Careers of the Future is an original series airing exclusively on The Ismaili TV, where students and young professionals can hear directly from members of the Jamat at the leading edge of their fields about how to most effectively prepare for the future of work.
In the fourth and fifth episodes, we heard from entrepreneurs Aly Madhavji and Aiaze Mitha. Aly is the Managing Partner at Blockchain Founders Fund, a venture capital firm based in Singapore, which invests in startup companies; Aiaze is a Fintech entrepreneur and investor based in France. They shared some interesting insights on how to become a successful entrepreneur in today’s rapidly evolving world.
Entrepreneurship is the process of growing a new business venture and looking for innovative and sustainable solutions to the problems that society faces. It is often associated with technological advancements, which is making efficient use of technology for the development of a firm. For instance, Fintech is a combination of finance and technology. It uses technology in every area of finance, such as mobile banking and net banking. An entrepreneur’s role (one of many) in Fintech could be to make sure that there is an appropriate use of technology in delivering financial services.
Fast-growing small enterprises also have plenty of potential to contribute to the development of society via global organisations such as the United Nations (UN), whose work both Aly and Aiaze have contributed to.
“We help to look at how emerging technologies such as BlockChain and Artificial Intelligence can actually help to achieve the UN’s sustainable development goals and help transform countries or regions by using these technologies to solve some of the biggest challenges that exist,” said Aly.
Similarly, financial technology is beginning to make a positive impact on the planet and its people, promoting climate responsibility and financial inclusion for all.
“In many ways Fintech is being more and more harnessed to actually create efficiencies, to reduce waste in some ways, and to help us really invest in a better future, in a better world,” said Aiaze. “This is the new direction that Fintech is taking, which is ‘Fintech for good.’”
Being an entrepreneur is also not age-dependent. One can be any age and come up with innovative ideas. These ideas are then sometimes developed by venture capitalists. A venture capital firm invests in start-up companies and early-stage companies. They look for young entrepreneurs with innovative ideas and analyse their potential, starting with the idea, understanding the problem, and evaluating how efficient the solution is. They also look for experience, resilience, and dedication towards solving the problem.
Lastly, an entrepreneur has to have the curiosity and willingness to achieve their ultimate goal and the ability to adapt, as this is a very dynamic field. Fintech, for instance, is a very broad field, and there are many different aspects of finance from banking to financial markets to investments and more. There is a wide range of topics for an entrepreneur to consider. One must know their skills, strengths, and weaknesses as it would allow them to have a clear idea of the area an individual is interested in.
Both episodes are now available to watch in full on The Ismaili TV On Demand.
