Cathy C.

I have always known that I wanted to run a business since I was ten (and also get into politics, but that’s a story for another day). I started my first business when I was thirteen making chapatis and having my mum sell them to her colleagues as accompaniments to their 10am tea. Fast forward five years – I was 18 and chose to apply to the University of Pennsylvania because it was the only American university that I knew that offered to teach business to undergraduates. After college, I joined Unilever and worked there for three and half years, both in their Kenya and UK offices. I wanted to learn how to build a reputable brand and Unilever was the place. Once I had learnt as much as I could, I joined a startup called Moko, which was then only selling 4 mattresses a month and had a team of two. I led their Brand, Marketing and Product Development efforts and by the time I left, we were selling 700 mattresses a month along with sofas and other accessories. We were close to hitting the $1M yearly revenue run rate. I’m finally where I started when I was thirteen, only this time I’m building–along with a great team–a startup called Side. Our mission is to enable any Kenyan (and eventually any African) earn additional income from the comfort of their homes. Learn more: https://side.africa