“Beware of Destination Addiction”, our favorite quote from Ms. Wamide Egunjobi the founder of CAWSTEM.
In this exclusive interview with Developing Afrika, Ms.Wamide shares her experience being the founder of a leading community of women in technology and gives us tips in embracing the process and succeeding as an entrepreneur.
Enjoy and do share your thoughts.
Let’s meet you.
I am a technology and business management professional with a focus on IT project management; and I have just recently completed my MBA from Alba Graduate Business School at The American College of Greece. I am the founder of CAWSTEM (a community that helps young female African professionals in STEM careers to find support, peer mentors, and opportunities to collaborate).
Tell us about your business. [How did you come about the idea, what was your mission, what is your mission now, what prompted you to go into this industry?]
CAWSTEM was inspired by my own personal experience of not having female mentors when I started out in my tech career or even decided to study IT/Engineering. As a young girl, I wanted an engineering/IT career, but wasn’t sure how I was going to fare in this “male dominated field”. There were no women in my family pursuing similar paths and no one around to look up to. My mom was the closest (to a) mentor I had who encouraged me to pursue my dreams. I went on to study Computer Engineering and graduated summa cum laude.
When I started my STEM career, I found out women were sparsely represented and I wanted to find a way to bring more women in STEM together.
During my MBA in 2017, I started to think some more about the gender gap and why there were not enough supportive communities for women in STEM careers. I thought about the robust network of STEM women I now knew including those I studied in school with, professionals I had met during my career, at networking events, and in fact the plethora of amazing women I had not even met. I realized that to truly combat gender inequality and promote more women in STEM and especially in leadership; the importance of networking and mentorship could not be over-emphasized.
So, I took a plunge and founded CAWSTEM (Connecting African Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Through CAWSTEM, we are inspiring, promoting, and fostering a community that provides access to online and offline female role models in STEM careers.
How do you define success and what major challenges have you experienced growing your brand?
For me success is about trying and trying again.
Starting was really the first challenge. I doubted a lot, questioned my ideas a lot, and second guessed myself or the relevance of the idea. After starting, the next challenge was about scaling the idea and raising awareness about the brand to the target audience. But with consistency and constructive criticism, all of that is being handled. Our biggest challenge now is around limited funding.
You have been doing very great with your brand, what has been your expansion strategy and where do you see your brand going in the next few years?
At CAWSTEM, our biggest priority is expanding the community base. Over the next few years, we plan to create more awareness first within Nigeria and then other African countries. We want to continue to scale up to solidify the CAWSTEM brand as an organization passionate about supporting and connecting African women in STEM to opportunities, peers, and mentors.
Though we are majorly an online community, CAWSTEM is aware of the impact that can be made through in-person programs. In 2019, we plan to host 2 events to create an opportunity to meet community members. Over the next years, we plan to host flagship events (round table conference) in at least 5 cities in Nigeria (Lagos, Oyo, Ekiti, Abuja, Kaduna) as well as expand into more African countries, including Ghana, South Africa, and Kenya through active collaboration and partnerships.
What concerns do you currently have about your company?
Apart from funding, that would be making lasting impact through continuous growth and visibility.
Building the right structure is also another concern.
What is the toughest decision you have had to make concerning your business in the last few months?
Delegating more and outsourcing some functions to allow us focus on the strategic side of the business.
What keeps you motivated as an entrepreneur?
Feedback and impact. Feedback (both good and bad, I’m learning to take the bad ones in good stride because it means there’s an opportunity to improve). Impact because for me, it’s about building a lasting legacy that can survive with or without me on board.
What were you doing the last time you looked at a clock and realized you had lost all track of time?
Developing CAWSTEM’s biweekly newsletter
How do you wind off from the day’s stress?
A good movie (romance or comedy) and plenty of sleep (I really do love sleeping)!
What movie, no matter how many times you’ve seen it, do you have to watch when it’s on?
Sound of Music.
At Developing Afrika, we believe so much in reading books, What book would you suggest everyone on the team reads?
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
What is your advice to every entrepreneur and aspiring entrepreneur out there?
Beware of destination addiction:
Wamide Egunjobi
The idea that happiness is in the next place, the next job, the next big idea, the next feature, the next investment/funding, the next accelerator or even the next partner.
Until you give up the idea that happiness is somewhere else, it will never be where you are.
What issues would you suggest has to be tackled to bring about a better Africa?
I’m very passionate about gender parity and improved workplaces and inclusive policies for women. According to a McKinsey report, the economic benefits of gender equality and equal representation could lead to over 30% increase in global GDP.
For me, it isn’t enough to merely get more girls/women into STEM (simplifying the gap), it is about finding a way to get more women to stay longer and to take on more leadership roles in STEM (closing the gap).
It’s in our policies, strategies, and breaking down old biases and stereotypes about women’s involvement in leadership.
What are your personal and business social media handles (Instagram, Twitter and Facebook)?
Instagram – @whamhydhe
Twitter – @whamhydhe
Instagram – @cawstem
Twitter – @cawstem
Facebook – @cawstem
LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/company/cawstem
Website – www.connectingafricanwomeninstem.org
