen, prominent resident, like nothing was really saying like international student. So I can't lie.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

There was a day like I was very defeated. I remember calling my friend and I was just crying. I'm like, oh my gosh, because I am an overachiever and it's just. It's hard when you can't figure out how you're going to pay your tuition. You know there's nothing out there for you. And then, after talking to my friend, my mindset changed. Like for me, it was like no, I'm not going to let the situation happen to me, I'm going to rise above the situation. And after that I started applying scholarships. Every day I was applying Scholarship application became a hobby for me.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

I was applying it like for every week, and I also have this motto that I use till this day Apply even if you don't qualify. Every time, even for Black Ambition, I went into that mindset apply even if you don't qualify. And that really allowed me to receive over 60 scholarships totaling $200,000. And I really started helping other students do the same. After I got all that money, I was able to pay my tuition. I didn't know what to do in my life anymore Because, remember, a scholarship application was a hobby for me and I was like, what am I going to do?

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

Instead of helping other people, I would send them scholarships to group me, to emails, and they would get the scholarships. Like after like, talking to me, they would get the scholarships and I'm like, oh my God, I could skill this. There are thousands of students, if not millions of students, that are looking for a way to find scholarship opportunities for them to afford their tuition. So that was how I made schools. I'm absolutely honest, like I, I actually just how it happened was I think it was that I had an interview with Intel. So, remember, I'm an engineer. I had an interview for like after my senior year of college, right as I was about to graduate from Prairie View and they asked me to create a presentation on what I was passionate about. And for me I was like it was really. Sometimes some people take a break, you know, to think about what is their passion, but for me it was a no brainer Scholarships, scholarships was my life. I was doing it every day. I love to apply and I was good at it, and not only like scholarships, but like opportunities. Like I was good at finding opportunities, whether it's jobs. Before I graduated, I had already interned at four companies. Like I'm good at finding scholarships, jobs, fellowships. Like if it's out there, I'll find it. I think so. Like I was really good. So I was like like, yeah, I'm passionate about scholarships, let me make a presentation about scholarships. I created the deck demo, the logo, the domain, all in one day. Literally everything in one day. Everything. Everything happened so fast and all in one day I made everything I. That was how School's App was born. I went to the presentation and I got the job, but I did turn it down. But for me it was like this is what I was made for, this is what I was created for.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

And then I started working on Skolas app as a new founder, to be honest, it's very hard to get resources not really resources, but that community of other founders. Like I felt like I was doing it on my own but because I'm good at finding resources, I found this program called Wix Future Founders, and they kind of taught me how to use Wix to build a website. So if you go to look at School Zap, now that website was created by me, like I, literally with no coding background. Yes, I had a chemical engineering background, but I had no coding background. I did everything the UX design, I used PowerPoint to do that. Like it really was me, like doing things I had never done before. So I joined the Wix program. They taught me how to do that.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

After Wix, I joined another program called Future Founders. That really taught me how to like make a pitch deck, make a pitch pitch to people to get you know, funding, just different, like things that a lot of founders don't know about. After that that, I think that really catapulted me to where I am today. Like I started, I got into like the Clinton Foundation that gave me funding. I got into Techstars, I got into Black Ambition, these, like I was just getting all into all this and I wasn't really surprised that I would get in because I'm good at it. I'm good at finding opportunities, applying and getting into those programs.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

So so for me it was like, yes, I could finally see my talent being. You know work, I'm able to see those resources, get those resources. And I always tell people like you don't have to build your dreams with your money, like there's someone out there that is going to believe in your dreams, is going to help fund your dreams and you can keep going. You know, keep building, keep going. And that really is how I got to where I am today. Like right now, I'm actually also in another program, the Ford Fellowship, where there's funding at the end. But like for me, like right now, I'm just in the stage where I don't do anything that's for free. I don't join any program that wouldn't help with funding. But like I was able to get to that stage because I applied, even if I felt like I didn't qualify. So that really is who I am and how I got to where I am.

Langston Clark:

So let's backtrack because I think it's interesting. I want to make sure I heard the story right. Ok, so you finished college. You apply for a job at IBM. So your first model sort of pitch for the app was actually for a job but not for your own actual business.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

Yeah.

Langston Clark:

And like I think that's actually really powerful, because I don't know that most people would have answered the question that they asked the same way you did. I think when most people go into a job interview and a job interview asks you like what you're passionate about, what you want to do, they're asking you that in the context of that job right.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

Yeah.

Langston Clark:

And I almost wonder, like what if more people took that question and answered it for lack of a better way, selfishly, and what that would lead them to. And so the question I have is I know that you went through several different incubators or accelerators that taught you how to do your pitch deck and all of that, but how did you know how to design that initial sort of presentation or pitch deck that you did for IBM, even though you didn't take that job?

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

Yeah, for me, like the Intel I funny, you know, just last week I was looking at my Intel deck and it literally looks nothing like my deck today. Like the Intel deck didn't have all those like market size, TAM SOM, you know, all those things that when you're creating a pitch deck would have today. Thing else I want to mention a lot of people don't apply to some of this thing that they're like yeah, I don't have a pitch deck, my pitch deck isn't perfect. Like people see vision. If they see when you send me and they can see the vision in it, they're gonna scoop you up like I don't think you need to have that perfect deck to like apply to this program. So I really you don't. You don't at all like my first program I ever applied.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

So I didn't have the perfect pitch deck. I just took the deck from Intel, the future founders, and they helped me refine my deck. Like every program I go through, my deck is refined. So even I just refined my deck last week just to kind of give you like at every point you get to as a founder, your deck is refined. It's getting better, getting better. Yeah.

Langston Clark:

So it was Intel, not IBM, my bad.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

Intel.

Langston Clark:

Yeah, ok, got it, got it. I'll change that when I do the edit. And I think it's also interesting that you have a story that we oftentimes don't hear, especially in an HBCU story, right, and so the story of the black student who's attending the HBCU but who is an undergraduate student, right, but also an international student. And so can you talk a little bit about, like, what your experience was at Prairie View as someone who came to the States at 16 and being an international student there, but then also maybe talk about the story of going from U of H to PV and what were some of the things behind that?

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

Yeah, I actually went to Purview, I think it was 2018.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

So I transferred from University of Houston. For me, like, the mindset was that I heard that, like HBCUs are really great in terms of opportunities for people of color, like I had friends that were going to U of H to Purview and for me it was like I've gone to a PWI. I mean, university of Houston is a good school, but I was like, okay, if there are other opportunities out there for me as a Black person, as a person of color, why not? So for me, when I transferred to peer review, I really didn't even know what I was going to expect going in Because, to be honest, I had never heard about HBCUs. Remember, I'm international. I had never heard of HBCUs before I went to Purview. So for me, it was just about hearing it from my friends, my other classmates, that I was like, okay, I'm going to check out the school, I'm going to apply. And then I got in and, to be honest, purview was a great school. I'm not even going to lie, I think, in terms of the opportunities that I received, not only as a founder but also as a student At University of Houston.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

Yes, I was getting internships and scholarships, but it kind of like tripled, went to a different level when I went to Purview. It was like all these opportunities that I feel like I didn't have University of Houston there were everywhere. At Purview there were so many opportunities, most especially for students of color. I was getting internships both in the fall as well as the summer. It just kind of gave me an idea of like the plethora of opportunities. Mostly, like the way it's set up is, if you work hard, if you go to the schools, if you see these opportunities, you can apply and they really those opportunities can come to you. You If I. That makes sense. So for me I really enjoyed my time at Prairie View. It really set me up for where I am today because I think, yes, I already had the drive to like apply, find opportunities.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

But when I got to Prairie View and I saw all those opportunities, I think it's flipped something in my mind Like if something was like yeah, this is it, like I can help people find this opportunity, I can bring more awareness to these opportunities. And yeah, that was kind of how it happened. Even, like in Pervia, I was getting scholarships all the time, like I got a lot of scholarships after I transferred as well. It's like thousands like people were just like pouring scholarships in. So it was, it was, it was was a great experience. And then when I graduated, there were programs like HBCU F5 Black Ambition that really like saw HBCU students. I really wanted to help them because HBCU F5 legit they've been monumental in my journey as a founder. Like they really helped me, whether it's I did my first pitch competition in person with them and I was like, oh my god, it made me want to start pitching more. So I think they just really they really help HBCU students as a whole and I'm definitely grateful to them, as well as Black Condition.

Langston Clark:

You know it's interesting.

Langston Clark:

I used to have a beloved mentor at North Carolina A&T who passed away a few years ago.

Langston Clark:

A&t is where I went for undergrad and we would have these like really interesting conversations about Black students choosing to go to PWIs that aren't like the flagship PWI or like the super elite private school, and in that conversation we would say, like you don't go to the mediocre white school over the like the top black school, that's hustling backwards, because if you're a company and you're in Texas and you're looking for engineers, that there are black engineers somewhere, you're probably not going to go to U of H first.

Langston Clark:

You're going to go to Prairie View first, because Prairie View has a track record and a long history of producing outstanding black engineers or scientists or teachers or whatever. And so just from a strategy standpoint, it makes sense because people target those institutions because they know where to go. And so, before we get into talking about the Scholist App, was there anything in particular that happened at Prairie View that prepared you for being a founder, for pitching and things like that? Was there anything in the culture that kind of like helped you shape or frame what the Scholist app would be and how it has evolved to this point?

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

Yeah, I would say like not only getting the opportunities at Purview kind of opened my eyes to like, yeah, people need to be more aware of this opportunities, but also, like I think so Purview has this department I think it's like business and entrepreneurship department that I had a mentor in that department.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

I really was my first ever like because I remember in the earlier time part of this interview I mentioned how it was it was a bit lonesome, not having a community of other founders. So I did sign up for that entrepreneurship mentor and, funny enough, not a lot of people even know about these things. Like people don't know that their school has an entrepreneurship mentor that you can, if you have a business idea, you can go to. So I did go to her and like she helped me like kind of like, bring school this app, figure it out. Like okay, what, like what are the things that we need to build a platform. She really was one of those early people that really helped me, guided me to building schools apps. So I would say like, in terms of Purview helping me, definitely like that entrepreneurship center for sure was of great help to me, and just the opportunities that were available at Purview definitely opened my eyes to the opportunities that are out there for people more than, especially, people of color.

Langston Clark:

Yeah, so let's talk about the Scholist App. Break down what the Scholist App is and how it's different from other.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

Yeah. So I created Schools App really to bridge that gap between opportunity and students. So Schools App is a scholarship platform helping students discover, apply and keep track of scholarships. So what we're providing is a one-stop shop platform. So now, let's say, you need help with your essay, you don't need to go to another platform to get help with essays. Or if you need to speak to other students that are going through the scholarship application process, you don't need to go to another platform like Reddit and post your question and have no one respond. So we really are providing a one-stop platform for personalized scholarship matches, expert coaching, a community where students can get advice and, lastly, reminders. So reminders are something that are really helpful.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

In college, I would always like have a particular Google Chrome extension that I could snooze scholarships for later. Like, let's say, I see a scholarship, I'm like, oh my God, I want to apply for the scholarship, I qualify here, but I don't have time right now because we're all busy college students. I can snooze the scholarship to the weekend, when I have time. So I definitely wanted something like that on our platform. So we do have reminders, where students can get reminded about scholarship opportunities they can snooze up for later and things like that. But yeah, like, the overall goal is really to provide that one-stop platform for all things scholarships.

Langston Clark:

We think a scholarship is something before you go to college and not as something that is continuing. You can continuously apply for scholarships your freshman, sophomore, senior, junior year, fifth year, sixth year, whatever if you need it, and we lose sight of that sometimes 100%.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

I recently got an undocumented student that actually received over 11 scholarships after speaking with me. So for me, like I mentioned earlier, I'm very good at finding opportunities and I see someone's. When I see someone's criteria, I'm like, yeah, these are the scholarships that you need to apply to. So he reached out to me. He was in his junior year and he received 11 in his junior year and he just reached out to me like two weeks ago Can I find scholarships for his senior year? You know so, like there's never. You never stop applying a scholarship unless you're done with school. Then you can start applying for grants, like you never stop applying for scholarships up until you're done with school. So it's a continuous process.

Langston Clark:

Yeah, so one of the things that also stood out to me about the Scholist App was that you had the scholarship consulting that you mentioned, so talk a little bit about that and how that works.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

Yeah, so we have a marketplace. So right now I would always have people reach out to be like oh, do you know, like any scholarship consultant that can help my child, or do you know anyone I can talk to that can help with my essays? So there's so many scholarship coaches out there, like in their little pockets. They're on LinkedIn, they're on Instagram, tiktok, and what our platform does is brings all into our platform. So it's a marketplace.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

So you're a student, you're looking for scholarships. You go to our website, you find scholarship, but you're like I mean, this scholarship seems nice, but I need extra help. I don't know how to go about like applying or I'm just lazy, you know, I don't have the energy to read through it. I just want someone to do it for me. Then you can go into our coach marketplace and book a coach based on your budget. So you're going to have like different coaches, different criterias. If one fits your budget, I'm sure you can probably find like a $50 coach there as well. If you have a coach that fits your budget, you book that coach, you pay, you schedule a meeting with that coach and that pretty, that is pretty process of booking a coach and coach actually helping you through the process.

Langston Clark:

I think that's interesting. So not only do you get paired with scholarship, you get paired with the coach who helps you with the process.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

Yeah.

Langston Clark:

I'm thinking about your experience, right, and you talked about how you help this undocumented student find scholarship offers and the way that colleges because I'm a university professor, that's my main job the way that colleges are thinking about students is they're trying to expand their view of who's a potential student, because the pipeline, the population, is decreasing, so they have to expand their definition of who could be someone they're trying to attract.

Langston Clark:

And so I'm wondering about someone like me, right, I wasn't first-gen college student, I wasn't international student, but I was a C student and I, you know, I went to A&T at a time where it was basically open admissions. I had really high SAT scores, but I just I wasn't doing the homework in high school, to be honest with you. And then I also think about, in my own experience, working higher ed, the transfer student like yourself, right. And then I also think about the non-traditional student, someone who's been in the military, someone who's had their career. How would someone who doesn't fit the frame of like who we think the scholarship student is? How do they use or become attracted to the Scholist App?

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

Yeah, it's a good question. I think people have this idea that there's a scholarship student, but there isn't. I mean, that's kind of why I created Schools App. So we really are on a mission to ensure that everyone, regardless of their background, their race, their culture, their whatever they're able to find something on our platform for them. If you go to our social media right now, we post a scholarship for Women's History Month. We post a scholarship for Black History Month. We post scholarships for Veterans Day. We post scholarships for Veterans Day. We post scholarships for Disability Month, like every month, where they're like they're recognizing the US or whatever country. We post scholarships for that.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

So I think the idea of like the scholarship student doesn't exist. Are you a student? There's a scholarship for you. Are you trying to go to school? There's a scholarship for you. Are you trying to go to school? There's a scholarship for you. You just need to know where to look.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

And that's really why we're here to bring visibility to the scholarships. Like, every day, I'm seeing scholarships. So I'm also on Reddit, so I'm always seeing someone like oh, I'm this, how do I find some scholarships for me? And then Reddit if you respond, they block you. So it's kind of like it's very annoying, but that's kind of also why I'm creating this platform so where we have a community where people feel like they can ask their questions, they won't get like blocked after a number of questions they ask, or like people just feel free to like ask questions, get help for the scholarship. You can ask the coach questions, you can find scholarship, personalized scholarships for you.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

Like I created this platform because I understand I went through it. So I think, in terms of the best person to help people find scholarships, it really would be me, because I need to just do it for myself. I've done it for thousands of students. I've helped thousands of students get scholarship and I love it. Like I love applying. You know I'm good at what I'm'm doing. I do, but that's something that I'm very proud of. Like when someone is, you know, when you know your talent and you're good at something, you just it shines through and, like when I was done with college and I was done applying for scholarships, I said I'd go into grants and I get. Like right now I've had over like 13 grants just to give you an idea of like how good I am at applying. You know what I mean.

Langston Clark:

So yeah, so you talked about, like you alluded to some of like I don't know, maybe loneliness is too strong of a word, but like community and finding a community of founders and things like that. So talk about how that's maybe potentially developing for you. Like, is that something that you've cultivated, having gone through all of these programs like Black Ambition and some of the other ones, and what does that look like for you in terms of being in community with other folks who have graduated from HBCUs, who are founders?

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

100% Like. I cannot stress this enough Joining accelerator programs like even if you just join one is very important because it's not only do they help you with the skills, that community like my first community was the future founders community, so this day they send us like opportunities to apply for grants, to apply for accelerator programs, to join like that community is very important. You can easily ask questions like, okay, I need help with this, and someone's ready to jump in and help you. Even like my tech stars community. I think when we meet up, when we're in each other's cities, you know there's a constant community where it's not just one time but it's like we're constantly helping each other grow Even Black Ambition. Every time someone's always texting in the group chat like okay, like who needs help with this, or these are some. These are good resources to have.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

I think my community 100% has developed since I started. I think I really built that community of other founders, not just founders of color, but in different demographics, like different communities I've created I've been a part of since I started my journey as a founder and I think Accelerator Programs definitely has been the way I've done it. Maybe other people have done it in different ways. But really for me, accelerator Programs have really helped me cultivate my community and grow my community, for sure.

Langston Clark:

I'm going to have a thought that I want to share with you, because, you know, we talked about how the demographic that universities want to attract has to expand, given the decline in the population, and I'm always wondering do you see Scholars as a resource for universities and do you see them as potential partners and people who would pay for the service of the app, and what might that look like in the future, if it's not too early to spoil you know, I don't know 100 percent.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

That is the goal, because we want schools to be accessible and affordable, right?

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

So if universities are like, yeah, like our students, where our retainment numbers are going down, our attraction numbers are going down as well, our attraction numbers are going down as well, how can we partner with schools to help our students get scholarships? Because, yes, universities do provide scholarships, but there are also outside scholarships that can help their students or incoming students with paying tuition, avoiding them from going into debt, because that's all I mean. Some universities probably don't really care if their students go into debt, but the ones that do and feel like it's important, we are going to act as that, like guidance and that help, and we also our plan really is to also with high schools as well like maybe we could potentially partner with high schools to help their outgoing class, outgoing seniors, with finding scholarships. That is also in the works as well. We've been in talks with some high schools, some charter schools. We have some conversations with universities, but we're always happy to connect with more universities. If you can connect us with more, and that's also that would be great as well.

Langston Clark:

Another question I want to ask is related to HBCUs creating like cultures and an ethos of innovation and entrepreneurship. And so, given that you've been in Black Ambition HBCU circles with other HBCU founders and things like that, as you peer into the future, how do you see like HBCUs, like Prairie View, sort of adopting what Black Ambition is doing and creating that space on campus for students to do what you've done with the Scholist App ?

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

Yeah, I already see it happening. I think HBCU FI they've been really monumental, most especially Prairie View. Like every week now I see Prairie View sending emails about entrepreneurship. That wasn't there when I was a student. Like those like pitch competitions none of that was there when I was a student. So it was really nice to see that they're cultivating talent early. You know, I think they're already doing that Like maybe there could be more, like more. They could do a hundred percent, but they're already having those things Like.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

I really liked the pitch competition ideas as well, because there are so many students that in this HBCUs that have ideas they just don't know if they're viable ideas. So it would be nice to have like panel judges, kind of like what's the word? Judge their ideas and like give them feedback and things like that. So I really see as because I'm not the only HBCU founder so many HBCU founders that are doing great things and I think it's very important that HBCUs showcase that.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

You know, here are some of our past students that are doing great things. Here's how you can connect with them. They can call us as well to judge competitions, just things like that, where they really I don't think a lot of HBCUs are doing this, but they're in touch with their alumni, founders, so that they build, because you never know like someone can reach out to me and be like, oh, how can I help her view entrepreneurship class or entrepreneurship programs. So I think it's very important that HBCUs start connecting with their alumni that are founders, just so that we can build those relationships and see how and how they can help us as well.

Langston Clark:

Yeah, I know I kind of blew past it, but I didn't forget you talking about the connections with the universities and stuff, so I'll be mindful of that as I think about, like, what's happening, you know, in the circles that I run and outside of the podcast and whatnot. I did not prep you for this question, but I'm going to ask it anyway, and so anytime I end the podcast, I always end with this final question, because we have roots as a book club, actually, and so I was wondering if you could share a book that you read or a book that you're currently reading that has inspired your journey as an entrepreneur.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

Yeah, I'm not going to lie, I'm not a book reader. Like, I'm not going to say like I actually don't like reading books which is very weird because a lot of entrepreneurs do but more like a podcast, more like a YouTube video. So I follow a couple of like like Lenny's newsletter videos. There's how I built this, by a guy.

Langston Clark:

Listen how I built is money.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

Yeah, those are like when I'm working out. Those are the things I listen to, like for me, those really have helped me. I also follow this Medium newsletter Entrepreneur Handbook Entrepreneurship Handbook Really good. They're always posting things like about like market size pitch, like. Those are how I learned like I don't read any book, you know, like I mean, I like I learn from quick information. Maybe it's because my brain is like I need quick information.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

So right now is really has been a lot of youtube videos, a lot of, as well as a lot of newsletters. So I also follow a lot of venture capital firms that also share resources. So they have really truly helped me understand, as a founder, what I need to know. There's so many resources out there. I can maybe even plug some after I find them, but a lot of venture capital platforms really give you resources based on what you need and what stage you're in as a founder. I know there's this new voices, new letters so amazing. They're always having resources, visible hands that's another one. Really good resources, things to read, opportunities to have. I think those are the things that really helped me as a founder, rather than books, but yeah.

Langston Clark:

Man, that's good. So what I'm going to do is, in the show notes, I'm going to make a list of all the things that you just said for the listeners to kind of check out those resources For sure.

Langston Clark:

So, abedemi, I'm going to tell you this, like I told Leslie Winston, like I told Uthman Aliba Logan, like I told Anastasia Jackson that I'm 40 years old. So what that means well, I'll be 40 this year. So what that means is is that I'm not old, but I'm old enough to look at you and be like you know what. I'm so inspired by this next generation of young brothers and sisters. Man, y'all just make my heart warm, and I remember what old people used to tell me that, and so I just want to share that with you, in that you're younger than I am, but I am inspired by your journey. I'm inspired by the way that you're doing, and I thank you for being a guest on the podcast today.

Abeidemi Awojuyigbe:

Thank you. No, it was a pleasure. This was a great, great time.

Langston Clark:

Thank you for joining this edition of Entrepreneurial Appetite. If you liked the episode, you can support the show by becoming one of our founding 55 patrons, which gives you access to our live discussions and bonus materials, or you can subscribe to the show. Give us five stars and leave a comment.