Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1508594
W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 23 O C T O B E R 2 , 2 0 2 3 AWA R D N E X T U P | 4 0 U N D E R 4 0 Influential book: "To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee; "Atlas Shrugged," by Ayn Rand; and "Eva Luna," by Isabel Allende Favorite movies or TV shows: "Gilmore Girls," "Psych," "My Cousin Vinny" and "Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham" How do you recharge: Sleep, jump rope, perform stand- up comedy, dance, yoga and go to the beach. African language specialist who also wins awards for his music Michael Odokara-Okigbo, 33 CEO and founder, ESM Global/NKENNE Significant professional accomplishment: In August 2023, we were awarded a National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research grant to help us ele- vate our artificial intelligence capabilities. That was major for us. Also, getting 50,000 users this year has been a big accomplishment for us as well. Our first accomplish- ment was our first Phase 1 grant from the Maine Tech- nology Institute. As a company, we will always be grate- ful for MTI for their early belief in us, and their continued support. Winning an American Music Award was a signifi- cant accomplishment related to my other career in music. Passion project: Singing Audacious goal: ESM Global/NKENNE becoming a multibillion-dollar enterprise, and owning the African language learn- ing and translations market. Favorite quote: "If you are going through hell, keep going." — Winston Churchill Influential book: The most influential book for our company is "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perserverance," by Angela Duckworth. There are times you have to dig in as a com- pany, and we had those moments. We were able to survive and grow because we were gritty, and made the improvement of our product our first priority. As a company, we've l e a r n e d t h e power of perse- verance, and we are stronger and more hungry for success. Favorite movie or TV show: My favorite movie is "The Jacksons: An American Dream." My favorite TV show is "Succession." How do you recharge: Running or eating. P R OV I D E D P H O T O NKENNE founder and CEO Michael Odokara-Okigbo says that getting 50,000 users this year has been a big accomplishment. Odissi is a form of Indian classical dance that I have performed since I was four years old. Living outside of India, I found a connection to my culture through dance and the community it brought me. — Sanchita Mukherjee Creativity has been something that has allowed NKENNE to grow and envision how we can improve the product. — Michael Odokara-Okigbo C ONTI NU ED ON FOLLOWI NG PAGE »