Maku

Behind every big moment is a story. A collaboration with Austin Meyer. Special thanks to Stanford Men's Soccer.

In April we visited Qargha refugee camp in Kabul where we had the chance to meet a handful of the residents; war refugees from regions in their own country. There is little opportunity in the camp no jobs, no economy. But one thing we did notice was an abundance of faith. Growing up, we hadn’t been exposed to many Islamic prayers. But when we translated Al-Fatiha, which means The Opening and is the first chapter of the Qur’an, we found the language similar to the prayers of our own childhoods. It’s seven verses ask for guidance, lordship, and mercy. We live in one world with many imperfections, and faith is not without them. Yet it unites so many of us. It is a common foundation on which we can strive to make life less difficult for one another.

We first met Jesse Sullivan 3 years ago over lunch at Stanford's Jimmy V's cafe. A former counterinsurgency analyst in Afghanistan and Stanford GSB graduate, he told us about his failed attempts to change the world through charity, military, and government solutions, but continued to outline a bold new vision that could affect millions of people. Eliminate extreme poverty. Undermine terrorism. Establish conditions for peace. ... These were his goals, and he believed they were all possible through entrepreneurship. Every nation has game-changing entrepreneurs who can create outsized value. And with the right resources and mentorship, they can create thousands of jobs necessary to build their economies. It goes beyond micro-entrepreneurship and charity. This is where Alter comes in. They go to countries where most investors won't and find the highest competency management teams. These entrepreneurs become role-models who lead the transformation of their own national ecosystems. Early this year, Alter launched in its third country. And after years of keeping in touch, Jesse invited us to to meet with several of the entrepreneurs that Alter was working with in Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Haiti. Among them, we met a businessman who is paving the way for a bribe-free Afghanistan. We met an entrepreneur who has hired hundreds of locals by exporting Haitian made beauty products. We met a CEO who grew a single grocery store into a multi-faceted corporation that ensures thousands of families can consistently put food on the table. We met leaders building companies and their countries.

"We must change the conversation around Haiti away from one of aid. It must be a country where you can explore and be able to get premium products. Success is job creationbeing able to put food on someone else’s table. It’s stabilityconsistently providing 1x, not 6x sporadically." - Yve-Car Momperousse, CEO Kreyòl Essence