Leading global entrepreneur support organization, Endeavor has selected 10 entrepreneurs from five markets at its Third Virtual International Selection Panel (ISP), welcoming the first company from the newly launched Western New York office.
Endeavor now supports 2,069 entrepreneurs leading 1,290 companies in 37 markets around the world.
The Virtual ISP was presented by Softbank, with additional support from AXA, Bain, Cooley, EY, HSBC, Silicon Valley Bank, and Zoom.
Typically held eight times per year, the ISP is the culmination of a rigorous multi-step selection process to identify high-impact entrepreneurs who demonstrate the potential to leverage Endeavor’s resources and mentorship to create large-scale wealth and jobs, and are committed to reinvesting their time and money in their local entrepreneurship ecosystems to help others take off. Beyond the selection process, ISPs are also unique international gatherings that bring entrepreneurs, dedicated business leaders, and staff together across borders and industries and allow them to make connections they may never have otherwise. This event marks the third Virtual ISP that Endeavor has held.
Over three days at the Virtual ISP, panelists utilized Zoom breakout rooms to interview a small group of high-caliber entrepreneur candidates about their businesses. In “deliberation rooms” — private Zoom meetings with only Endeavor staff and panelists — panelists evaluated the entrepreneurs on their potential for high-impact growth, discussed which candidates should be selected to become Endeavor Entrepreneurs, then voted unanimously to select the newest Endeavor Entrepreneurs.
“Endeavor is raising the bar — with the companies being brought into the network, with the panelists participating in the selection process, and with the use of technology and virtual formats to forge ahead,” said Equifax International COO Robin Moriarty, Ph.D., who served as a panelist at the event. “The entrepreneurial spirit is embodied by Endeavor and through the Virtual ISP.”
As part of Endeavor’s network, the entrepreneurs selected at the Virtual ISP will gain access to comprehensive, strategic, global support services, including introductions to local and international business mentors, investors, and volunteers from Fortune 500 consulting firms who will help them address key needs.
Endeavor Entrepreneurs have had a significant track record of impact. Endeavor Entrepreneurs have created 4.1M+ jobs, generated $24+ billion in revenues in 2019, and help build sustainable growth models in their home countries.
Nigeria’s Obi Ozor and Ife Oyedele, co-founders of Kobo 360 were selected as Endeavor Entrepreneurs on May 21, 2020. Kobo360 is a digital logistics platform that uses big data and agile technology to reduce friction and improve efficiency in the African logistics ecosystem.
Speaking on the achievement, Ozor said, “It’s an honor to be joining this global network of high-impact entrepreneurs and to have Endeavor recognise our efforts to transform Africa’s logistics sector using technology. As entrepreneurs, we wanted to turn African problems into African opportunities. Focusing on logistics, Ife and I started Kobo360 to not only fix the inefficiencies that exist, but to build opportunities for the businesses we serve and most importantly, the hundreds of thousands of truck drivers across Africa. This is a fundamental milestone in Kobo360’s journey; our Global Logistics Operating System [GLOS] will revolutionize supply chain across emerging markets and with Endeavor’s support, we’re able to make invaluable global connections that could be leveraged for our expansion and growth.”
Impressed by the feat of the two young Nigerians, the Managing Director & CEO of Endeavor in Nigeria, Eloho Gihan-Mbelu, said, “We’re excited to welcome Kobo360 into Endeavor’s network which includes some of the world’s most exciting scale-up entrepreneurs and most experienced mentors and investors. Fixing Africa’s supply chain is clearly important for commerce on the continent, and Kobo360’s rapid growth over the past 3 years is evidence that the company’s valuable services are in critical demand. Obi and Ife are inspiring founders and their relentless focus on scaling Kobo360 serves as an inspiration to high-impact entrepreneurs everywhere.”
Learn more about the companies and entrepreneurs selected below.
COLORADO
Entrepreneur: Fred Kneip
Company: CyberGRX
Description: CyberGRX provides enterprises and their third parties with the most cost-effective and scalable approach to third-party cyber risk management today. Built on the market’s first third-party cyber risk Exchange, CyberGRX arms organizations with a dynamic stream of third-party data and advanced analytics helping organizations efficiently manage risk in their partner ecosystems. Based in Denver, CO, CyberGRX was designed with partners including Aetna, Blackstone, and MassMutual.
INDONESIA
Entrepreneur: Edward Tirtanata
Company: Kopi Kenangan
Description: Indonesia, the world’s fourth-largest coffee exporter, is also Southeast Asia’s lowest per capita coffee consumer. This is due, in part, to a price and quality gap between street vendor coffee and premium chains, making quality, locally-familiar coffee beverages hard to come by in the country. Kopi Kenangan is a locally-focused retail coffee chain that is quickly filling that unmet need for Indonesians through trendy, customer-first locations and beverages. The digital-first company has grown rapidly since 2017, now serving up millions of affordable coffee beverages across hundreds of locations.
NIGERIA
Entrepreneurs: Obi Ozor & Ife Oyedele
Company: Kobo360
Description: Kobo360 is a logistics platform that connects cargo owners to truck owners within minutes, handling the entire process from matching, visibility, invoicing, collection of waybills and payments, while providing financing, insurance, and discounted supplies to truck owners. Launched in Nigeria in 2018, Kobo360 has expanded into Kenya, Uganda, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Togo, delivering cargo for clients such as Unilever, Olam, Lafarge, DHL, and Maersk. Kobo360 is building a Global Logistics Operations System (G-LOS) and aims to expand across the continent, capturing a large piece of the $140B logistics market
UAE
Entrepreneurs: Kerem Kuyucu & Ali Cagatay Ozcan
Company: Justmop
Description: Justmop, founded in 2015, is an on-demand managed marketplace that enables customers to find, book, pay for, and rate cleaning service providers in a hassle-free manner through their mobile phones. With more than 200K clients and 15K cleaners that complete more than 50K appointments every month, JustMop aims to bring transparency and digital transformation to the GCC’s highly fragmented and underutilized cleaning services market, valued at more than $2.5B
WESTERN NEW YORK
Entrepreneurs: Arunas Chesonis, Jack Baron, Algimantas (Al) Chesonis & Scott Tudman
Company: Sweetwater Energy
Description: Sweetwater Energy has developed proprietary and patented Sunburst™ technology, the first to deconstruct plant material, such as wood, into these components efficiently and cleanly enough to make thousands of products that today rely on petroleum and other non-renewable sources, such as biofuels, biochemicals, food, advanced materials, packaging, and paper products. Sweetwater plans to license and/or build highly profitable bio-refining facilities globally over the next five years and hopes to make the green revolution a reality.
