Annual trip becomes four friends’ next entrepreneurial adventure

The relationship formed between Liberatus Fusi-Akpodono (Political Economy, 2017), Carl Boakye (Political Economy, 2017), Josh Baah (International Development, 2017) and Carl Modupeh Fyle (Business Management, 2017) while studying at King’s is more than just a friendship. It’s a testing ground for ideas, inspiration and entrepreneurship.

From businesses that harness the power of technology for social change in Africa to championing tourism to the region after a group trip, things happen when the four come together.

King’s leads to exciting career beginnings

For some of the friends, opportunities at King’s sowed the seeds for their dynamic careers. Liberatus started working at a start-up that was participating in the King’s 20 Accelerator at the Entrepreneurship Institute. ‘What started as a part-time job in my final term, turned into four and a half years, eight countries and endless memories along the journey to bring green urban mobility to the masses – all thanks to King’s!’

Carl MF capitalised on access to career organisations like SEO London and study placements in Hong Kong and Beijing to develop his skills and pave the path to his current role as a Product Marketing Manager at Google, focusing on Pixel and Gemini AI. Little did Carl B know during his Spring Week internship at JP Morgan in his first year that he would eventually become a Vice-President within Digital Securities Services at the firm.

Josh’s time studying abroad in Beijing, ‘integrating into what felt like a different civilisation’, broadened his horizons, he says, and emboldened him to dream bigger as an entrepreneur, with him eventually setting up a company in China.

Harnessing technology

In their working lives, all four harness the latest developments in technology, particularly AI, to create solutions for the organisations and communities they work with.

At Google, Carl MF contributed to the ‘Next Billion Users’ initiative, scaling up payment infrastructure ecosystems across emerging markets. His focus now is on hardware, AI and branding, as well as supporting charities and EdTech companies across Africa with training. Liberatus is a Senior Product Manager at Amazon and an expert in the practical application of AI for businesses. ‘I want to help people use AI so that it truly makes a difference and not just for the sake of it,’ he says.

Josh’s main venture, Joos, provides mobile-charging stations to businesses, shopping centres, hospitals and transport hubs in the UK and internationally.

Supporting economic development in Africa

The four are also applying their entrepreneurial instincts and industry knowledge to supporting economic growth and opportunities for African communities.

With rising business costs in the UK and high unemployment in Ghana, Josh and Carl B established TIRAH and TIRAH Foundation. TIRAH’s goal is to help businesses grow while creating meaningful employment opportunities for local graduates in Ghana.

‘The Foundation is a vehicle to provide developmental and sustainable projects for the next generation of Ghanaian employees, so that they are equipped and prepped for the job market,’ says Carl B. It has recently partnered with King’s Afe Babalola Centre for Transnational Education, which provides young Africans with access to education and opportunities. Josh is also building a development organisation that aims to ‘bridge public and private co-operation to tackle gaps in infrastructure across Africa’.

From annual trip to bold new tourism venture

The most recent venture of the four, all of African descent, is a joint endeavour born from the friendship that began at King’s. An annual trip to an African country to catch up, take time off from their busy working lives and get to know the continent they love, has developed into an African travel collective, known as It Only Takes One (IOT1).

‘It’s a movement that helps people to see the incredible opportunities that exist and inspires them to experience Africa first-hand,’ says Carl B. With Africa set to represent one in three young people globally by 2050, the friends believe that the continent is ripe for rapid development. Their IOT1 initiatives include land investments, fintech, renewable energy and tourism.

Embracing change

All four agree that, for King’s graduates, flexibility, openness and perseverance are key. ‘Be curious and embrace the unknown!’ Liberatus says. ‘You might not know exactly what your end-goal is, but having a strong sense of direction and openness to opportunity will open doors that a rigid “life plan” might never have imagined.’

Carl B agrees. ‘The beauty of life is that the paths to fulfilment aren’t always straightforward. However, by embracing the challenges that life throws at you and being grounded in faith and perseverance, you’d be surprised at what you could unearth.’

What’s next for the four? ‘Watch this space, as they say. We’re only getting started,’ says Carl B.