Fello: Abenazer Mekete & Cheick Camara
Two college entrepreneurs are solving the problem many students face by creating a community platform that empowers students to bring their ideas to life
When you were growing up, what were your goals and aspirations?
Cheick: I grew up thinking I wanted to be a doctor, which was primarily a result of pressure from my parents. Both of my parents are immigrants from Mali. They had the perception that in order to be successful, you had to be a doctor, engineer, or lawyer, but I have always had a strong passion for entrepreneurship and business. In 5th grade, I had small side hustles selling candy, and later in high school I began trading sneakers and reselling Supreme apparel. It wasn’t until I arrived at Cornell, that I realized that jobs on Wall Street were very similar to these activities that enjoyed pursuing — in a very general sense at least. I joined various finance organizations, and continued exploring this interest ever since.
Abenazer: Like Cheick, I also had a change in perception. My earliest aspiration was that I wanted to become an astronaut and venture into outer space. I was born in Ethiopia and lived there until I was ten. My dad was a biologist in Ethiopia, and my mom worked for the Red Cross so I was also interested in healthcare. In high school, I became involved in the world of engineering and robotics. When I was in 11th grade, I learned about entrepreneurship and how people were able to make tremendous impact through problem solving, which is what really drove me in this direction. I later gained exposure to Computer science, one of the greatest tools for problem solving. Today, my aspiration is to create opportunities for others, especially from underrepresented backgrounds, using technology and entrepreneurship.
What inspired you to start your venture?
Abenazer: We began working on Fello in February when we were both pursuing separate personal initiatives. I was co-founding a talk show called, Breaking it Down, that focused on bridging the gap between underclassmen and upperclassmen. We planned on breaking the image that underclassmen held of upperclassmen. You look at someone’s accolades, and you paint a picture of them that differs from who they really are. We wanted to show that.
Cheick: I co-founded BlackGen Capital, which was the first Black investment fund at Cornell. Our goal is to bridge the gap between talented underrepresented minorities and the world of finance. When I made the change from Pre-Med to Finance, I joined a few business clubs. I took a quick look around the room and saw that I was one of two people of color. My co-founder and I shared similar experiences which brought us together to create a means to provide financial literacy and training to these talented underrepresented minorities, who have disproportionately less access to these resources. We had so many ideas we wanted to execute on, but it was difficult pursuing these initiatives because we were not able to access talented students who had the appropriate skills.
We saw this problem space where people could not bring their ideas to life. The hardest part of creating an impact should not be finding a community and people to do it with. After identifying this problem, we wanted to see if these issues were unique to us, so we interviewed dozens of students from across the nation. But, we found the exact opposite was true. It became evident that students are limited in pursuing creative endeavors because they don’t have access to peers who have the appropriate skillset, passion, and commitment. They also face several issues trying to find the inspiration and motivation to actually execute. We believed that if we solved these main issues, students would be able to pursue their passions and fuel innovation in the college landscape.
Can you give us an overview of our company?
Fello is the first social, professional, and creative network for college students. With Fello, students across the country can connect with and get inspired by other talented developers, designers, entrepreneurs, artists, photographers and many more students. While collaborating on projects, finding teammates, and expanding their creative network, students ultimately immerse themselves in Fello’s community of go-getters and bring their ideas to life.
What is the toughest part of being a student founder?
The three issues we are trying to solve with Fello are the three issues we currently face as student founders. The first one problem is the time commitment. Second, having access to talent. Third, keeping that motivation and inspiration. Some days we are working until 4 AM and time goes by pretty quickly.
What drives you to keep pushing despite the obstacles that came your way?
Cheick: There’s no other choice. Growing up in a low-income environment, I didn’t have the privilege to just give up in the face of adversity. In addition to this mindset, I am always intentional about pursuing endeavors I am truly passionate about. This passion fuels my motivation and perseverance to overcome many of these obstacles.
Abenazer: We both have a passion for serving our communities and are very impact driven. Fello is the greatest way we can do that as we are enabling others to create. Not only are we solving one specific issue, but our venture helps amplify our impact by empowering others to make theirs.
When was a time you failed, and what did you learn from that experience?
Being startup founders means we are failing very often. But these failures provide us with a continuous learning experience.
What was a key decision you made that helped you get to where you are today?
It is not a single decision, but a culmination of decisions. Being able to continuously make calculated decisions, while keeping the end goal in mind, has helped us get to where we are standing today.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Abenazer: It’s never too early for you to start doing anything you want. Take that first step in whatever it might be and find others to help you. Always make sure that you are providing value to others who are helping you throughout your journey as well.
Cheick: I would reinforce always having a positive mindset. People are usually willing to help out when you are optimistic and full of hope. Even today, I personally make an effort to mentor students who have this key trait.
When you were growing up, what was an assumption you had about the world that ended up being incorrect?
Abenazer: When you think of people who have achieved great things, it is easy to draw that picture a little too big. Everyone is on the same journey in some way, shape, or form. Always understand that you can make it like anyone else.
Cheick: People are actually more positive and less judgemental than I thought.
About Abenazer Mekete:
Abenazer is a rising Junior at Cornell University where he is studying Information Science. Originally from Ethiopia, his earliest aspiration was to become an astronaut and venture into outer space. After observing the meaningful work his dad did as a biologist and his mom as working for the Red Cross, he became inclined to join the medical field. However, when he was in 11th grade, he gained exposure on entrepreneurship, the art of problem solving, and he began to understand the limitless power of computer science. What intrigued him was how people were able to significantly create impact in the world through solving problems. Today, Abenazer’s mission is to create opportunities for others in any way he can.
About Cheick Camara:
Cheick is a rising Junior at Cornell University where he is earning a degree in Applied Economics and Computer Science. He is an incoming Investment Banking Summer Analyst at Morgan Stanley. He grew up with the goal of becoming a doctor, which was primarily a result of pressures from his parents. But, from the exposure he gained in his side hustles trading sneakers and reselling Supreme, he quickly developed a strong passion for entrepreneurship and business. When he arrived at Cornell, he became fascinated by entrepreneurship and finance, which led him to realizing his true passion.
Transcribed by Reva Jariwala, ORIGIN Content Manager
