Quote - “The spirit of Afropolitan, and why I'm so excited about thecommunity that's being built, is to connect one of the most powerfulforces in the world, which is human communities, to the fastestgrowing place in the world, which is the African continent.”The Afropolitan Podcast highlights Afropolitans who embrace theunknown and walk with purpose. Through this podcast, we aim to empowerAfricans in the Diaspora to maximize their potential and contribute tothe development of a vibrant and progressive black community.In this episode, we chat with Daniel Yu, Founder & CEO of Wasoko, atechnology company that is transforming the $600 billion market foressential goods sold through mom-and-pop stores in Africa. Wasokoprovides on-demand ordering, delivery, and financing services to thesesmall retailers. Wasoko's platform enables shop owners to place ordersat any time via SMS or a mobile app, and offers free same-day deliveryof goods directly to their stores. Additionally, Wasoko provides "PayLater" financing options to support the growth of these shops. Thecompany operates in several African countries, including Kenya,Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Côte d'Ivoire, and Senegal, and collaborateswith major companies such as Unilever and Procter & Gamble. Wasoko hasraised over $145 million in equity financing from investors like TigerGlobal and Avenir Growth Capital, making it one of the largest techcompanies in Africa.Daniel Yu is an entrepreneur and software developer with extensiveexperience working and traveling in over 65 countries, primarily inemerging economies such as Africa, the Middle East, Central America,Brazil, Southeast Asia, and China. He is skilled at exploring marketsand building networks to effectively launch technology-drivenbusinesses. Daniel is conversational or fluent in eight languages:English (native), Mandarin, Swahili, Arabic, Spanish, Cantonese,Portuguese, and French.Daniel is passionate about leveraging technology and innovation totransform the retail landscape in emerging economies, empowering smallbusinesses, and making a positive social impact across Africa. Join usas Daniel discusses his journey with Wasoko and the importance ofdigital technology and services to solve Africa’s supply chainproblems.Daniel’s Reading List:1. Doing Good Better: How Effective Altruism Can Help You Help Others,Do Work that Matters, and Make Smarter Choices about Giving Back byWilliam MacAskill - https://amzn.to/41EnFJj 2. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight - https://amzn.to/3IkPMq2 3. Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder - https://amzn.to/455COGn Show Notesan entrepreneurtransform commerce in Africa and tells us the problem it aims to solvecommerce model and what challenges he faced going to marketintegrate in Africa to ensure successful delivery of their chosenofferings and how the process of building in Africa differs from beingin California, where certain aspects are already taken care of, andthe focus is primarily on software developmentcompared to others and the cultural differences experienced in eachcountryyou have to go throughinformed the work he does today