Lucy is a law graduate from London. Her team Meet Me There created a traveller's community platform to help UK African Diasporans connect and meet with Ghanaians when travelling back to Ghana.
I’d heard about Foundervine through social media and was impressed by the team’s mission. For such a long time I’d wanted to attend an event but tech was so new to me. I was scared that I’d be the odd one out or the non-techie with no idea what was going on. But my friend Gartfield encouraged me to come along to Startup 54 and even purchased my ticket so I had absolutely no excuse.
Connected by passion
On day one we arrived late due to work commitments. As I sat there listening to Mariana Graça speak about the startups on the African continent already generating amazing solutions I was fascinated, overwhelmed and anxious all at once at the prospect of coming up with a cutting edge idea. However, as the night went on I found myself getting more relaxed and began to converse with other attendees. Surprise, surprise they were normal human beings with different interests and careers. Not all technological whizzes as I’d anticipated.
The common interest we all shared was a passion for contributing to change in Africa. That was a turning point which really shaped the rest of my weekend. I was fortunate enough to have people believe in me and support my idea. Over the next few days, I worked diligently and took every chance possible to connect with other great minds. I enjoyed every minute of the 54 hours (maybe 52 as I was late…) thinking and problem-solving.
Join the Vine Community
Whether you’re new to the startup and tech sphere or you’re just passionate about creating and connecting with others I’d encourage any and everyone to attend a Foundervine event and become a part of the Vine Community. Along the way, I documented my journey on social media. So many people commented about how great the event looked and how they’d wished they’d attended. Over the weekend it became evident just how committed Foundervine are to addressing the lack of diversity in tech. The community they’ve established and are continuing to build is exceptional! The brief talk from Rich Serunjogi founder and CEO of Business Score, who had attended Startup 54 the year before really highlighted how one can take an idea from its inception and bring it to life with the right environment and support.
Attending Startup 54 was an enriching experience. It was refreshing to meet other people with a desire to drive change and create lasting solutions for the African continent. It’s clear that the Foundervine team have taken care and spent an ample amount of time curating a community that allows underrepresented groups to have an opportunity to utilise tech.