Crafting a Smarter Tomorrow | Entrepreneur Stories

The times today are both befuddling and exciting, with entrepreneurs cooking up algorithms that make yesterday's sci-fi look like yesterday's news. Let's meet these digital pioneers who are crazy enough to think they can change the world and just smart enough to actually do it.

So what's your origin story, your background? How did you begin your journey into entrepreneurship? Is this like your first company?

No, not at all. So actually, I've been an entrepreneur since I was like yay high. I grew up in a home with a single mom of 3. I'm the youngest. And when I was really young, my mom sort of told me, you're gonna like, you've got to be the man of the house. And I think I took that too literally. She was maybe joking with me. But I was selling toys in school since grade 3. And every year after that, I had like a different product that I was busy selling at school, got in trouble a few times, but also at the end won like an entrepreneur award in grade 7. And I've been sort of on my entrepreneurial journey ever since then. I haven't At university, I did like an import-export business. We sold battery banks when Pokémon Go was like at the height and everyone needed power banks to go out and collect them. And so yeah, I've always been an entrepreneur.

Aaron Posthumus, the visionary founder of Moment, has the mission of turning sustainable potential into lasting impact. Empowering the continent's growth.

Yeah, so I think the core thing to understand is that, again, the people in Africa just don't have power, and businesses are thriving. You have really, really resilient businesses and people who are running incredible businesses even without power. So what we do is we, we go to these schools factories, farms, and we'll finance a solar installation for them. So they put no money down upfront because they can't afford that huge upfront CapEx, but they can afford to pay their monthly electricity bills, right? So every month when they pay their bills, we distribute that to all of the investors in the crowd that helped us finance the solar. My name is Aaron Posthumus. I'm the founder of Moment, and we're making it possible for the world to invest in Africa's energy transition.

Moment is transforming the global energy landscape by channeling investments into Africa's sustainable future.

Yeah, so we applied for Hub71 about 8 months ago actually, and they have multiple rounds of selection where they go, they dive really deep into, you know, your financials, your models, like what your business does, who are the people that you work with. And we saw Abu Dhabi as a, or the UAE in fact, as a really big opportunity for us to expand our horizons and move into another market that really needs to be looking at renewable energy really seriously. And they are taking that challenge on quite seriously, that transition. But also we're actually firm believers in the power that can come out of BRICS nations. I think you can get stuck in some of like the questionable leaders that may be involved or some of the countries. But a core mandate of BRICS nations is we're all developing economies. Let's collaborate, let's work together, and let's create growth and prosperity for the people in these developing regions. And I think there's something really powerful in that.

What does it mean for you to have the opportunity to work with Tim Draper?

I mean, Tim Draper is one of the most legendary, like, Silicon Valley VCs. Like, it's impossible to even list off the number of amazing companies that he's been involved in and invested in. And I think he's a really powerful personality. There's also an element of just frankness that I love. And I think when you're working with investors who are really going to propel you, they're the ones who— tell it like it is and see through any of the— like, as sometimes when you're stuck in the trenches, you, you don't get to see like through the clouds as much as someone who's got a more zoomed-out lens. And I think Tim and, and the whole actually Draper— like, Bill is another legend, right? There's so much experience there learning from the growth of technology companies particularly, it would be an incredible opportunity. I think for me, even just the opportunity to pitch directly to him is like, that's a, that's an achievement in and of itself. And that would be awesome.

With Aaron Posthumous at the helm, the future of Moments looks poised for exponential growth, expanding its reach across emerging markets.

What would $1 million mean to your company?

So it's not what $1 million would mean for our company. $1 million would mean 50 more schools with solar on their roofs and less load shedding for the country. Because something that shouldn't be overlooked is for every solar plant that we build out, we're reducing strain on the existing grid in the country. So the primary reason why we have so many blackouts is because the existing grid can't meet supply, right? Or the demand that there is for energy. So when we reduce that demand or transition that demand over to private mini grids, mini energy grids, we're relieving that strain on the grid. So it's actually better for the whole country. So I think for the— like, this is a unique opportunity for that million dollars to not only affect the growth of a company, but to affect the growth of a country. Right. And I think that's really powerful. So I think one of the biggest lessons that I've learned as an entrepreneur is how to deal with uncertainty and a lot of challenges. Like, you're going to get flak when you— like, you're not going to get it right the first time. Everybody sucks when they start something, even the best footballer or rugby player or anything. The first time you do it, you're not that great, right? And I'm fortunate that I've been doing this since really young, but there have obviously been times where you miss the mark or You just don't hit a deadline. And those are the times where you're going to get sort of attacked from your customers or from your business partners or from your internal team. And what I really learned from those times is how to set aside the ego, because the ego naturally wants to become defensive and sort of fight back.

So the first thing, can you give us like your name, your company name, and, you know, like elevator pitch, just like a couple sentences what the company does?

So I'm from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, or outside in Doylestown, and my whole career I had been focused on new and inventive technologies. I saw how the future of finance was going to be impacted by blockchain technology, and that's where I, I really started my tech career, but very quickly realized how powerful automation and artificial intelligence was going to be in amplifying the human condition and our experience here in every facet. And so I began to get concerned or nervous just because of the unknown potential of this technology and realized that I felt the one true solution to building a strong relationship with the technology that we've begun to build that is so powerful it may one day encapture us is to teach it and to incorporate the emotional components, the memories, the experiences, the wisdom that we've built over centuries, millennium through humanity. And that's really been my biggest focus, is figuring out how we can Use technology to create a longer-lasting experience for the ones that we love.

Kyle Sonlen created Wisdom AI with a vision to revolutionize the way companies interact with data.

My name is Kyle Sonlen, and I'm the founder of Wisdom AI. And the goal behind Wisdom AI is to capture the essence of humanity and build digital legacies that outlive any of us individually. The goal is to try to capture the emotional components that make us who we are so that our grandchildren, our family in the future can always preserve and understand the wisdom that we have to share. I was watching and was deeply impacted by Charlie Munger's passing. I learned to trade stocks through Munger's teachings as well as Buffett's, and I couldn't help but feel like it was such a loss to humanity that someone that wise, that experienced, was gone forever. That, that mind that was made up of so many unique thoughts and perspectives that very rarely are ever generated or captured by an individual— we unfortunately lose a lot of those teachings, a lot of those lessons, and are forced to only review the text or some of the work that he's published instead of being able to try to preserve as much of that as possible, which I feel like is one of the greatest opportunities that technology provides.

From digital assets to AI-driven insights, Kyle Sonnlin built Wisdom AI to bridge complex data with human potential, shaping a smarter world.

I think we've all dealt with the loss of somebody that we love or the risk of that. And it became incredibly apparent as I've watched my mother struggle through multiple rounds of chemotherapy and the anxiety that comes with cancer, and especially with how this is only becoming a more and more relevant fear for so many individuals. I became focused on figuring out how can we preserve our legacies So that if life ends early, or if this experience doesn't last as long as we may have hoped, how can we still preserve the experiences for each other and for those that we care about for the future? And I think that a lot of my goals with this technology has been built around trying to preserve the intellectual wisdom that's created.

What What would it mean for you to get to work with Tim Draper? Like, what would that mean for you sort of personally?

I have a personal admiration for Tim Draper because I've spent a decade in the blockchain industry, and I have spent years and years of my career facing people that were skeptical of the technologies that were being built by not only myself but many in my community. And Tim Draper has acted like a consistent lightning rod of an individual that believes in newer technologies, believes in innovation, and isn't afraid to say, this isn't crazy, this isn't too far-fetched, this is something that is the future because the software exists today. We just need to understand the proper applications for it, but the impact is so momentous. So the idea of being able to work with someone that I feel like has been 3 steps ahead of even myself and the people that I'm working with because of his ability to see that future and apply capital to these things is— would be groundbreaking, would be such an inspiration for me as somebody that's always been forced to feel like a bit of an outsider for some of the businesses and industries that I've worked in.

The future of this project is about more than just understanding what's possible. It's about overcoming the immense challenges that come with building transformative technology.

So for your company right now, what would it, what would it mean to win $1 million in investment?

Right now, this company is an exciting software project. But it not only needs resources, but I need as much exposure as possible. I cannot wait to connect and try to find the world's leading neuroscientists and to work with the experts in these fields and these industries to be able to build something that is truly effective and truly captures the essence of humanity. So for me, not only providing the capital, which will give us significantly necessary resources to continue to train and build our models and potentially even working with Tim to build out his own digital persona, but I also cannot wait to experience and meet and learn from many academics and scientists that are much smarter than me with respect to the brain and how it works and how these things are translated. And that opportunity to show the world the software and the vision that I have while being able to apply some of the core values of neuroscience is really the most exciting part for me.

So we're just going to start with like an intro here. full name and kind of elevator pitch of what your company or project works on, you know, something small.

I'm originally from Azerbaijan. This is a small country between Russia, Iran, and Turkey. I can speak Turkish and I can speak Russian. And I came from very, very humble background. My family was living for like $100 per month for like 15, 20 years. And I myself, I grew up from this family to go to become an oil and gas engineer. So I graduated, had my bachelor's, master's, etc. I started working when I was in university for a large oil and gas company from US, and then I started to progress through my career. I went to work in Eastern Siberia, then I went to live and work in Dubai, working for large oil and gas companies like BP, ExxonMobil, etc. I was drilling oil and gas wells, right? Um, then I did my MBA, then Harvard Business School, and I fell in love in crypto. I did both things first because it's very hard to leave golden handcuffs of oil and gas industry. They pay you extremely well, but this vibrant new technology world where you can meet C-level guys on every event, you can put them in the group together, they can chat, they can exchange contacts, and I start doing that. I have largest in the space community of C-level executives, 700 VCs, all Layer 1, Layer 2 projects, all exchanges. Some people call me the most connected person in blockchain, and I've created a cross-chain protocol.

Born in Azerbaijan, Faraj Abutalibov rose from humble beginnings to become an important figure in the oil and gas industry.

I had an anxiety for like 2 years of this crypto winter. It was very difficult. Like, I was thinking, should I come back to oil and gas? Was it the right decision? My income first halved and then went to 25% of what I was earning in oil and gas. And the level of costs sustained the same, so I had to actually tap my savings, etc. And that was difficult. Yeah. My name is Faraj Abutalibov. I'm a co-founder of a cross-chain protocol called called CrossCurve by Ava.

He built an unparalleled network of visionaries, creating a cross-chain protocol that bridges the world of decentralized technology with the boundless potential of human connection.

You don't really need to think that, is it safe for me to go from Google to Amazon? Can I lose some of my data or I send money, you know, in between different chains? For example, this financial system, right? Is it secured or not? You just do it. And that's what we try to bring to crypto space. You need to forget about, like, which blockchain you are operating in. The liquidity that— or money that exists on each chain, the audience that exists on each chain, they should exist in the Like, say, blockchain internet, right? So that, like, in a generic field where they— if Solana is super fast, they can use Solana for some stuff. If Ethereum is super secure, they can use Ethereum for other tasks, right? So, and communication should be super secure. That's what we're focused on.

What, what would it mean for you to What's it like to work with Tim Draper right now?

Yeah, so, um, I didn't know much about the Tim Draper Show. I knew a lot about Tim Draper being part of the VC. Uh, I've watched Shark Tank before, and I was surprised on the quality of the effort that Tim is doing for bringing the crypto narrative, crypto startups to the world and showing like what kind of journey the founders and also the projects are going through. If we come back to an analogy with internet, right, imagine having a Google and Facebook and Amazon CEOs to pitch Tim from the stage in 1991. Imagine in 20 years' time Like the impact that Tim can have on new generation of entrepreneurs when they can see Mark Zuckerberg and, you know, other founders pitching like Tim, right?

Looking ahead, Aiwa plans to expand its platform's capabilities, integrating with leading blockchain ecosystems to empower users with unparalleled access and control over their digital assets.

So what would a million-dollar investment from winning the show mean for your company right now?

I am a giver by nature. I'm not looking at this million and close my holes in my business with that. No, it's about investment in the future unicorn. I'll do everything I can To build that unicorn, statistics says that nine out of ten startups fail in becoming a unicorn, right? Maybe even more. But I will do everything I can, and my team will do everything they can. And the beauty is that there is only one variable that you can hit as an entrepreneur to become successful. It's amount. Attempts. I'll try all the possible things in my startup. Even if it fails, there will be a new startup with larger number of attempts. That's why I put a lot of efforts going to the conferences, meeting those people and trying to make them my friends. And you can make people friends by giving them— the 99% of the people I give I share connections with, they will never give me back anything. They will be asking for more, and that's fine. But that 1% at some point will save 10 years of my life, just giving me advice that will become unicorn advice for me.

So let's start with an introduction, like your full name, your company, and then sort of an elevator pitch, like the sort of most condensed version of what you guys do.

Yeah, so I started working at YC Startups actually. I used to live in San Francisco for, you know, for like 2, 3 years. So that was in the Bay Area for a while. That's where I actually started coding. And after that, I worked for like one, you know, YC company and scaled with them along. So that was a great experience to learn how, you know, seasoned entrepreneurs scale companies, which is quite chaotic, and they still able to, you know, figure out things in the way. It's kind of like an emergency room when you're building a startup, right? It's all chaos, but at the end of the day, things work. And then after that, starting blockchain in 2017, and came back to my home country, Honduras, and basically went back to Web2, built the largest ridesharing app of our country, Honduras. We were deployed in 12 cities and then came back to Web3 with what we're doing right now in Security Labs.

Doris Hernandez has dedicated herself to building secure networks that protect the most sensitive information for both individuals and organizations.

I mean, I come from a family of entrepreneurs. The only thing that you talk about in my— like, we're at the table at my house, it's entrepreneurship. It's like you eat, breathe entrepreneurship. So I've seen my dad, you know, build his companies, and the struggle, it's part of it, right? It's not the struggle, it's you need to push yourself in order to achieve certain things. Especially if you're coming, you know, out of like, in my case, I had to go outside my country, created a new network and meet people, which is super fun. And obviously the challenging part of it is like any other startup, the technical challenges that you might face, like, oh, who's building this? Or how can we achieve this library to work? So the challenges right now are Building the foundation of the technology, so to speak. And what I mean building the foundation of the technology is making it robust as the theoretical part of our research has it, right? So we have like the theoretical part, like our white paper, we have a light paper. So the theory is there. Now you have to bring the theory to reality. And I think that's gonna be like the most interesting part, which super excited about it. So my name is Doris Hernandez, co-founder and CEO of Security Labs, and we're building a secure network for private keys. Think of us as decentralized firewalls.

A champion of women in blockchain, she's an 8-time hackathon winner and co-founder of HerDAO LATAM, blending innovation with empowerment.

It has been good. I mean, I think that I see life as how it is, and you play with the cards that you're dealt, right? And, um, I just have fun all the time, to be honest. And that's the attitude how I approach it, right? Uh, if you have someone with a— an attitude or an energy that you're not vibing, I just stop engaging with you and I just move forward, right? Um, and there's definitely that culture in the space. I just don't feed it, or I just basically say like, this is what we're bringing to the table. How can we collaborate together? How can we make this a more open and more, you know, equally gender? And then basically I started collaborating with HerDAO, HerDAO Latin America specifically. So this is the woman developer DAO that at a given point were sponsoring women to attend to Web3 conferences. So that's how I was just like chipping in into the industry to have more diversity in the space. And you could do again what you do with the cards that you're dealt, and that's how you play the game. What would it be to work with the Drapers and Tim specifically? I think that if you study what makes a company successful, you can have like great technology, but it's all about distribution, right? So first-time founders focus on product, second-time founder focused on distribution. So in order to have the distribution, you need to have investors that are going to put you in touch with other companies that could use your technology. And that's what, like, you know, people like Drapers can actually put you in, right? Having other investors in your cap table that is going to help you, you know, have your technology used by established companies.

Security Labs plans to enhance its digital asset management solutions integrating with leading Web3 ecosystems to empower users with secure, seamless control over their assets while fostering a diverse and inclusive community.

What would a million-dollar investment mean for your company right now?

Okay, so what will a million dollars mean to us? It's really about validating that we're going in the right direction. That's what it really means to us. Winning for us is saying your use case goes beyond Web3 and actually Web2 companies can use it. I think my younger self will be, you know, happy and proud of like what you've achieved, um, you know, so far. I think that will be even, even beyond proud. It's just like, you know, we're actually going in the, in the vision that we've set to go, and that's super exciting.