Quote- “You don't have to raise funds to get validation. A lot of people will raise funds just for validation.” The Afropolitan Podcast spotlights Afropolitans who aren’t afraid to step into the unknown and walk in purpose. With this podcast we hope to empower Africans in the Diaspora to harness their full potential and contribute to the development of a bold and progressive black community. Our guests will share their working formulas, the hard facts about leaving familiar terrain, embracing the unknown, and staying relevant afterwards. This episode features Ray Youssef, CEO of ‘Paxful’ - a peer-to-peer bitcoin marketplace used by millions worldwide. As an immigrant from Egypt raised in New York, Ray has always been passionate about helping others. Ray believes that education is important in creating equitable opportunities and through his non-profit organization, built with bitcoin he has been able to provide that for so many children in Africa. He has always dreamed of a world where finance is accessible to everyone and that idea manifested as Paxful. Listen and enjoy as Ray talks to us about the African crypto market and the exceptional human capital on the continent. Ray’s reading list King, Warrior, magician, lover : Rediscovering the Archetype of Mature Masculine by Robert Moore ​​https://www.amazon.com/King-Warrior-Magician-Lover-Rediscovering/dp/0062506064 The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous https://www.amazon.com/Bitcoin-Standard-Decentralized-Alternative-Central/dp/1119473861 The fiat standard by Saifedean Ammous https://www.amazon.com/Fiat-Standard-Slavery-Alternative-Civilization/dp/1544526474 History of Money by Jack Weatherford https://www.amazon.com/History-Money-Jack-Weatherford/dp/0609801724 Show Notes 1:02 Mission and vision of Paxful. 5:19 African crypto market. 8:15 Advice to founders on navigating regulatory framework. 12:12 COVID-19 impact on Paxful. 13:35 Paxful approach to recruiting and retaining talent. 15:30 Advice to founders during fundraising process 18:02 The Mission of built with bitcoin. 22:51 Significant encounter with failure. 27:10 Ray’s reading list. 34:22 What does being Afropolitan mean to you? The Afropolitan Podcast is hosted by Eche Emole, co-founder of Afropolitan. Listen and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Jamit, or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to learn more about Afropolitan? Twitter - https://twitter.com/afropolitan Website - https://www.afropolitan.io/ Afropolitan Community - https://linkt