Dawn Dickson-Akpoghene is a serial entrepreneur and coach who is tired of the negative narrative in the media that does not acknowledge the successes of Black women entrepreneurs. She is our guest this week on The Founder’s Mind and had a wide-ranging conversation with Adam touching on race and gender in the tech industry, the future of crowdfunding, and the importance of perseverance and legacy.

After not achieving the funding she wanted in the realm of VC funding, Dawn set her sights on the brave new world of crowdfunding to great success. One of the key takeaways from Dawn’s story is how important it is to educate yourself thoroughly on any new industry you want to participate in. Listen for more of Dawn’s thoughts.

• (00:57) – Dawn’s tweet about Black women’s success
• (05:39) – Dawn’s family of entrepreneurs
• (12:22) – How Dawn came to launch her first business
• (19:22) – The challenge of team building
• (22:07) – What keeps Dawn driven
• (29:47) – How Dawn got into crowdfunding
• (32:46) – Dawn’s #1 advice to entrepreneurs
• (35:40) – Dawn’s perspective on failure
• (42:23) – Why you can’t compare your journey to others

Dawn W. Dickson is CEO of PopCom, an automated retail company that uses facial recognition, AI, and blockchain technology to help retailers collect valuable customer insights. The first CRM, data, and analytics software provider for unattended retail, PopCom has developed technology to make kiosks and vending machines intelligent through data and analytics at the point of purchase. As a serial entrepreneur with over 16 years of experience in marketing and business development, Dawn launched four successful cash flow positive companies since 2002.  Her most recent ventures include Flat Out of Heels and PopCom, after identifying a need to make vending machines more intelligent.  

The Founder's Mind is a podcast for entrepreneurs wanting to gain insights and tactics from founders of all kinds to learn, grow, and be better equipped to navigate the inherent challenges of entrepreneurship. The podcast is hosted by Adam Mutschler, a Leadership Coach and COO at The Kedar Group.

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Podcast episode production by Dante32.