About Us
EMPOWERING AN ENTREPRENEURIAL AFRICA
New Scholars is a not-for-profit global development organization that places entrepreneurs in Africa to help early stage entrepreneurs start, grow and expand locally run businesses. Think of it as a Peace Corps for Entrepreneurs.
Unlike the Peace Corps, New Scholars is focused on jumpstarting economies from within using market-based solutions. Our model addresses—then bridges—knowledge and funding gaps that exist for early stage entrepreneurs in the developing world.
New Scholars is currently focused on empowering entrepreneurs in East Africa to not only jumpstart their economies, but the World’s newest country – South Sudan.
WORLD BANK: “Given proper training, access to credit and the most business-friendly environment, youth entrepreneurship across Africa can unleash the economic potential of young people and provide living alternatives for many job creators waiting to be discovered.”
The impact in one year: New Scholars…
- Organized three entrepreneurial bootcamps in Kenya;
- Lead by the founders and 14 investors, executives & entrepreneurs;
- Reaching 100+ African entrepreneurs;
- Resulting in five viable business plans currently being incubated.
FOUNDERS:
New Scholars was founded by Garang Akau—one of the original “Lost Boys of Sudan” who was in the documentary and the only Lost Boy to graduate from Stanford University, and Darius Golkar, an entrepreneur since age 13 who founded three companies—and sold one—before the age of 25.
ADVISORY BOARD:
Business, Leadership & Entrepreneurship
ARCH MEREDITH
Arch Meredith is Managing Partner of Kite Hill Capital, a private venture capital firm . Arch is also a Founder of the Chroma Group, which developed patented software technology for pattern recognition and visualization, and he manages Chroma Group equity interests. One of Chroma’s affiliates is applying the technology to find subtle patterns in seismic data that are diagnostic of oil and gas, another is using it to help radiologists screen for colon cancer in CT data (for virtual colonoscopies), and a third is using it to find new indications for existing drugs. Previously, Arch was Founder & CEO of TeleTix, which developed the first networked, self-serve kiosks in cooperation with Hewlett-Packard. He is a graduate of Stanford University and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
GINA BIANCHINI
Gina Bianchini is an executive in residence at the Andreessen Horowitz venture firm and co-founder and former CEO of Ning, which she started with Marc Andreessen.
Prior to Ning, Gina was the Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Harmonic Communications (acquired by Dentsu). She also worked as Director of Business Development and Investor Relations at CKS Group and as a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs.
She holds a B.A. from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from Stanford Business School.
MICHAEL MARKS
Michael Marks is a founding Partner of Riverwood Capital. Prior to establishing Riverwood, he was a Partner and Senior Advisor at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. in 2006 and 2007. And before KKR, he spent 13 years as CEO of Flextronics International Ltd. and built the company into one of the largest technology companies in the world. He was also Chairman of Flextronics from 2006 to 2007. As its CEO, Michael led Flextronics as it increased annualized revenues from approximately $93 million to approximately $16 billion, while establishing operations in over 35 countries and integrating over 100 acquisitions. As Chairman, he helped Flextronics grow to annualized revenues of $36 billion. Electronic Business Magazine named Michael one of the Top Ten Most Influential Executives in Silicon Valley History and CEO of the Year for 2003. Michael earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA and MA from Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. He is a director of SanDisk Corporation, Schlumberger Limited, the V Foundation for Cancer Research (non-profit), the National Parks Conservation Association (non-profit) and more recently, of Aptina Imaging, Virtual Instruments and Calix Networks. Michael is a Lecturer in Operations, Information, and Technology at Stanford Graduate School of Business.
OLIVIA FOX CABANE
An expert at high potential leadership development, Olivia helps people increase their ability to influence, persuade, and inspire others. From a base of thorough behavioral science, she extracts the most practical tools for business; giving her clients techniques she originally developed for Harvard and MIT.
Olivia has lectured at Stanford, Yale, Harvard, MIT and the United Nations; she is a frequent keynote speaker and executive coach to the leadership of Fortune 500 companies. In addition to being a regular columnist for Forbes, she is often featured in media such as The New York Times, Bloomberg or BusinessWeek; and was recently profiled in The Wall Street Journal.
A former Advisory Board Member of Columbia University’s AIESEC Council, Olivia has both French and American nationalities and is fluent in 4 languages. She is the youngest person ever to have been appointed Foreign Trade Advisor to the French Government.
PHILIPPE SUCHET
Philippe is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, HEC School of Management, and ENSAE. He is an entrepreneur, advisor and investor, in internet companies and in real estate. He is currently the CEO and co-founder of Zappli Inc., a provider of mobile-centric solutions. Prior to that, he was the CEO and co-founder of Kefta Inc, a leader in real-time dynamic/behavioral targeting solutions enabling large corporations to optimize customer experience and boost online sales. He and his team founded Kefta in 2000, gained investment from leading VCs/Angels, launched suite of innovative online marketing solutions, signed dozens of Fortune 1000 companies, survived the internet bubble crash and became profitable after a few years. He and his team then sold Kefta in 2007, to Acxiom Corp (ACXM), a global leader in data and multi-channel marketing solutions. Prior to starting Kefta, Philippe worked for the Boston Consulting Group, Goldman Sachs, Abuzz (acquired by the NYT), and Keeboo. and had the chance to live/work in Asia/Europe/US. In addition, Philippe has built and is currently managing a portfolio of residential properties acquired over the last 20 years. In January 2010, Philippe led New Scholars’ first Business Training Workshop for over 50 Sudanese refugees and Kenyans, has seen his and New Scholars’ impact firsthand, and is committed to helping New Scholars grow, scale-up, and magnify that impact in East Africa and beyond.
DR. PRIVHANI BRADOO
Dr. Privhani Bradoo is currently VP of Business Development at Microvi Biotech. Prior to Microvi, she was VP of Business Development at LanzaTech, a bio-cleantech company. She has worked with several startups in the cleantech and biotech space, as well as at the Boston Consulting Group. Dr. Bradoo is a faculty advisor at Singularity University and a Co-Founder of the HBS Green Business Alumni Association. She was founding CEO of Spark and Chiasma, two initiatives focused on promoting entrepreneurship in New Zealand. Of these,Spark has to-date led to the establishment of over 65 start ups, which collectively have raised over $50 million in funding, created over 180 jobs and are now selling into 22 countries internationally. Dr. Bradoo holds a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Auckland and completed her MBA from Harvard Business School as a Fulbright Platinum Scholar.
DR. SILVIA CONSOLE BATTILANA
Dr. Console Battilana is the co-founder of Auctionomics, an auction-design and software firm offering innovative, economically sound solutions to complicated problems. She is a young entrepreneur and economist specializing in game theory and interest groups. She holds a Ph.D. from the Stanford Economics department and has taught graduate students as a Visiting Professor at Bocconi University, as well as speaking at major US universities such as Harvard, Caltech and Berkeley, as well as universities in Turkey, China, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Italy, Messico and Spain. Her co-authors include Harvard Professor Kenneth Shepsle and Stanford Professor Douglas Bernheim, and her entrepreneurial experience began during graduate school, when she successfully started a C-corporation in the higher education industry. Silvia is also very active in the Silicon Valley, organizing networking events that bring together experienced entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, engineers, and start-up rookies.
YASI BAIANI
Yasi Baiani is currently a Venture Associate at VantagePoint Venture Partners, Information Technology Group, focusing on investments in software and Internet/digital media companies. Some of her past investments include Scribd, ChaCha, Phreesia, and Allocade. Prior to joining VantagePoint, Yasi was Financial Analyst in the Technology Investment Banking at Citigroup Global Markets, where she executed a broad range of domestic and global M&A, IPO, and leveraged buyout transactions.
Yasi was also Co-Founder of VentureXchange, a non-profit organization that linked MBA students with some of the most innovative start-ups in Silicon Valley by offering semester-long internships. In addition, Yasi served as a City of Dreams Board Member and led the organization’s fundraising efforts. Yasi is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where she obtained a bachelor of science in Business Administration. She will pursue an MBA at Harvard Business School, starting Fall 2011.
Africa
EVANS NJORO
Evans has more than 14 years experience in the development and education of youth, program management, advocacy, fundraising and resource mobilization, strategic leadership, business development, small business management consulting and social entrepreneurship.
Since his high school years, Evans has nurtured a unique interest in the empowerment of youth. He has grown to become a social change agent with solid experience in the development and education of youth in entrepreneurship, livelihoods, workforce preparation and financial literacy.
He is the Founder of Futures Infinite Ltd. Until recently, he was the Regional Director, Eastern & Southern Africa, for JA Worldwide® Africa (Junior Achievement) and helped 20 countries in Africa to increase their revenue, programs, build partnerships and strengthen governance. He served as Country Director, Junior Achievement Kenya, from 2002 to 2007. From 1994 to 2002, he worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers, a global consultancy firm, where he helped to manage projects, and provided small and micro business development advisory support.
Evans is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelors degree in Education. He is an alumnus of the Africa-America Institute, a graduate of the Executive Education Program at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, PA, and is currently studying entrepreneurship at the University of South Africa.
BRYAN POLSON
Bryan Poulson attended University of South Florida for a double major in political science and economics. He first got involved in Kenya from 2006-2008 when he volunteered there with Peace Corps and was placed with Junior Achievement Kenya. He served as their Expansion Officer for Western Kenya and New Projects; 1,800 secondary students in Western Kenya participated in JA’s entrepreneurship programs.
Taking his work in Kenya further, Mr. Poulson was the Business Development Executive for G7 Systems Kenya, focusing on developing local micro-enterprises in Kakamega to address youth unemployment in rural communities. He started the organization Serenity Salon in Kenya in 2009.
Now back in the U.S., Mr. Poulson works as an associate with the New Business Development division at Comvest Private Equity Group in West Palm Beach, Florida, 2010-Present. He continues supporting skills exchange and entrepreneurial efforts around the world and has been a valuable resource for New Scholars.
WILSON IRUNGU
Irungu is the General Manager at NIC Capital. Prior to joining NIC Capital, Irungu was with Citigroup Investment bank in London and New York. Irungu has advised on several M&A and capital markets transactions both locally and internationally including KES415m Centum Investments acquisition of a 22.6% stake in Carbacid Investment, KES1.6b Equity Linked Note for Athi River Mining, US$27m rights issue for Zambeef Plc (Zambia), US$736m syndicated debt facility for Orascom Constructions (Egypt), US$ 620mn sale side advisory for Lamda Developments (Greece), US$70m private placement for BBVA (Puerto Rico, USA). Irungu graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Management Science Engineering (Financial Analysis and Decision Engineering).
Community Engagement & Outreach
DAVE EGGERS
Dave Eggers is a beloved American writer of several fiction and non-fiction books and author of What Is the What, a finalist for the 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award. The book is about Valentino Achak Deng, a survivor of the civil war in southern Sudan, and gave birth to the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation, run by Mr. Deng and dedicated to building secondary schools in southern Sudan. Eggers is the founder and editor of McSweeney’s, an independent publishing house based in San Francisco. He is also the founder of 826 Valencia, a nonprofit writing and tutoring center for youth in the Mission District of San Francisco, now expanded to Chicago, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Ann Arbor, Seattle, and Boston; ScholarMatch, a start-up organization that connects college-bound students with donors who want to stay connected to the future leaders of America; and Voice of Witness, a series of books using oral history to illuminate human rights crises around the world. He has authored several Op-Eds on Sudan, published by the New York Times and CNN International.
International Affairs
DR. WILLIAM STOVER
William James Stover earned a Ph.D. in political science at the University of New York, emphasizing conflict resolution, civil-military relations, and international crisis behavior; and a M.A. in international relations at the American University (Washington), focusing on diplomacy, international law and organization.
He has written books on Information Technology (Westview), Military Politics (University Press of America), International Conflict Simulation (Foundations Press) and articles in journals as diverse as the International Journal on World Peace, Naval War College Review, Christian Science Monitor, International Studies Perspectives, and Journal of Political Education.
A former foreign-service officer, Professor Stover experienced conflict first-hand while serving abroad. He also lectured on conflict resolution as a fellow of the International School on Disarmament and Research on Conflict (a Pugwash affiliate) and was recently named a Senior Fulbright Specialist on Information Technology and Conflict Resolution by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars.
Today, he also works as a professor at Santa Clara University–teaching classes on international relations and conflict resolution. He was the recipient of Phi Beta Kappa Northern California Association Excellence in Teaching Award (Spring 2009) and recognized as “an extraordinary educator” by the American Political Science Association (Fall 2008).
Legal
MICHAEL J. STEIN
Michael Stein leads New Scholars legal counsel and is an attorney in the Corporate and Securities, Emerging Growth and Venture Capital and Mergers and Acquisitions practices in DLA Piper’s Silicon Valley office.
Mr. Stein focuses on the general representation of emerging growth companies (in both technology and non-technology industries), public companies, venture capital firms, private equity funds and investment banks. His representation of companies includes public and private equity and debt offerings (including initial public offerings, follow-on offerings and Rule 144A offerings), PIPE offerings, public and private mergers and acquisitions and buyouts and other corporate matters.
Mr. Stein also advises public companies on disclosure and corporate governance issues and compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, FINRA and the major stock exchanges.
YIMAN ZHANG
Yiman, together with Michael Stein, serves as New Scholars’ legal counsel. Yiman has been an associate with DLA Piper Palo Alto office since 2008 and has worked on various pro bono projects for non-profit organizations including Central American Women’s Fund, Compassion for Migrant Children, St. Peter’s Chamber Orchestra and Global Green Village.
Yiman was born in Beijing, China. She graduated from Foreign Affairs College in Beijing majoring in English and Diplomacy, earned her graduate degree in International Relations at Northwestern University and received her JD from the University of Washington School of Law.
