Joyce Mbaya (#037)
None of us can comprehend what we are truly capable of and that’s why we should not settle
Company: Zydii
Headcount: 7
Stage: Pre-Seed
Warm intro from Layla Li (#027)
Tell us your story
I’m outgoing, super-energetic and passionate about people. Extroverted and Intuitive. An ENFJ type. I studied Computer Science and Mathematics in the US, then came home to Nairobi, Kenya to apply the skills I learnt.
I began by developing and launching mobile tech products at the top telco in the country, Safaricom. I was also part of the African version of the TV show ‘The Apprentice’ which led me to discover my natural talent and calling: training and empowering others.
I decided to leave corporate life and begin my entrepreneurial journey as a trainer and consultant. I published a book “imaGine, BElieve, BEcome” which was based on a framework I created. This training company was what I eventually scaled to become my workforce and upskilling tech start-up. What I do combines the two things that I love and I do best: training and empowering others, and developing tech products.
Tell us a story that has really resonated with you
The story of Neo in the movie, ‘The Matrix’, is an all time favourite.
It feels like my work with Zydii in some ways! What we do is really about unplugging people from the modern day matrix, which consists of a lack of self awareness and a lack of (certain) skills which if possessed could shift the trajectory of people’s lives both in terms of career and more generally. We want to provide this unlock to millions of people in Africa.
As a techie, I also love ‘The Matrix’ because it’s cool. I distinctly remember being in the audience watching the second Matrix movie while on campus in the US, making sense of the entire speech that “The Source” made in one of the final scenes of the movie: it related pretty directly to what I was learning in my Comp Science degree.
What can't you stop thinking about?
As part of our mission to enable affordable workforce upskilling in Africa, I can’t stop thinking about how we can include digitally upskilling care economy workers as we execute our mission.
These are the nannies and the housekeepers. These are workers who are pretty much ignored when it comes to receiving training support, yet they play such a critical role in the society, and are millions in number.
Almost every middle class home in Africa has a nanny or housekeeper that supports the home and this person’s job creates a space for so many women who are primary caregivers in homes to be able to work, earn an income and grow the economy.
If I could tell you just one thing...
Whatever you think you can do and are capable of, whatever you believe you can achieve, still does not come close to what your true potential in this world is.
None of us can comprehend what we are truly capable of and that’s why we should not settle. We should always be in pursuit of our greatest selves.
A little space for shout-outs
Huge shout out to my immediate family - Mr and Mrs Mbaya, Valerie and Carol. I am blessed with the most amazing parents and sisters in the world. They have completely accepted me for who I am and always believed in me, in my vision, and in my journey.
Even when they have seen me go through personal and financial struggles that are part of the entrepreneur’s journey, never once have they asked me to give up, or doubted that I will achieve what I have set out to achieve.
I would also like to shout out Cezanne Maherlai from Uber for believing in us. Uber Kenya was our first major B2B partnership that really got the ball rolling for Zydii, and helped us show the world what we are capable of and why our solution is unique.
If you could get a warm intro to anyone in the world, who would it be and why?
Vishen Lakhiani, Founder of Mindvalley. His personal journey while building Mindvalley has similarities to mine with Zydii (also in terms of the challenges).
We are both authors with a tech background that have similar beliefs around why we do what we do. I’ve been inspired by his story and sometimes feel as though I am following in his footsteps. I believe that one day our visions may meet and align.