The Star Network Podcast

Understanding VC Trends featuring Lexi Novitske, General Partner at Norrsken 22 (@norrsken_22) & Host of The Star Network Podcast:  Zephia Ovia-Ikem (Zeph)In this episode, Lexi shares on VC trends and the trickle down effect into the African continent. Given her expertise and passion for investing in African tech businesses that are solving real problems and are scalable, she breaks down what makes a startup attractive for funding, what the fundamentals are to starting a VC and challenging cultural biases when making investment decisions into African economies.  In this episode we discuss :VC TrendsThe trickle down effect into African economiesHow to attract funding as a StartupFundamentals to starting a VCOpportunities within African counties and the interest from VCs—--Lexi Novitske is the General Partner at Norrsken22, a growth-stage tech investment fund operating across Africa. Based in Lagos, she brings deep local insight and global experience to support African tech startups.Originally from the U.S., Lexi moved to Nigeria in 2012, drawn by its untapped potential. She founded Singularity Investments in 2014 and later launched Acuity Venture Partners, backing leading startups like Paystack, Flutterwave, Mono, and Sabi. Her investment focus spans fintech, enterprise software, and platforms enhancing financial access and trade across Africa.Lexi has also worked with Verod Capital Management, SEAF, and Sandler O’Neill. She serves on multiple tech boards, mentors startups, and is both a CFA Charterholder and Kauffman Fellow.Listen to the episode now. Full video also available on YouTubeIf you find our episodes impactful, don't forget to give us a rating, subscribe & share. Follow us @thestarnetworkpodFor partnerships, email us: thestarnetworkpod@gmail.com Follow our guest: @lexinovitske @norrsken_22 @norrskenfoundation

Career Pivot to Bestselling Author featuring Foluso Agbaje, Author: The Parlour Wife (@foagbaje) & Host of The Star Network Podcast:  Zephia Ovia-Ikem (Zeph)In this episode, Foluso shares how her 12-year long career in corporate prepared her to be a debut author. She shares how being resilient shapes her to keep going. From getting a lot of “No’s” to a "Yes" from one of the Big 5 English language Publishers- Harper Collins. Foluso is now the Bestselling Author of her first novel (The Parlour Wife)In this episode we discuss :📌 Leaving a 12-year career to become an Author📌 Resilience in being told "No"📌 Exploring intersectional feminism in WWII 📌 The structure and balance needed to be a writer—After graduating from the Faber Academy (@faber_academy ) in 2022, Foluso completed her debut novel, The Parlour Wife. She has a Master’s degree in Management and Human Resources from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Loughborough University. A storyteller at heart, Foluso is always drawn to narratives that explore identity, culture, and resilience. She continues to write, inspired by the complexities of the human experience. She loves London but calls Lagos home, and her stories are shaped by these two cities that have captured her heart. When not curled up with her Kindle, you’ll find her in a bookshop, museum, or restaurant. She is a big fan of period dramas and has watched every episode of Downton Abbey more times than she’s willing to admit.Listen to the episode now. Full video also available on YouTubeIf you find our episodes impactful, don't forget to give us a rating, subscribe & share. Follow us @thestarnetworkpodFor partnerships, email us: thestarnetworkpod@gmail.com Follow our guest: @foagbaje

How To Scale Your Business featuring Tomi Adeola, CEO Hairitage Hub (@hairitagehub) & Host of The Star Network Podcast:  Zephia Ovia-Ikem (Zeph)In this episode we discuss embodying an entrepreneurial spirit, finding opportunities within your market and appreciating your career development to get you to the next level. Tomi shares on her journey - building HairitageHub, the 7 years of experience within the beauty industry and how she has managed to ensure customer retention. Last year, 2 new brands were launched by her to cater to the demands of haircare within our market (Activate Relaxer and Vive Haircare) Key areas we cover:Finding the right business partnershipsDeep researchCustomer loyalty for retentionUnderstanding your business capacity  Listen to the episode now. Full video also available on YouTubeIf you find our episodes impactful, don’t forget to give us a rating, subscribe & shareFollow us @thestarnetworkpodFor partnerships, email us: thestarnetworkpod@gmail.com Follow our guest: @hairitagehub @activate_relaxer @vivehaircare

XO Boutique Bakery: Day In A Life Series featuring Chef Alex Oke (Chef Owner XO Boutique Bakery ) and Host of The Star Network Podcast Zephia Ovia-Ikem (Zeph)In this episode we spend the day at XO Boutique Bakery with Chef Alex unpacking the journey from being a pastry chef to owning a restaurant. Alex shares with us his career transitions, being a graduate of International Business to embracing his love for Culinary Arts and becoming a Pastry Chef/Restaurant OwnerKey highlights:Embracing your inner gifts (transitioning from a corporate 9-5 to entrepreneurship in culinary arts)Owning a Restaurant Business in complex business environmentsGaps in the food production value chain in NigeriaChef Alex is a bi-national Nigerian/Russian Chef based in Lagos Nigeria. Alex is passionate about bread, pastry and confections and trained in both culinary and pastry arts at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts (PICA) in Vancouver, Canada. Prior to culinary arts, Alex earned an undergraduate  honours degree in Management in the U.S  and a graduate degree with distinction in International Marketing Management in the UK.  His professional work experience cuts across FMCG marketing and branding. While at Pacific Institute for Culinary Arts, he staged at the Fairmont Vancouver, Beta 5 and Thomas Haas and also worked for a period at Lear Faye in East Vancouver before returning to Nigeria as pastry chef at Tarragon Restaurant, and chef instructor at the Culinary Academy in Ikoyi, Lagos.As the Chef owner at XO Boutique Bakery, the restaurant features traditional French and new world breads, viennoiserie and pastries with a modern flair. Alex has delivered masterclass demos at prominent food festivals in Lagos, including the GTBank Food & Drink Fair, Fiesta of Flavours and Fitfam FestListen to the episode now. Full video also available on YouTube  If you find our episodes impactful, don't forget to give us a rating, subscribe & share. Follow us @thestarnetworkpodFor partnerships, email us: thestarnetworkpod@gmail.com Follow our guest: @xobakery

Continuity of Family Businesses featuring Ama Peters (Managing Director) and Toksy Peters (Executive Director) of Visions Opticals and Host of The Star Network Podcast:  Zephia Ovia-Ikem (Zeph)Visions Opticals is a family-owned business which started in 1989 by the late Dr. Bose Peter, a renowned Ophthalmologist. The company’s mission is to provide high quality and luxury eye care service to families and professionals across Nigeria  In this episode we discuss succession in Family Businesses  Key highlights: ·       Joining a Family Business (navigating different stakeholders and finding your place)·       Partnering with Global Brands·       The need for continuous learning - transitioning into new business ventures Ama Peters holds a BA in Philosophy & Politics from Trinity College Dublin and an MPhil in Ethnic and Racial Studies. After over five years in Asset Management at Goldman Sachs, she joined VisionsOpticals in 2010 and now serves as Managing Director, leveraging her industry expertise and asset management background to drive the growth of the 35-year-old family business.A Fellow of the Association of British Dispensing Opticians, Member of the General Optical Council UK  as well as Nigerian-American Chamber of commerce etc. Ama is passionate about lens technology and helping clients find their prefect visual aids. She also volunteers at the Enterprise Development Centre and serves as Executive Director of the Kidney Foundation for Africa.---Toksy Peters holds a BSc in French and Economics with International Business from the University of Surrey. She spent over eight years at Vetiva Capital Management Limited, serving in roles including Head of Sales and Portfolio Manager. She has completed various financial industry trainings, including Financial Planning (Florida State University), Financial Analysis (IBFC Agusto), and Portfolio Management (Euromoney).Joining Visions Opticals in 2015, Tokunbo leads the Sales and Marketing drive at Visions, leveraging her extensive experience to grow the client base and drive sales. A qualified Dispensing Optician, Member of the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce etc; she also serves as an Executive Director of the Kidney Foundation for Africa and mentors younger women in her spare time.Listen to the episode now. Full video also available on YouTube  If you find our episodes impactful, don't forget to give us a rating, subscribe & share. Follow us @thestarnetworkpodFor partnerships, email us: thestarnetworkpod@gmail.com Follow our guest: @visionsopticals

Bridging The Gap For Medical Emergency Response with Dr Yewande Alebiosu, Co-Founder/COO Help Station (@helpstation.ng) and Host of The Star Network Podcast: Zephia Ovia-Ikem (Zeph) Dr Yewande is a medical doctor with over 7 years experience in emergency medicine. She has worked in the emergency department of Lagos University Teaching Hospital and other private hospitals in Lagos state.She also served as the pioneer Chief Operating Officer and Product Lead of a leading telemedicine company, BetaCare, with over 200,000 active subscribers. She now serves as the non-executive director of the company. Currently, she is the Co-Founder and COO of HelpStation. A health tech company focused on leveraging technology to provide access to emergency services, by building the largest network of ambulances, first responders and emergency ready hospitals across Nigeria, and ensuring seamless interconnectivity between these stakeholders, to promote direct access to individuals when it matters most. Key areas we cover:What to do when there’s an emergencyChallenges in pre-hospital care. Helpstation solving emergency response waiting timeBuilding a culture fit product for everyone to use during an emergencyListen to the full episode now. Full video also available on Youtube If you find our episodes impactful, don't forget to give us a rating, subscribe, like & share.Follow: @thestarnetworkpodFor partnerships, email us : thestarnetworkpod@gmail.comFollow our guest: @helpstation.ng

Upskilling Professionals with Talstack - Seni Sulyman, CEO & Co-Founder Talstack (@talstackafrica) and Host of The Star Network Podcast: Zephia Ovia-Ikem (Zeph)From Hosting Mark Zuckerberg during his time at Andela as VP of Global Operations to building Talstack. Seni Sulyman  provides more context on the role corporate institutions could play to enhance talent productivity without over reliance on fresh recruits. Talstack curates first-hand leadership experiences from Africa’s leading entrepreneurs into a seamless learning program for entry level employees to managers.In this episode, we discuss:📌Building Talstack📌Hosting Mark Zuckerberg at Andela 🤯📣🚀 📌Learnings from diverse work experiences📌Being good at business & cultivating a leadership mindsetSeni is the Founder of Talstack, a venture-backed startup that provides a corporate learning and talent management platform that enables African businesses to better manage employees and their performance. He is also founder at Black Ops, a private network for African operators.  Seni’s prior career cuts across roles and industries including Chief Operating Officer at Bellhop, a US-based venture backed startup, VP of Global Operations at Andela, a global venture-backed unicorn,  establishing a great company culture that placed Andela as #1 Best Place to Work, Bristow Group, where he built and operated a new business jet airline in Nigeria, HP and Bain & Company. Seni holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern UniversityListen to the full episode now. Full video also available on YoutubeIf you find our episodes impactful, don't forget to give us a rating, subscribe, like & shareFollow us @thestarnetworkpodFor partnerships, email us: thestarnetworkpod@gmail.comFollow our guest: @talstackafrica @blackopsafrica

Generation Unlimited 9JA: About Us (Series 1) with Celine Lafoucriere, UNICEF Chief Field Office, Head Private Sector Partnership , Lead Generation Unlimited Nigeria (GenU9JA) and Host of The Star Network Podcast: Zephia Ovia-Ikem (Zeph)In this episode, we discuss UNICEF Nigeria Generation Unlimited's (GENU9JA) mandate to connect 20m young people with skills and job opportunities by 20230. Through 3 target pillars  - Digital Learning, Workplace Readiness & Youth Engagement; GenU9JA has started the work in collaboration with key stakeholders within the private and public sector such as Microsoft, UNILEVER, The World Bank etc Celine provides a breakdown on the growth of GenU9JA, challenges and what we should look forward to. In this episode we discuss:📌 About Generation Unlimited📌 Harnessing a world for more Public-Private-Youth partnerships📌 GenU supporting youth workplace readiness 📌 YOMAWatch the full episode now. Audio available on YoutubeIf you find our episodes impactful, don't forget to give us a rating, subscribe, like & shareFollow us @thestarnetworkpodFor partnerships, email us: thestarnetworkpod@gmail.comFollow our guest: @unicef_nigeria @generationunlimitednigeria @generationunlimited

HoaQ- An Investors Community with Joe Kinvi, Co-Founder & General Manager HoaQ and Host of The Star Network Podcast: Zephia Ovia-Ikem (Zeph)In this episode, we discuss:📌All you need to know about HoaQ 📌 Creating real estate investment opportunities for Africans in the Diaspora  📌 National identity cross-border investments between African countries  📌 Practical steps to investing fundamentalsJoe Kinvi (CA) is the founder of PLTFM, a multi-asset investment platform for Africa and Africans in the Diaspora, and also leads HoaQ, one of the largest investment communities focused on educating investors and helping mobilise capital for founders across Africa and its Diaspora. With over 700 investors across 37 countries and 100 investments across 10 countries, the HoaQ team has supported organisations such as Google (Black Founders Fund program in Africa) and Morgan Stanley (Inclusive Venture Lab). The team reviews over 1,000 startups a year.Listen to the full episode now.  Watch the full episode on YouTube. If you find our episodes impactful, don't forget to give us a rating, subscribe, like & shareFollow us @thestarnetworkpodFor partnerships, email us: thestarnetworkpod@gmail.comFollow our guest: @hoaqclub @joekinvi

ÌTÀN- A Culinary Journey with Michael Elégbèdé , Founder & Chef ÌTÀN Test and Host of The Star Network Podcast: Zephia Ovia-Ikem (Zeph)*Disclaimer: This episode is our first virtual (not in person) interview. Audio sound may be different/ have pause gaps due to internet connectivity* In this episode, we discuss:📌 The journey to building ìTÀN📌 The importance of storytelling through food and cultural identity & unity.📌 Chef  Elégbèdé's travel experiences of sourcing natural ingredients across West Africa Michael Elégbèdé, is a third-generation Nigerian-American Chef who is revolutionizing West African gastronomy by celebrating indigenous food traditions and ingredients. Michael is an award-winning Chef and graduate of a global top culinary institution (The Culinary Institute of America)  and has worked with some of the world's best restaurants and chefs in America.ÌTÀN T.K, located in Ikoyi, Lagos, has been ranked amongst the world's best restaurant spaces by La Listé for two years. ÌTÀN reimagines Nigerian ingredients and cooking traditions, supporting Chef Elégbèdé’s mission to change perceptions of West African dishes and bridge West African culture with its global derivatives.Listen to the full episode now. Full video also available on Youtube If you find our episodes impactful, don't forget to give us a rating, subscribe, like & shareFollow us @thestarnetworkpodFor partnerships, email us: thestarnetworkpod@gmail.comFollow our guest: @itan_tk @michae_elegbede