Apart from the brief remarks given in this micro-documentary about techpreneurship as part of the EU's push for Women in STEM, I'd like to highlight where it was shot and who was featured in this intriguing find from my recent past on YouTube.
In 2016, I cofounded a coworking space to test a model that proved sustainable in a developing economy like Guyana. I even wrote a paper on it here.
This video was filmed in that coworking space, including footage of a young woman working on her laptop. That young woman, Filisha Duke, was essentially one of our first members. At the time, Filisha was dedicating all her energy (and her resources) to her fledgling startup, SureGig.
It was definitely her focus, kindness and incredible perseverance, which drew me into supporting her resolute efforts to give SureGig a fighting chance. Although our membership fees were modest, there were months when she couldn't make the payments. In response, I got creative and proposed a barter arrangement: she and her team would help run the space in exchange for a waiver of her fees. Eventually, I wrote off all her past debt to the space.
From that point, I had a strong feeling that everything would work out for her. Indeed, there were some low moments, but a pep talk or two helped her navigate through them. We later collaborated on several projects, one of which involved managing the shipping logistics software my tech company, V75 developed for PAS Cargo USA. Her team excelled, paving the way for them to eventually oversee PAS Pak, the company's small shipments outfit here in Guyana. Today, Filisha Duke has grown SureGig into a multimillion-dollar enterprise and continues to rise as a highly successful woman serial entrepreneur. There's not a day that goes by that I'm not one bit surprised by her journey...you simply attract more of what you are.
