Imagine Studying with No Light
The Prosper Nwanpka Story
I have early memories of food labels with the government seal and watching the neighborhood hustle of selling $70 in food stamps for $35 in cash. We jumped on the back of the MUNI bus to avoid paying the 35 cent youth fare and paid $1.50 for the cheese pizza slice, but added hella free parmesan cheese, pepper, and hot sauce with the condiments on the side to make it gourmet
That was a very different upbringing from Serial Entrepreneur and President of Avanoo, Prosper Nwankpa, who grew up in Aba, a small town in the South East of Nigeria. Out of all of his siblings, his uncle paid for him to attend a private primary school. That may sound like a great benefit until you realize it was a school that had inconsistent electricity, an overwhelming amount of large bugs, and teachers, even fellow students that would beat you for misbehaving. This represented an opportunity for Prosper, who relished the privilege to be able to attend school.
He was able to move to America to continue his education in an inner city neighborhood in Bronx, NYC. He went from small town poverty of Nigeria to inner-city poverty of America, which introduced him to a level of community dysfunction that was unfamiliar to him. He didn’t understand the classroom disruption, metal detectors at the school entrance, and other distractions that students occupied themselves with during the school day.
He came to America on a mission, and that focus has brought him in contact with some of the most accomplished leaders in American business. In getting to know Prosper you understand something quickly. None of that matters as the focus continues to be running a great business, building great products, helping founders continue to build thriving companies, and impacting the Black community in ways that transform lives.
Prosper is a testament to the values we represent at Cook on Monday Morning. If you haven’t already, subscribe on YouTube and ask 3 friends to do the same. Share our conversation with the people in your life that need some inspiration. We have grown our listening audience in a grassroots way. Because of you, we’re helping people start the week off right and touching folks all over the world.
