Opportunities seem everywhere when looking at global markets. Technologies, products and services can be introduced into markets that are hungry for such offerings. However, Harvard Business School’s Working Knowledge offers a story that highlights the risks of business formation in developing countries.
“When Liberia-born Monique Maddy (HBS MBA ’93) started Adesemi to offer users throughout Africa a wireless system of pagers and public pay phones, she believed that tremendous pent-up demand would launch her company to success. But in fact, the company eventually had to be liquidated, a casualty not only of internal miscalculations but also of the bureaucracy, corruption, and environmental factors faced by start-ups in Africa and other developing countries.”
This article offers a candid Q&A about this would-be global entrepreneur’s perilous journey.
Thanks to my colleague Howard Cochran for passing this story along.
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