Synopsis:
Desmond is a poet who turns to writing to escape stress and burnout. He initially avoided farming as a career choice, dreaming of becoming a chef instead. At Complete Farmer, he honors his roots by naming their offices after crops—his office is aptly called Pineapple, given his own love for the fruit and in tribute to his father, a pineapple farmer. Complete Farmer’s journey has been a testament to resilience, pivoting seven times to find product-market fit and bootstrapping for nine months without making payroll, with early employees living and working in Desmond’s apartment. Despite the challenges, they raised their seed round during the pandemic by pitching to 139 investors, with only 5 investing. In this talk, Desmond tells us how he navigated turbulence through the highs and lows of fundraising in the dynamic African market.
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