3068: SHEQONOMI's Vision to Empower 5 Billion Women Across the Globe

[00:00:04] On this Daily Tech Podcast, I'm more interested in people that are making a real difference by leveraging technology and what they can achieve by combining technology and the human element rather than just another sales pitch or just another AI solution, for example.

[00:00:22] And have you ever wondered how technology can serve as a lever for social change, particularly for women in underserved communities?

[00:00:32] Well, if you have, you are absolutely going to love today's conversation.

[00:00:37] I know I did.

[00:00:38] Because I'm going to venture into a conversation that bridges technology, empowerment and global inclusivity.

[00:00:46] And in more than 3000 interviews, not many can tick all of those boxes.

[00:00:52] And my guest today is a visionary whose initiatives are transforming access to technology for the bottom 5 billion people in the world.

[00:01:02] I think all too often we focus on the top 3 billion and not the bottom 5 billion.

[00:01:08] And as the founder of Sheconomy, the world's first women-led podcast listening app, my guest is at the forefront of redefining media consumption for women globally on platforms that are accessible and affordable.

[00:01:24] And through Sheconomy, my guest today is not just amplifying women's voices, but also ensuring that they resonate across borders in more than 50 different languages.

[00:01:35] But how does my guest see the intersection of technology and female empowerment unfolding in the years ahead?

[00:01:42] Well, let's get her on the podcast now and find out more about her, about Sheconomy and her inspiring work.

[00:01:51] So a massive warm welcome to the show.

[00:01:54] Can you tell everyone listening a little about who you are and what you do?

[00:01:58] Hi, everybody. My name is Anu Bardwaj. I'm the founder of Sheconomy.

[00:02:04] I have been architecting this podcast listening app that's been built on low-cost mobile devices since the beginning of the pandemic.

[00:02:15] And we have now scaled globally on feature phones, low-cost laptops, tablets, mobile devices like phones and television sets all across India, Africa, Latin America.

[00:02:32] In addition to the smartphones that we all use that are now on Android and iPhones, iOS, I'm working on this full time.

[00:02:41] But I also have a nonprofit called the State of Women Institute, and it's a 501c3 based in the United States focused on amplifying the voices of marginalized, underserved, underrepresented women and girls.

[00:02:56] Well, it's a real pleasure for me to have you join me on the podcast today.

[00:03:00] One of the things I always say in every episode and I always finish every episode is say technology works best when it brings people together.

[00:03:08] And what you're doing here is the very epitome of that.

[00:03:11] And there's so many bad headlines or negative headlines around technology and its impacts on society.

[00:03:17] So kudos to you for what you're doing here.

[00:03:19] But I've got to ask, I mean, what was it that inspired you to create your economy and how does it specifically address the needs of underserved women through podcasting?

[00:03:29] Again, fantastic.

[00:03:31] Thank you for the question.

[00:03:33] So I, the inspiration came from a conversation I had at the kitchen table while homeschooling my daughter, Aria.

[00:03:43] And she was seven and a half at the time.

[00:03:46] And one day she said, Mama, please don't be angry.

[00:03:49] I don't think I'm going to make it to fourth grade at this rate.

[00:03:52] There's a lot of confusion on how to use these tools on Zoom school and Google classroom.

[00:03:59] And kids are scared.

[00:04:02] Moms are angry and teachers are trying to figure this tech out.

[00:04:05] I don't know how anyone is supposed to learn like this.

[00:04:08] And I said, I'm not worried about you, sweetheart.

[00:04:11] I'm worried about the other girls and other children around the world who don't even have access to Wi-Fi or computers for that matter.

[00:04:21] How do you think they're learning right now?

[00:04:24] And how do you think they're coping?

[00:04:26] And it was an honest discussion between the two of us.

[00:04:31] And she said, I don't know what are they doing?

[00:04:33] What's happening to them right now?

[00:04:35] And I said, look, there's nothing you can do about it.

[00:04:38] But I'll tell you what's what is happening is that they're probably getting sold.

[00:04:42] They're probably getting trafficked.

[00:04:43] And if they're lucky, some of the girls are maybe even being married off to someone that their families have selected for them now.

[00:04:51] But this is actually the end of their education for many kids who are pushed out of school.

[00:04:58] And that made her think and had big tears in her eyes and said, we have to do something about this model.

[00:05:04] Let's figure out how to help them.

[00:05:06] And that was the genesis of Shikonami.

[00:05:09] And we had this long conversation, ended up calling our tech team in India, who was in a village at this point outside of Bangalore somewhere in Karnataka and said, what is it that we can do?

[00:05:21] Aria asked them since she had a relationship with them, since I was building tech with them since she was born.

[00:05:29] And they said they would help us and they did.

[00:05:31] And we started building on 2G phones in remote villages.

[00:05:35] And that's how Shikonami Godscar started at the height of pandemic.

[00:05:39] Wow, what an incredibly powerful story and an incredibly important message that I'm passionate about sharing with our listeners in something like 160 countries at the moment.

[00:05:51] And Shikonami is the first women led podcast listening app that targets the bottom five billion.

[00:05:59] And again, there's something I absolutely love about this.

[00:06:01] There's five billion people on this planet that you're targeting here.

[00:06:05] Can you explain the significance of focusing on low cost mobile platforms and why this has been so important to you?

[00:06:14] Because for many people listening, they'll be unaware of some of the problems that we're raising and the people that need reaching.

[00:06:20] So can you expand on that for me?

[00:06:22] Absolutely, Neil.

[00:06:23] So if you think about how many people are living on less than $10 a day or $5 a day for that matter, how do we expect them to afford a smartphone with a data plan, monthly data plan, and then pay for a subscription?

[00:06:40] This is the absolute fundamental question that we need to ask ourselves.

[00:06:47] And when COVID happened, you have all these women who have not been educated properly.

[00:06:55] They don't have access to smartphone technology.

[00:07:00] And like, let's see if some of them may not even be able to read.

[00:07:05] So the thought was, why not try to access this demographic with audio content, especially around women's health?

[00:07:14] Because if women understand what's going on, they can educate their families and their, of course, their children.

[00:07:20] And I had laser focused on this because COVID was complex for all of us at home, trying to figure out what was going on, how to protect ourselves.

[00:07:30] There was a lot of fear, if you remember.

[00:07:32] It wasn't that long ago.

[00:07:33] It was just like, less than if we think about it, a thousand days ago, we were all trying to figure out if we could leave our home safely.

[00:07:40] Yeah.

[00:07:41] And there were people out there who don't have TVs, who can't read the newspaper, who may not have gotten the right information in time.

[00:07:50] Many orphans created, we haven't even talked about that.

[00:07:53] Refugees, just so many people that were affected.

[00:07:56] And the thought was, if it's so bad for us, how much worse is it for them?

[00:08:02] And how do we help those people?

[00:08:05] And there's a saying that says, as you're climbing, lift others up.

[00:08:09] Well, this is what the world needs to do because we have this digital divide.

[00:08:13] We're moving into this new digital economy and we're leaving all these people behind.

[00:08:18] And we don't have to.

[00:08:20] We've got the tech that's affordable, inclusive, accessible.

[00:08:24] We need to start building apps on that.

[00:08:26] And the first thought that came to me is podcasts because Aria and I had started a podcast called Women Investing in Women and Girls years ago, educating girls about leadership and investing and entrepreneurship and so forth.

[00:08:41] And we said, if we could do this amazing podcast, there's other podcasts out there that can be shared.

[00:08:46] Let's build together.

[00:08:48] And then that's how the curation started.

[00:08:51] That's how the connectivity started.

[00:08:53] So many women came forward and supported us.

[00:08:55] And it's really been a community initiative of men and women working together across borders, across boundaries, across platforms to make what we have now happen.

[00:09:07] And we couldn't have done it without their help.

[00:09:09] So I want to acknowledge everyone who came together to make this possible for us.

[00:09:13] And it's that community that you've created that really is making a difference in the world.

[00:09:18] And with over 5,000 women-centric podcasts in more than 50 different languages, I've got to ask, how do you ensure inclusivity and diversity in the content that you provide?

[00:09:30] So we cure content that's relevant first and foremost to our global community.

[00:09:37] So we're going to be able to help us in a community.

[00:09:38] And we've now gotten over 60 languages.

[00:09:41] And that was intentional from the start.

[00:09:44] These are original podcasts in languages like Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Marathi.

[00:09:51] We have French, we have Swedish, we have German, Portuguese, so on and so forth.

[00:09:56] And we try to find content that's around women's health, entrepreneurship, innovation, mindfulness, for instance, mental health, and so on and so forth.

[00:10:06] So we're actually having a lot of fun looking for new voices and also making sure that when we're sharing content on feature phones, which are somewhere as low as 10 US dollars for feature phones.

[00:10:23] We have $30 smartphones that we also have built on $100 laptops.

[00:10:29] We're making sure that this content is relevant for people who are listening and also trying to figure out ways to include their voices.

[00:10:36] And so the goal isn't let's blow up like Spotify to 3 million podcasts or Apple or some of these other platforms where it's all about volume.

[00:10:47] We're looking at about we're looking into quality and really being selective about the quantity and who we're putting on the platform and also look at issues that matter to us.

[00:10:57] And so this is it's an interesting it's an interesting approach because it's really looking at what matters to us that hasn't been really focused on for many platforms.

[00:11:10] And another thing I wanted to highlight here is women make up a significant portion of the global agriculture workforce, yet they often face stark economic disparities.

[00:11:22] So how do you see technology and specifically your platform?

[00:11:26] How do you see that helping close this gap?

[00:11:29] Yeah.

[00:11:30] So last week, I don't know if you remember recall, they had climate week in New York and they also had UN General Assembly.

[00:11:39] And in four months from now, we'll have the World Economic Forum in Davos.

[00:11:45] And I've attended so many of these gatherings of world leaders and change makers and thought leaders.

[00:11:55] And the question is, we need to do this and we need to have inclusivity.

[00:11:59] And yes, AI is here now and we need to get it in the hands of the people that we're trying to work with to solve the UN SDGs and so on and so forth.

[00:12:09] That's all wonderful.

[00:12:11] And it's great rhetoric.

[00:12:12] But at the end of the day, this tech needs to get into the hands of the people that are going to use it.

[00:12:18] It's all about the people at the end of the day.

[00:12:21] And it's developing technology that will be monitored and analyzed and a mechanism where we can start collecting data that's going to solve problems that are related to climate change,

[00:12:40] are going to solve problems that are related to gender inequalities.

[00:12:44] Right.

[00:12:46] And so that's why if we put audio in the hands, audio content or audio capabilities and the content of women that are on the front lines.

[00:12:58] And I want to say this as farmers and women in agriculture or women that are working with water, then we can get that data.

[00:13:06] It's a brilliant way for governments, civil society, corporations to figure out what's really going on because now these women have access to that tech.

[00:13:19] And your initiative goes far beyond podcasting, too.

[00:13:22] I was reading that you offer access to everything for banking, commerce and communications for underserved women around the world.

[00:13:30] So how do you envision this transforming communities in the global south and beyond?

[00:13:36] Because, again, it's amazing how you're using technology to make this real impact.

[00:13:42] Thank you, Neil.

[00:13:43] So first and foremost, I would say the audio content that we're putting together, it's educational.

[00:13:50] And we're going to have this converted soon in the near future so that it becomes more accessible.

[00:13:58] And when it comes to banking and commerce and entrepreneurship, these are all layers that come next.

[00:14:05] At the very beginning, we wanted to make sure that it's relevant content, it's engaging, it's informative.

[00:14:12] Some of it's edutainment.

[00:14:13] We can classify it as edutainment.

[00:14:16] But it's a way for them to learn about financial literacy.

[00:14:19] And this is so relevant, not just in the Caribbean, but also in Africa, Latin America, emerging markets.

[00:14:28] If you think about it, it's like opening up not just windows, but doors.

[00:14:33] And there's no ceilings on this one.

[00:14:35] It's all powered by the voices of women.

[00:14:37] So with that in mind, I think you're giving everyone the respect.

[00:14:42] And they all have dignity to participate.

[00:14:47] Because now you're saying you are so relevant.

[00:14:49] We've built on platforms that are designed just for you.

[00:14:53] And this is where it all begins.

[00:14:54] Not where it ends, but where it begins.

[00:14:56] And so I think that's kind of my hope on everything that we've architected.

[00:15:01] Everything that we've designed has come from the lens of what do these people want?

[00:15:05] What do these people need?

[00:15:06] And how do we get it to them as fast as possible?

[00:15:10] Absolutely love what you've achieved here.

[00:15:13] We're making it sound incredibly easy, but I suspect that there are a few challenges that you faced in creating a platform that not only amplifies women's voices,

[00:15:23] but also rewards content creation and listening, etc.

[00:15:27] For other founders or other people listening that want to follow in your footsteps, are there any challenges that you can share and how you overcame them?

[00:15:35] Yeah, there were many challenges.

[00:15:37] And first of all, we started this at the height of the global pandemic.

[00:15:41] And this was like right when we were all told to stay indoors and start wearing masks.

[00:15:49] Like this was, we aren't going to have that connectivity or interaction.

[00:15:53] So everything went digital for us from day one.

[00:15:57] And when we decided to build this, I had reached out to the smartest people I knew in the tech space.

[00:16:04] And I said, please, I need your help.

[00:16:06] We are, we don't know what's going to happen, but there's a lot of people that are going to be compromised as a result.

[00:16:13] And we have to work together.

[00:16:15] And so I reached out to a friend of mine, Aaron Duda.

[00:16:18] And Aaron reached out to his friend, David Holtzman, Brian Feinberg, and many others.

[00:16:26] And I had reached out to so many of my friends that had been working with me with Women Investing in Women Digital and the State of Women Institute.

[00:16:36] And we started creating virtual, a global virtual summit series called Amplifying Her Voice.

[00:16:42] And that was the genesis of like bringing this community together.

[00:16:46] And we had 500 speakers from 125 countries, about 5,000 participants.

[00:16:54] No one had met each other.

[00:16:56] And we had International Women's Day virtually on March 8th.

[00:17:02] So that was one, bringing all of the community together around this mission of let's start talking about the tech that we're building, how we're going to do it.

[00:17:11] And also talk about issues that were relevant to other communities.

[00:17:17] And so we started there.

[00:17:18] And while we were building, also started thinking about financing.

[00:17:24] My daughter, Aria, donated her college fund.

[00:17:28] And I've told her many times, like, you were my first angel investor.

[00:17:31] And so she said, we need to get this out to the girls.

[00:17:34] So the heart and soul of everything we've done was all about intentionality.

[00:17:40] And the tech team in India said, you guys need to go out and start writing some grants.

[00:17:45] And we applied for the Islamic Development Bank COVID Innovation Competition.

[00:17:50] And they had over 5,000 applications from 125 countries.

[00:17:55] There were 30 winners, seven women.

[00:17:58] And we received one of the largest prizes ever for this competition from the Royal Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, the United Arab Emirates, the People's Republic of Bangladesh, and the Republic of Indonesia.

[00:18:13] So with that capital, we built on KaiOS.

[00:18:17] That was the first low-cost mobile device platform.

[00:18:20] And we're now in 175 countries on these low-cost devices with the help of KaiOS.

[00:18:26] And we also built on Android and iOS during this time.

[00:18:31] And then Reliance Geo in India started building with us immediately after.

[00:18:37] And this is the largest mobile platform in India.

[00:18:41] And they said, look, if you can accomplish this, we're going to put you on all our devices.

[00:18:46] And they have a reach of about 600 million users on Geo platforms.

[00:18:52] And they also have their own satellites and 4G network now.

[00:18:56] Across the country.

[00:18:57] So we just literally went straight into partnerships immediately.

[00:19:00] And again, I'm a kitchen table mompreneur.

[00:19:03] And there were many of us and lots of women executives who were forced out of their positions because they had to take care of their families during COVID.

[00:19:13] And I think it's something that we need to address in the tech world is that we're juggling many responsibilities.

[00:19:19] And we as women in tech really have to think through how to work with our families, not just for our families, but with our families.

[00:19:29] And this was something that I did in collaboration with my young daughter.

[00:19:34] We just went to the White House last week with Vital Voices.

[00:19:37] And I take her with me every step of the way.

[00:19:40] So I think that was probably key to our success is how do we bring the next generation into what we're working on.

[00:19:47] And when you persevered and overcame these challenges, you've since been recognized with numerous accolades, such as the Inc. magazine Global Top 100 Female Founders and the Islamic Development Bank's Transform Fund Award.

[00:20:01] You've picked that up as well, I believe.

[00:20:03] So I've got to ask, how have these recognitions influenced your mission and impact?

[00:20:08] Because I suspect it's not about any of those recognitions.

[00:20:11] From talking to you today is about the mission that you're on.

[00:20:15] But what do those recognitions mean to you?

[00:20:19] So as mentioned, the Islamic Development Bank COVID Innovation Competition, that was an investment, number one.

[00:20:26] And that hard cash was $150,000.

[00:20:29] So it was like money.

[00:20:31] And I had applied to a number of grants.

[00:20:35] We didn't get them.

[00:20:36] We did get into the SDG Impact Accelerator.

[00:20:40] We were top 10 finalists for that initiative.

[00:20:43] We are now a Vital Voices Global Fellow.

[00:20:47] This was another competition, just happened.

[00:20:49] Inaugural cohort.

[00:20:50] And I just met with 55 other global women leaders, 25.

[00:20:56] I believe there were 25 of us that were social entrepreneurs.

[00:20:59] And the rest were rising political leaders.

[00:21:02] And so it's never been a focus of the competition per se.

[00:21:07] It's about the...

[00:21:09] It is about the mission, 100% about the mission.

[00:21:12] And I feel like now that we've built all of this tech on Android, iOS, KaiOS, Cloud Phone, and Geo, we're the first and only in the world to do this across all platforms.

[00:21:25] And that too, it's women-centric.

[00:21:28] That's my greatest award.

[00:21:29] That's my greatest prize.

[00:21:30] That's my greatest initiative.

[00:21:32] And to say, we are at the forefront.

[00:21:34] We are the ones spearheading this movement.

[00:21:37] We are the tip of the spear.

[00:21:38] And you may have large companies that go out there and do things similar and say, we've got highest listenership or most number of streams.

[00:21:47] I think we have the greatest potential for impact, in all honesty.

[00:21:53] Because we have said, look, this is about those voices that have never been put at the front.

[00:21:58] And these are the stories that have never been told.

[00:22:03] So my greatest reward, my greatest award is when we start to hear what those women and girls have to say.

[00:22:09] And it's not so much the Forbes or the Fortune or the Cartier or any of these awards.

[00:22:15] It's really when push comes to serve, what have I done with my short life here on Earth?

[00:22:23] And have I used my abilities to impact the greatest number of people?

[00:22:29] And I feel that's the award.

[00:22:31] Once you find your purpose, you figure out what you're doing, and you do it with everything you've got.

[00:22:37] Absolutely love that.

[00:22:39] And I echo everything you just said.

[00:22:41] Brilliant.

[00:22:42] And looking ahead, as we prepare for life in 2025 and begin setting goals for yet another year, what are your goals for Shikonami?

[00:22:51] And how do you see the role of women-led technology evolving in the next, not just year, but five, ten years and beyond?

[00:22:59] How do you see this evolving?

[00:23:00] And what are your goals?

[00:23:02] I love this question.

[00:23:04] And thank you for asking.

[00:23:05] So first and foremost, we have now built the strongest foundation possible for Shikonami.

[00:23:12] I have had an incredible tech team, still do.

[00:23:15] And we have already thought through, like now that we have this audience, now that we have these devices, there's going to be more generative AI that's integrated.

[00:23:26] I was a Fulbright scholar, Neil, to the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai.

[00:23:32] There was a competition in 2017, no, 27, 2007.

[00:23:38] And when I went to India, I was laser focused on looking at global women's entrepreneurship and ended up doing a benchmark on women in private equity that year.

[00:23:51] And everything that I had studied from that point forward was how do we become more inclusive?

[00:23:57] And that too, we have large populations.

[00:23:59] If you look at South Asia alone, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, we've got about 2 billion people or more.

[00:24:07] And then you've got the Middle East.

[00:24:09] And then you've got Africa and Southeast Asia.

[00:24:11] And so the women that I'm laser focused on, because I am one of them, is a demographic that I think has tremendous potential, especially when we listen to what they have to say.

[00:24:24] And they're innovative and they're creative.

[00:24:26] And I had two grandmothers that raised many children with high school educations or middle school educations.

[00:24:33] And with what they've been able to come up with and create, it's unimaginable.

[00:24:38] And now we give them this tool that can now make their genius ideas and innovations come to life.

[00:24:46] I think sky's the limit with that.

[00:24:48] And when you can communicate cross-border using generative AI on our platform and other platforms, I think this is going to be transformative.

[00:24:57] Now, one other thing that I have been architecting since before COVID was a super app.

[00:25:04] And I have come to know that Spotify is intending to work on something similar.

[00:25:09] But we have been carefully curating what we're going to do with our super app.

[00:25:14] And I think I'm pleased to say that for 2025 and beyond, I envision that we're going to have a tool that's going to be used by the marginalized, underserved, underrepresented, unlike never before.

[00:25:28] And with that, we need to hire people.

[00:25:31] We need to raise capital.

[00:25:33] I'm just now starting to talk to angel investors, seed investors, series A investors.

[00:25:38] I think now that we have proof of concept, we need to get the right investors on board.

[00:25:43] This is going to be my greatest challenge is bringing the right investors, right advisors, board, expanding our team.

[00:25:50] This is the natural evolution.

[00:25:52] And then eventually, I foresee partnering with the largest mission aligned companies of the world who want to make sure that everybody has access and they're included on these affordable devices.

[00:26:07] So I think that's the future.

[00:26:08] We need to stay really focused.

[00:26:11] I invite partners who are listening right now to please contact me and see how we can work together.

[00:26:17] Because from here on out, it's all about mission and making sure everyone is coming with us.

[00:26:24] Well, thank you so much for taking the time to share your story and your insights today.

[00:26:29] And I know for a fact that from listening to your story today, you're probably completely unaware of this, the amount of women around the world that you are inspiring to follow in your footsteps and make a huge impact on the world around us.

[00:26:43] And some of the biggest names in business, VC funding and tech have either been guests or listened to this podcast.

[00:26:50] So I'd love to stretch this out even further.

[00:26:53] I mean, is that a person you'd love to have a private breakfast or lunch with?

[00:26:58] Who would it be and why?

[00:26:59] And I hope through serendipity and technology connecting people that he or she might just get to hear this.

[00:27:05] Maybe we could make something happen together.

[00:27:08] But who would it be and why?

[00:27:09] I think the person I would love to spend a breakfast or lunch with would be Melinda Gates.

[00:27:17] Yeah.

[00:27:18] And I say this because she has used her position, her voice, her ability to influence and access with a laser focus on women and girls.

[00:27:30] And she's out there as a champion for all of us and is running pivotal ventures and has really made a statement that she wants to see technologies that are going to impact the bottom billion, the bottom five billion that we are hoping to access.

[00:27:47] And I think if we could get in front of her somehow, this would be a game changer for many of the projects and programs and initiatives that she's already working on.

[00:27:57] This could be a multiplier, if not exponentially, at least to the point where we're going to start to see the needle move farther and faster in record time.

[00:28:09] Well, Melinda, if you are listening to this, you know what to do.

[00:28:13] And if you're a friend of a friend of Melinda, please make her aware of this.

[00:28:18] I'd love to make something happen because it's something that makes a real impact in the world by leveraging technology.

[00:28:24] And the whole six degrees of separation thing, hopefully we can make something happen.

[00:28:28] We're manifesting it now.

[00:28:29] All I ask is if you do hear back one day, maybe not this week, next month or maybe next year, let me know and we'll keep this conversation going.

[00:28:38] But for everybody else listening, maybe they're inspired by listening to your story today and want to ask you a question, join your community or just find out more information about anything we talked about.

[00:28:50] Where's the best place for everyone to go to?

[00:28:53] Where would you like to point them?

[00:28:55] So we have social media channels on podcast.com for podcasthers.com.

[00:29:03] So you can check out that domain and it'll point you to all of the different podcasts.

[00:29:08] It's a work in progress.

[00:29:10] You can check out LinkedIn.

[00:29:12] We're on Facebook.

[00:29:14] We're on YouTube.

[00:29:16] So I would say the fastest way to reach me is either on LinkedIn, which is full right now.

[00:29:22] My Facebook is also full right now.

[00:29:25] So I think if you wanted to check out Sheconomy, which is S-H-E-Q-O-N-O-M-I, we have a LinkedIn community there that's building.

[00:29:34] Or please go to podcastherz.com and you will find all of the information and links there to all of these brilliant women's voices.

[00:29:42] And we can definitely connect there.

[00:29:45] If anyone would like to send me an email, please do so.

[00:29:49] Anu at Sheconomy.com.

[00:29:52] You can reach me there as well.

[00:29:55] I'm not very active on Instagram.

[00:29:57] I'm not very active on Twitter.

[00:29:59] But other than that, I think really looking forward to connecting with anyone.

[00:30:04] And maybe we can put it in the links below, Neil, on this podcast if possible.

[00:30:09] A hundred percent.

[00:30:10] Everything you mention there, all the links to your social channels, I will get them added to the show notes and the blog posts that will accompany this.

[00:30:17] Over on my website, techblogwriter.co.uk.

[00:30:20] All I would say, anyone listening, go straight to podcast.

[00:30:23] There will be a blog post associated with this episode.

[00:30:26] And as I always say at the end of every episode, technology works best when it brings people together.

[00:30:31] And I love how you've created Sheconomy, a unique podcast platform that is uplifting women's voices globally and rewards content creation and listening and so many great things you're doing there.

[00:30:42] But more than anything, I think how you're using technology combined with your dedication to amplifying women's voices makes it incredibly special.

[00:30:52] So thank you so much for taking the time out of your incredibly busy day to share your story.

[00:30:58] Thanks again.

[00:30:59] Thank you, Neil.

[00:31:00] Hope to connect again soon.

[00:31:02] Wow.

[00:31:03] What an enlightening discussion.

[00:31:04] I think we've seen firsthand today how Sheconomy is not just a platform, but a movement, a movement towards inclusive technology.

[00:31:13] And by targeting devices that are accessible to the bottom five billion, my guest is paving the way for a future where technology uplifts every single voice.

[00:31:25] But what do you think are the biggest challenges in making technology universally accessible?

[00:31:30] And how can innovators overcome them?

[00:31:33] You've heard my guest story today and incredibly inspiring.

[00:31:36] And I want to hear your thoughts, your stories and get your voice heard too.

[00:31:42] So please join the conversation by emailing me, techblogwriteroutlook.com.

[00:31:48] Connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter, just at Neil C. Hughes.

[00:31:53] Let's keep this conversation going.

[00:31:55] Keep pushing the boundaries of what tech can achieve for global equality and bringing the global community together.

[00:32:03] There's enough polarization and division out there.

[00:32:05] And I'm confident that together we can prove that technology works best when it brings people together.

[00:32:11] But that is it for today.

[00:32:13] I'll be back again tomorrow with another story of how technology is changing our lives, our work and hopefully even world for the better too.

[00:32:22] So I will speak with you all bright and early tomorrow.

[00:32:25] But it's time for me to go now.

[00:32:26] So bye for now.