The last time I saw Africa, my heart was still filled with hope. I remember the moment clearly: as my plane lifted off from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, to take me to a meeting in Seattle with potential investors, I looked down at the continent where I was born. I thought, “My company can succeed here. Tough times are ahead, but my dream is still attainable.” Then, for the rest of the flight, I played a mind game quite common to entrepreneurs—I allowed myself to imagine what that long-sought-after success would actually look and feel like. My company, Adesemi, would blanket the entire developing world with affordable wireless telecommunications services, bringing desperately needed communications to billions of people. And I would be rich and famous.
Dream Deferred: The Story of a High-Tech Entrepreneur in a Low-Tech World
Adesemi was a tough little American start-up in Africa that many believed would ultimately blanket the third world with affordable wireless telecommunications. In the end, it could not overcome the built-in obstacles to doing business in emerging markets, but its founder learned four essential lessons that will guide her when she ventures forth again.
A version of this article appeared in the May–June 2000 issue of Harvard Business Review.