Grit & Growth
Episodes
Authentic Communication: Live from Stanford Seed Summit in South Africa
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We're excited to bring you a special cross-over episode from our friends at the 'Think Fast, Talk Smart' podcast. Host Matt Abrahams joined us and rec...
Stanford Professors Reflect on Fostering Grit & Nurturing Growth
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s final episode. After five years and 90 episodes, we’ve asked four Stanford GSB professors who teach in the Seed Tra...
Tangguh dan Pertumbuhan: Kisah Singkat
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Perkenalkan Denica Riadini-Flesch, seorang mantan ekonom yang menjadi pengusaha. Ia sedih melihat perjuangan para pengrajin dan petani tradisional di ...
Short Takes: Growing Impact, Stitch by Stitch
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Denica Riadini-Flesch, a former economist turned entrepreneur, who was so saddened by the struggles of traditional artisans and farmers in rural ...
Short Takes: Disrupting African Travel, One Ticket at a Time
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Wyclife Omondi, co-founder of BuuPass, a company committed to tackling one of Africa’s biggest challenges: transportation inefficiency. The sol...
Short Takes: Breaking Barriers with Heavy Machinery
29 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Santhoshi Sushma Buddhiraju, CEO and cofounder of Autocracy Machinery, a heavy machinery manufacturing company located in southern India. The ide...
Short Takes: Building a Health(y) Business in Rural India
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Sumit Sinhal, founder and director of Kin’s Health, a growing healthcare company located in West Bengal, India, at the foot of the Himalayas. W...
Stories Sell: A Masterclass on Building Trust One Tale at a Time
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on sales, featuring Celine Duros, a woman who started her career in sales at 16 and is now both an experi...
Securing Seed Capital: Can You Pass the Napkin Test?
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on the do’s and don’ts of pitching VCs, featuring Zach George, general partner at Launch Africa Ventu...
Leading Through Layoffs: A Masterclass with Esi Ansah
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on downsizing with Esi Ansah, executive director of the Center for Leadership at Ashesi University and fo...
From Downsizing to Thriving: Strategic HR in a Global Context
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on strategic HR with Rokhaya Ndiaye, CEO and founder of Ro&Partners, a human capital consulting firm....
Masterclass on Stanford’s Most Popular Leadership Course
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on leadership with Collins Dobbs, a Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer in leadership and a sea...
From Instinct to Insight: Crafting an Intentional Sales Strategy
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Every entrepreneur understands the critical importance of sales to business success. But often, in the early stages of growth, teams tend to focus on ...
Masterclass: Rule Makers and Rule Breakers in Business Culture
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on cross-cultural dynamics with Michele Gelfand, Stanford Graduate School of Business professor in organi...
Navigating the AI Revolution: Practical Insights for Entrepreneurs
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is AI part of your business strategy? Well, if it’s not, it probably should be. Ethan Mollick, Wharton School professor of innovation and entreprene...
Expanding Globally: A Masterclass with Steve Ciesinski
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on going global – a guide for expanding your business beyond borders. Steve Ciesinski, Stanford Graduat...
Co-Intelligence: An AI Masterclass with Ethan Mollick
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on AI — a practical guide for experimenting and engaging with artificial intelligence. Ethan Mollick, W...
Africa's Economic Horizon: A Conversation with Acha Leke, Chairman, McKinsey Africa
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Acha Leke, senior partner and chairman of McKinsey Africa and co-founder of the African Leadership Academy. Leke has been analyzing the economic ...
From Local Startup to Pan-African Success: The Beem Story
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Starting a business and growing it are challenging enough. But expanding globally, across the entire African continent with 54 very different countrie...
Season 4 Trailer
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Grit & Growth from Stanford Graduate School of Business. In Season 4, you’ll hear tales of entrepreneurial trials and triumphs, ...
Short Takes: Trailblazing the Internet of Things in Bangladesh
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Mir Shahrukh Islam, cofounder and CEO of Bondstein Technologies Ltd. in Bangladesh. He created his IoT, or internet of things, company at a time ...
Short Takes: Where Science Meets Culture
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Raj Prakash, cofounder of Zifo, a science informatics company in India. While growing revenues is on almost every entrepreneur’s mind, Prakash ...
Short Takes: Pioneering a Holistic Approach to Speech Therapy in Kenya
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Grace Macharia, a speech and language therapist and founder of SLT Support in Nairobi, Kenya. She created a social enterprise with a mission to s...
Introducing the If/Then podcast from Stanford GSB
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If/Then is a new podcast from the Stanford Graduate School of Business that we think will be of great interest to Grit & Growth listeners. This ep...
Short Takes: Growing a Family and a Business
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Sakshi Kapahi, head of Omam Consultants, an HR consultancy in India, and a mother on a mission to balance home and work life for herself and her ...
Workplace Friction: How to Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on friction — the good, the bad, and the ugly. Robert Sutton, Stanford professor in the School of Engin...
Fail It 'til You Nail It: Masterclass on Embracing the Upside of Down
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on growth mindset and psychological safety and how they can empower employees to speak up, fail fast, and...
Creating a Culture of Healthy Debate
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Does your company have a culture where people are truly free to speak their minds … without fear of retribution? At the start of the pandemic, Elike...
FLASHBACK | Raising Capital in Africa: It’s Not Just About the Money
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're excited to announce that Stanford Seed has a new advisory board member: Andreata Muforo. We are thrilled to have Andreata on our team! To celebr...
How to "Think Faster and Talk Smarter": a Masterclass with Matt Abrahams
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on spontaneous communication — those unplanned moments when you’re called on in a meeting, asked to g...
The Business of Ending Generational Poverty in India: Haqdarshak!
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Creating a compelling strategy is step number one for every business. But almost no one gets it right on the first try. Aniket Doegar and “Guns” G...
Making Great Strategy: A Masterclass with Jesper Sørensen
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on strategy, featuring Jesper Sørensen’s insights on how to build a strategy for success and accept th...
Unleashing the Power of Market Creation
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Almost every entrepreneur dreams of becoming a market leader. But a business's greatest potential for success happens with market creation. Andela, le...
Executive Coaching: Why Entrepreneurs Shouldn’t Go It Alone
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on coaching, featuring Laurie Fuller, a certified executive coach, who believes entrepreneurs can benefit...
Taking a Stand with Your Brand: Genderless Fashion in Africa
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In Africa, as in the rest of the world, gay rights is a deeply divisive issue and queer people often face discrimination and violence. Wandia Gichuru,...
Strategy: It’s the Big Bets that Matter
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Do you have a strategy? Or do you just have a plan? Understanding the difference and how to define and execute on both is essential to transforming yo...
Executive Coaching: From Self-Doubt to Self-Awareness
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Entrepreneurs aren’t meant to solve all their business problems alone, but all too often they try. Kunaal Rach, CEO of Healthy U, was no exception …...
Pivot, Adapt, Grow: Building a Fashion Brand in Kenya
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Starting a business is hard enough. But growing it can be exponentially harder — especially when crossing borders and continents and in a business a...
Short Takes: Sweet Success – Can you build an ice cream unicorn in India?
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Gaurav Khemani, CEO of Prestige Ice Creams based in Kolkata. Faced with COVID-19 shutdowns, a cyclone, supply chain pains, and more, Khemani beli...
Short Takes: From Farms to Forks
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Delia Stirling, commercial director of Brown’s Food Co. in Nairobi. She and her team are on a mission to spark consumer demand for foods made f...
Short Takes: Bringing Affordable Medical Imaging to Botswana
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Nita Bhagat, a hotelier turned owner of Village Imaging, a radiology practice in Botswana. Hear how her father’s struggle with cancer led her b...
Short Takes: Bringing Safe Water to Rural India
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Divya Yachamaneni, CEO of Naandi Community Water Services, a for-profit social enterprise bringing safe drinking water to rural communities acros...
Customer Psychology: Why Don't People Buy Your Stuff?
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on marketing, featuring Jonathan Levav, Stanford Graduate School of Business professor of, you guessed it...
Marketing: Who are Your ACTUAL customers?
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How do you market your product? And who are you marketing to? Those two questions go hand in hand as Nick Musyoka of Sonar Imaging Center learned. Hea...
Navigating Corruption: A Case Study from India
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Is it possible to be virtuous in a sea of corruption? Indian entrepreneur Rajah Koppala of Avis Vascular Centers is trying to do just that. Hear how h...
Bribes, Kickbacks, “Commissions”—Oh My! Dealing with Corruption at Your Business
08 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Corruption is an unfortunate fact of business life. How can you remain ethical and still survive when it seems that everyone else is playing the game?...
Survival and Growth: Franchising in Africa
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What are the obstacles and opportunities of franchising in Africa? While this business model is still in its infancy there, entrepreneurs like Grace M...
Latest Insights on Driving Business Growth
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on the effectiveness of small business interventions in emerging markets — with hard data to back it up...
It Starts With You: Evolving Your Leadership as Your Company Grows
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What kind of people and culture do you want in your company? How will you engage with employees and lead effectively? And how do you figure all that o...
Scaling Your Business: It’s All About The People
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What’s the greatest resource for a fast-growing company? If you answered human resources, you’ve got a great head start on scaling for success. Sa...
Masterclass: Find The Best People...& Keep Them
30 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on talent — finding it and keeping it — featuring Claudia Salvischiani, an expert on all things ...
Changing Lives, Organizations and the World: Dean Jon Levin, Stanford Graduate School of Business
16 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Jon Levin, dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, economics professor, and eternal optimist. Hear his thoughts on the business world, ...
Franchising in India: Learning the Hard Way
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Franchises are taking over the world, from fast-food restaurants to furniture outlets. While they may seem like a simple, risk-free way to expand your...
Fundraising: It’s a Marathon not a Sprint
19 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s retrospective on a topic that’s on every entrepreneur’s mind: money! Hear from startup and early stage investors ...
Solving Important Problems
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Creating a startup is challenging enough. So, when you want that startup to also address social problems, the pressure on entrepreneurs to succeed and...
It's Not Just a Man's World
21 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
To submit a story for our episode on corruption, send a voice memo to Stanford Seed via WhatsApp at +1(650) 206-3055.Women represent about 50% of the ...
Negotiation: When to Stay and When to Walk Away
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Negotiation is at the heart of almost every business transaction — whether working on terms with potential investors or communicating with colleague...
A Conversation with Nigerian Businessman & Philanthropist, Tony Elumelu
24 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The deadline to apply for our 2023 Seed Transformation Program is June 1st! To find out more, visit: stanfordseed.co/applyMeet Tony Elumelu, a Nigeria...
Masterclass on Effective Corporate Governance
10 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on corporate governance, featuring Alexey Volynets of International Finance Corporation. From what struct...
Brain Trust: Making a Great Advisory Board
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Is it time to consider an advisory board? And if so, why? What skills do you need? And how do you find the right people who are willing to help? Aashi...
The Psychology of Power & Influence
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on power, featuring Dr. Deborah Gruenfeld, Stanford Graduate School of Business professor of organization...
The Big Picture: Hakeem Belo-Osagie on African Entrepreneurship
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What are the unique challenges facing the African entrepreneurial ecosystem? How is the rapid growth of fintech startups impacting the Nigerian econom...
Season 2 Trailer
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Grit & Growth from Stanford Graduate School of Business. We’re tackling the complex issues facing entrepreneurs who are building...
Season 1 “Aha” Moments: The Entrepreneurs Who Made Us Think
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After a year of Grit & Growth podcasts, Darius Teter, our host and executive director of Stanford Seed, looks back on his conversations with intre...
Profiles of Purpose: A Tough Nut to Crack
01 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Profile of Purpose: A Tough Nut to CrackMeet Frank Omondi, wildlife biologist turned entrepreneur. As CEO, he took Ten Senses Africa, a Kenyan produce...
Profiles of Purpose: Clear As Water
15 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Samuel Appenteng, managing director of Joissam Ghana, a company working to make clean water more accessible to rural communities in West Africa. ...
Profiles of Purpose: The Boy from the Streets
01 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Afolabi Abiodun, founder and CEO of SB Telecoms and Devices, a company creating HR solutions for small and medium businesses in Nigeria and acros...
Profiles of Purpose: What About My People?
18 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Lerang Selolwane, co-founder of Lucient Engineering, a company that’s bringing water, power, roads, and rail to the people of Botswana. By cons...
Profiles of Purpose: A Fundamental Right
04 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Sriram Gopal, founder and CEO of Future Farms, a hydroponics company on a mission to deliver clean, healthy food to all Indians. With a trillion ...
Profile of Purpose: Making a Difference
21 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Wandia Gichuru, CEO and co-founder of Vivo Activewear, a Kenya-based fashion brand made for the modern African woman. In an industry dominated by...
From Informal Markets to E-commerce: The Jumia Story
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How do you convince Africans — both buyers and sellers — to move from informal outdoor markets to e-commerce? Juliet Anammah of Jumia Group is up ...
The Future of Debt: Can Fintech Fill the Gap?
30 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How can small businesses gain access to the working capital they need? Zach Bijesse of Payhippo and Tunde Kehinde of Lidya are trying to figure it out...
Profile of Purpose: Flowers in the River
16 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Ankit Agarwal, Founder of Phool, a flower recycling business based in Kanpur, India. By collecting waste flowers from temples and converting them...
Profile of Purpose: One Stitch at a Time
02 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Linda Ampah, founder of KAD Manufacturing and a fashion brand called Cadling Fashions based in Ghana. Linda’s entrepreneurial journey has had a...
Masterclass on Communicating with Confidence
19 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on communicating with confidence, featuring Matt Abrahams, Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer ...
Communicating Your Big Idea
05 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Martin Stimela, CEO of Botswana-based Brastorne Enterprises, and Matt Abrahams, Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer and communications ...
It's All in Your Head: Masterclass on Thriving in Turbulent Times
21 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on crisis management and mindset, featuring Baba Shiv, Stanford Graduate School of Business Professor of ...
Rising from the Ashes: Reflections on Resilient Leadership
07 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Kwami Williams, co-founder and CEO of MoringaConnect, and Brian Lowery, Stanford Graduate School of Business professor, to learn how one Gha...
Masterclass on The Ins & Outs of Mergers & Acquisitions
24 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on the ins & outs of mergers & acquisitions in Africa, featuring Victor Basta CEO of DAI Magister...
The Moment Chooses You: The Strategic Acquisition Journey
10 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Caroline Wanjiku, cofounder of Daproim Africa, and Victor Basta, CEO of DAI Magister, and learn how one intrepid Kenyan entrepreneur overcame adv...
Masterclass on India’s Venture Capital Ecosystem
27 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on the investment landscape in India, featuring Sandeep Singhal, Managing Director of Nexus Venture Partn...
Successfully Raising Capital in India in a Sector Where No One Has Raised Capital Before
13 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Aditi Shrivastava, Cofounder and CEO of digital entertainment company Pocket Aces, and learn how the company identified investors to support them...
Raising Capital in Africa: It’s Not Just About the Money
29 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Elo Umeh, Managing Director and CEO of Terragon Group, a Nigerian digital marketing and data insights company, and Andreata Muforo and Ido Sum fr...
East-meets-West: An African Strategic Acquisition Story
15 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Adam Abate and Tayo Oviosu from Paga, and Victor Basta, CEO of DAI Magister, and hear about the hurdles and high points of an East-meets-West Afr...
Masterclass on Running a Family Business
01 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on the complexities and opportunities of running a family business, featuring Peter Francis, Stanford Gra...
All in the Family; Managing a family business for success and succession
18 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Naomi Kipkorir and Annette Kimitei, the mother-daughter team leading Senaca East Africa, and Peter Francis, lecturer at Stanford Graduate School ...
Special Episode: Crisis in India - Managing a Healthcare Operation During COVID
11 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Hear the story of Dr. Shuchin Bajaj, a doctor, and entrepreneur who set out to provide affordable, quality health care in rural India and found himsel...
Masterclass on Early-Stage Financing
04 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on raising capital, featuring Zach George, general partner at Launch Africa Ventures and co-founder of St...
Early-Stage Financing
20 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Arun Iyer, CEO of Alpha Direct Insurance Company, and Zach George, general partner at Launch Africa Ventures, and learn what it takes to transiti...
Mindful Leadership
20 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Faraz Ramji, founder of Norda Industries and Mindfulness Coach, and Dr. Leah Weiss, Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer, to hear why mi...
Navigating a Business Through Crisis
20 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Likitha Maddukuri, CEO and co-founder of Terra Greens, and Baba Shiv, Stanford Graduate School of Business Professor of Marketing, and hear how u...
Introducing: Grit & Growth
09 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Introducing: Grit & Growth with Stanford Graduate School of BusinessIn this new podcast from Stanford Graduate School of Business, travel across A...