VENTURE VISIONARIES

Episode 7

Sibling Revelry:

Getting The Party Going with Chezie
Co-founders Dumebi Egbuna and
Toby Egbuna

In this episode, we connect with Dumebi Egbuna and Toby Egbuna, Cofounders of Chezie. Chezie aims to remove the guesswork from the hiring process for candidates of color, LGBTQ+ people, women, veterans, and those with disabilities. They’ve created a space where diverse professionals can share and learn from real stories, connect with inclusive employers, and ultimately find workplaces where they are appreciated, valued, and given opportunities for growth. For their business clients it’s simple: leverage their own diverse employees to grow their inclusive employer brand and identify and hire top underrepresented talent.

Toby and Dumebi discuss the challenges faced by minorities in the workplace, including the lack of representation in leadership and the prevalence of microaggressions, which can lead to imposter syndrome and a sense of being stuck in one’s current position. They emphasize the importance of effective allyship and empowering underrepresented folks to advocate for themselves.

They walk through the origin story of Chezie, including its first iteration, Diversify, how that failed, and how those learnings led to Chezie’s dcucess. They share insider tips on startup marketing including the importance of content creation and commutinty building to drive advocacy and help the business grow. They stress the importance of running as lean as possible for as long as possible, both as a cost management tool and a forcing function for innovation.

Episode
Highlights

Sibling Co-Founders and Strategic Shifts:

Thomas leads a discussion with Toby and Dumebi about their experience as sibling co-founders and how their shared values and complementary skill sets have helped them work together. They recount the pivot from Diversify to Chezie, how they knew it was time and when they knew they’d made the right call.

From Before to Diversify to Chezie:

Dumebi and Toby discuss their experiences with diversity and inclusion in their careers at IBM and Accenture, respectively, and how they were inspired to start Diversify. They also discuss their strategic shift from this first venture to what is now Cheie, and how they balance determination with honesty as founders, recognizing when it’s time to move on from an idea that isn’t working.

Importance of Content Marketing:

We discuss the importance of investing in content creation, such as blog posts and monthly webinars, to drive pipeline and progress the business. They also stress the need for consistency in content creation and making it accessible to collect data for follow-up actions.

Challenges of Being the Only One
in the Room:

We get specific on the challenges faced by minorities in the workplace: the prevalence of microaggressions, and the difficulty of charting a path forward without seeing oneself represented and the burden of constant vigilance and mental effort.

Overcoming Challenges and Maintaining Faith:

Thomas asks Toby and Chezie if they have ever doubted their ability to succeed, and they both respond that they have not. While they have faced challenges, they credit their faith and belief in their team for keeping them motivated. They discuss a specific challenge they faced with building their platform and how they learned from it.

Effective Allyship and Examples in
the Workplace:

Toby emphasizes the importance of advocacy and speaking up for those who lack power. Dumebi Egbuna mentions that companies with clear allyship guidelines and those that center the voices of underrepresented groups are succeeding in this space.

Reflections on Lessons Learned and Future Goals:

During the meeting, Dumebi Egbuna and Toby Egbuna reflect on their experiences with Chezie and share what they would have done differently. They discuss the importance of confidence in fundraising and the need to pitch the vision rather than traction. They also emphasize the significance of maintaining relationships with potential customers and creating more inclusive workplaces.

Stories Segment

Venture Visionaries goes beyond the founder, giving a voice to the other people involved in making a venture a success.

For Chezie, we got to talk to the three most critical
early roles in a company: early customer, early
investor and  founding employee. In our Spoken
Stories segment, they each answer the question
‘What Makes Chezie Exciting?”

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