About this Episode

Shivaun Gyan (MBA,FCCA) started his career in Silicon Valley as an audit consultant for a big 4 audit firm and worked his way up the corporate ladder to Senior Director with work experience in over 20 countries spanning from the Caribbean to the Middle East. 

While doing his MBA at City Business School, he became inspired to change direction of his career towards startups and left his firm for the unchartered waters of startup life. His first role was CFO of an Electronics and Lifestyle Startup in Los Angeles, Headquartered in Shenzhen, China. 

In 2020, he co-founded Found Lifestyle, a platform that enables food and drink venues to boost sales and productivity by allowing staff to focus on providing excellent service to customers,using the app for a better in-venue ordering and smoother checkout experience. For every order on Found, a meal is provided to a person in need through its partnership with Feeding Britain. 

We talk about Found and Shivaun’s Journey to create a business with purpose.

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Episode Transcript

Katherine Ann Byam  0:01  

Shivaun, welcome to Where Ideas Launch.

Shivaun Gyan  0:53  

Thank you very much for having me on the show. Hearing you say that back is really interesting because we write it in the news feed every single day in our company, but hearing someone else speak about it - I get a few goosebumps.

Katherine Ann Byam  1:08  

That's wonderful. It's really a pleasure to have you and as you pointed out before we got started, you are the first Trinidadian person who is on the show with me. Being a Trini myself, I really feel a lot of pride in sharing the story of Trinidadian startups and Trinidadian startups that are global in nature. So tell us a bit about Found.

Shivaun Gyan  1:32  

So Found was created essentially to save time. It was a convenience app. This idea for this app started well before COVID. And it was just meant to save people time from queuing for food and drink and just give people time back from very busy days. Then COVID hit. And we started instantly seeing a lot of advantages to having the app and, very much in line with the British government's kind of advisories not to use paper menus anymore, because of the transmission of germs and things like that, not to have crowding and venues and all that sort of stuff we're all very aware of.

And using our food ordering app then becomes the next natural progression of how you patronise food and beverage venues. And so we started saying, Wow, this is an even amazing opportunity. And as we progressed every few months in startup life, we realised that there were a lot of opportunities to do something beyond the commercial side of the business. And my co-founder and I, Alex James (Hi to Alex, I know he's listening and is going to be listening to this) Alex is our CEO.

So we always have in mind to have a charitable element to what we did. And we said, okay, well, let's, we were playing in food tech. Let's say, let's do something else, what is one of the food-related needs of this world. And obviously, when you go for cause actions and moral compasses, in terms of corporate behaviours, we always tend towards the UN and see what is in demand in the world. And we hope upon, of course, the very well-known, Sustainable Development Goals of the UN for 2030. And as we'll have it, number two was Zero Hunger. And then we thought, “Okay, well great.” There's a direct correlation between us having a food ordering app, and there being a need to help with food hunger and food poverty across the world. And those might not seem relatable things that you could do with a small startup.

 But we came to the conclusion that we don't have to solve world hunger but we have to help it out. And it's not it's less of us being the solution and more of the instigators for a revolution of thinking about how everybody can play a part in better humanity. And that sounds very idealistic. But as you said in your introduction of me, As we say in the Caribbean I’m no spring chicken. Unfortunately, I missed the millennial boat. And I think what I'm called is a xenial, just before millennials. 

Shivaun Gyan  4:34  

And I’ve proven myself in the corporate world, I've made enough money. I've been successful, there comes a point in your life as an adult, where you want some sort of purpose in life beyond the paycheck. And if I was going to create something, I want some sort of a legacy. I want some sort of an impact. And that's where the idea came from. This should not be an element of the app anymore. This should be the reason we exist. Right? This should be the movement that we start.

Because there's, as you know, a proliferation of food ordering apps around the world. We've done our extensive research, none of them do anything like this. And it brings the question, why? Why hasn't billion-dollar valued food ordering apps never thought about tackling hunger and food poverty. So it didn't really matter to us. We just said, well, let's be the first to do it. And that's really how things evolved. So with Found, just to tell you what it does, it's not just similar to any food delivery app.

You can search for food at your favourite restaurant in your proximity, you can order the only thing that's different is the destination. So we've catered a lot to the in-venue dining space, where delivery apps kind of keep you at home. And the reason we had that focus was that restaurants, as everybody knows, the hospitality industry is suffering. And it hasn't been suffering. And there's been a lot of calls for supporting your local pub and cafes, just to make sure that they keep alive during this pandemic because the doors are closed.

As we all know, we're in lockdown mode. So we decided that we would create an app that would help people return to venues right once it was safe to do so, and offer benefits to people going in and patronising venues, and keeping the doors open and the lights on. And so that's why we focused on that space. And so with the app, you can basically order food to your table, and do so safely. Because you're not touching menus, you don't have to speak to a waiter, and you don't have to use cards to make your payment. Everything is done from the convenience of your smartphone. So it's the next evolution in food ordering. And we're happy to be part of it.

Katherine Ann Byam  6:50  

It's really exciting, I love hearing about this type of solution because this is what the world really needs we need, we need real solutions. And we need things that create impact. And I think that digital-first startups have such a fantastic opportunity to go directly into that sustainability space. So it's wonderful to see you guys taking that bold step. And wanting to ask a little bit about your background, and how you come to be in this space. I always find it interesting, as an accountant myself, who's found herself in a completely different space. How did you find your way to being the founder of a startup?

Shivaun Gyan  7:25  

I get questioned a lot of times about “you don't have the personality of an accountant” whatever that means. “You don't have the personality of an auditor” whatever that means. I fell into Accounting, the Accounting world by chance, I won in a contest on a casting call to one of the big four firms. And I was just good at accounting. I didn't particularly like it, but I was good at it. And I think I liked the competition more than I did Accounting. And I was given pretty much an internship that was paying for my ACC, which is for those of you who don't know, is the professional certification to become a chartered accountant.

And being 17-18 years old at the time, I had no real direction in life. And that sounded good and so I jumped on it. And therefore that started my career with a firm that took me for 14 years, all around the world doing accounting, auditing, finance, those sort of things. You know, I've gotten to a stage in my career as a senior director, where I said, Oh, well, great. What's the next step in life? I was approaching 40. So I'm giving away my age right now. I was approaching 40. And I was looking for something more. And during my MBA, I really really felt drawn to innovation, and then new ventures and that sort of kind of calling. I really, really felt it. And I said, Well, let me do something about it. I'm 40 I'm doing my MBA drastically.

What's the worst that can happen? I think I'm employable. (I hope) if this doesn't pan out. But you know, the thing about entrepreneurship capitals, you will know is you've got to just do it. You can't delay. I have delayed even doing my MBA for six years. And then I just said you know what, if I start now I'll be finished at 40. So let me start. That was literally the deadline. And so I fell into this space. I put the pillars out there and I got my first job as a CFO in a startup. And boy was that different. That was not the structure I was accustomed to. That was not the challenge I was accustomed to. My professional outlook was turned upside down. But you know what? I tried that I really enjoyed it and then it became the natural progression. I've got to do something on my own. And when I met my business partner, the rest is history already.

Katherine Ann Byam  9:58  

It's quite funny because there's so much structure and consulting, right? There are so many methods, processes. Everything is recycled in a way. So you have those templates coming forward. And when you get into the startup world, it's anything but because you really have the purview of the entire business, right. So you're no longer an accountant, you are everything, you are sales, you are marketing, your, your brand, your operations, you are everything in that business. So it really takes a certain type of individual as well to tackle that challenge. And you're definitely doing it with some great brilliance. Tell us about - if Found has launched already and what are your plans?

Shivaun Gyan  10:42  

So we have actually pre-launched. Our launch date is coming up very soon - March 1 in the UK. We've got some venues on board already and we're going to take it slow. We're not going to go for a mass launch at first. We're going to be partners and probably just start off with our takeaway business just to make sure the tech works the way we wanted to, and we’ll take some initial feedback from the market. We tested it, it works we know it does. But you never know what happens when you launch it in the market. So we're going to take it quite slow, and then build up for about six weeks.

 And then we're going to announce, well, we're going to announce a massive partnership that we've managed to secure. And I don't know if we should talk about it, maybe we can talk about it here. Why not? We were able to sign an incredible partnership with the folks at Feeding Britain. And I'm pretty sure a lot of Brits are very familiar with this charity. They're the biggest food charity I believe in the UK. And they really believed in what we were doing. They loved that we made giving incidental contribution to what people are doing every day. So I'm ordering food. So our tagline is, “you buy a meal, we give a meal.” So you order your food and it doesn't cost you anything extra, and you get to give a meal to someone else.

And so they have really loved the idea. We partner with them. And so every time you place a meal on our platform, there's someone in need that gets a meal in the UK. In our country it is really important for us to do that, Katherine. Because a lot of times we see charities and we see funds from some far-away country when there's a lot of distress in our home environments. And we wanted to make sure that Brits were able to be Brits. That we need to look after your countrymen, as we say in the Caribbean as well. So we're going to echo that business model and replicate that business model. Wherever we go, we will try to find local charities where people can actually benefit from and see it happening in their environment.

So you know what, “I Catherine I Shivaun,” “I George, I've contributed to this particular cause and look it’s happening in my own home. So that's where it came from. And that's where we are. After the UK, we're going to be headed to the Middle East, to Dubai, then we're looking at the big old USA. That's going to be a big giant to take on. But you know we make it work, we think we've got a great USP here. And it's going to resonate with a lot of people who think beyond themselves in this world. And there are a lot of good people out there. So that's where we're headed.

Katherine Ann Byam  13:25  

Definitely. That's wonderful. So tell us a bit about the journey of this app. So I know that COVID has presented us with many challenges. And you talked about the app starting off being a convenience app, and then pivoting now to something that has become more in many ways. So tell us about the lessons that you've learned along the way, in making this pivot. And in bringing this to life.

Shivaun Gyan  13:51  

Oh lessons, Where do I start? You don't think that a lot of people and I do understand a bit of the listenership of this podcast and I think we're all pretty much in the same age bracket. And my number one lesson is if you open your eyes on a particular morning and you feel any resentment towards going to work, then you probably shouldn't be going to work at that place. You got to introspect. You got to just do it. There's never going to be an optimal time to start a business.

There are always kids, there's always family, there's always a pet, I don't have enough money in the bank. there's gonna be a long list of excuses you can come up with at any point in time. So it's just got to just do it. And when you do it, understand why you do it. Get to the “why” as soon as possible because when you get to that “why”, that fire is lit under you every morning. This journey as you well know, it's not an easy one. You get up every morning. Sometimes you say, ”Oh What am I doing? I could have a nice easy job as a CFO in a company, work, clock my nine hours a day, collect my salary, and live a great, comfortable, lovely life. But you got to find your “why” and say, you know, that's not what I want. That's not what I want out of life. And it's not for everybody, as you said. So it took us a little bit of time to find that why, but once we found out why, there's no looking back. So I would say those are my three big lessons.

Katherine Ann Byam  15:30  

Yeah. And what are the sort of tips that you would give to startups now? Like some of the things that possibly we could focus on learning at the beginning, and things that will help us get through this journey.

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Shivaun Gyan  15:46  

I would say for me, having a like-minded business partner, and co-founder was really important. There's a lot of mental angst when you're doing something like this, and having somebody to help along with that moral support like your wife, your husband, or whoever. Somebody has to be in the trenches with you to understand when things go awry and why it matters. Because I could say this deal fell through. And my partner can say, “Sorry, honey, but only your business partner knows why that's a big deal to you. They can really relate. So I think finding a co-founder and a like-minded partner that aligns with your vision is really, really important. I think, what I learned, even though I had 14 plus years, and consulting all over the world, what I didn't know was way more than I thought I knew. So you don't know it all. Don't expect to know it all.

But surround yourself with a group of advisors who are smarter than you are, or more experienced than you are, and who you can use as a sounding board. Absolutely. I think with our business, we will try to go into our own. And when we started bringing in advisors; and by doing, there's a lot of advisors, free of charge, who just wanted to see startups grow. So there are people out there who will believe in your cause and will come in and offer their services. Absolutely for free. And when we started doing that, you know, it was just like a lightning bolt moment. It was crazy. And the direction became clear. We had a place to air our ideas, concerns, and frustrations. So I think gathering a group of advisors is definitely the second step. And I think for us, knowing that everything will take longer than you think it's gonna take - so have some patience. We were meant to launch this app last August or September. And then the second lockdown happened. Then you make things happen, and it can break you if you don't have patience. But be steadfast in that patience is what I would say.

Katherine Ann Byam  18:02  

And it always helps to have a bit of cash in the bank.

Shivaun Gyan  18:08  

Oh yeah. Learn to live on less money than you have. And, that’s the fourth one.

Katherine Ann Byam  18:14  

That's great. I know you've done a crowdfunding campaign. Tell us about how that test supported your growth as well.

Shivaun Gyan  18:23  

It's been really instrumental to us in many different ways. As a startup company that was just trying to figure out who we were, we didn't want to get into the angel investment model. We didn't want to give up a whole bunch of equity in our company before we even knew what we had. So we said, “Let's, let's create a vision. Let's put that out there. Let's see what the public thinks about it.” So we got ourselves listed on Crowdcube, which is a very popular crowdfunding campaign platform.

And instantly, we started getting feedback from potential investors. Some of them are great. Some of them are harsh, some of them but you, you've got to take the punches. If you want to be an entrepreneur. There will always be people who will doubt what you do will shut down your ideas who will always say it will never work. Somebody else is doing it better than you are. The list is crazy. Equally, there will be people who believe in you. And I found that a lot of people invested in us not only because of the business idea but because of us as professionals, as individuals or persons with integrity.

 And a lot of it had to do with the career that I had built up previously. I felt a lot of people say, Well, I've worked with Shivaun so I know what kind of guy. I know that he works hard. And this is when your network becomes really, really important. And I will say a lot of the funds that we raised through our crowdfunding actually came from people who knew us, but not necessarily people who we reached out to. They say you were doing something they like. “You know what I want to get involved in that. Let me hear the idea.” “This guy's good. Let me join.” Unfortunately, we were crowdfunding, amidst the confusion of the second lockdown.

 And, whether or not it was going to happen dimmed the lights a little bit. But we were very lucky to close ours of over 90% funding, which for a brand new first-timer out there was massively successful. I will say thank you to everybody who's listening who was a part of that. And what that has done for us, Katherine is it’s given us a few months of the good runway, a good time to develop who we are. if we didn't have the money that we raised, we would have been shot dead in the water. But now because of that, we had that momentum and that time to think and really get the right people on board. And so yeah, I think it was instrumental to what we are now we're looking forward to the next crowdfunding campaign in a few months.

Katherine Ann Byam  21:01  

Yeah, it's interesting, because we spoke. I think it was in September that we first book. And in fact, the business has changed since we first booked so it's quite remarkable to see that it has had an impact, it has had a contribution.

Shivaun Gyan  21:16  

Massively. It really has, in terms of the technology that you can afford to do, the markets and support that you can get, the more minds you get into the picture. And also, in all, we've got 284 investors. People think that this is a good idea enough to put money amidst the pandemic. They can see the vision that really gave us a bit of a pat on the back. “You guys are going in the right direction.”

Katherine Ann Byam  21:44  

It's fantastic. It's really wonderful. So I have a final question. And it's more of a personal question. What's it like being a Trini living in Dubai?

Shivaun Gyan  21:57  

Listen, I believe that the ex-pat character and the ex-pat prototype is a universal one - not limited to nationality. And I love my country, I'm a Trini to the bone. I let people know where I come from, even if they don't ask about it. I introduced them to our saints. Last night, I was telling a friend, don't worry about it, don't bust your brain on that. And she was like, “bust your brain?” So I always delight in sharing my culture wherever I go. And, and being in Dubai, so far from the Caribbean, where we have a very, very, very small Caribbean population, I opened my mouth, and I can see the curiosity. And I'm very, very happy to be an ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago, wherever I go in the world, especially in the Middle East. And I think I should start a tourism company when it's safe to do that. Because Carnival 2022 - so many people want to go back and experience the magic of the Caribbean. But like-minded individuals who are ex-pats all merge together, and we become each other's family when you're away from your blood family.

Katherine Ann Byam  23:17  

Absolutely. This has been fantastic Shivaun. And thank you for joining us on the show. And we look forward to your launch. And if you want to let people know how they can find out more and how they can download the app, let them know. And I will definitely share it when we make the podcast live

Shivaun Gyan  23:34  

So, guys, we are available in the app stores right now in the Android app store as well and the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store. And we can go to our website at foundlifestyle.com and check us out on the socials were foundlifestyle_ up on Instagram. That's where we make the magic. So we welcome you to download the app. Tell a local bar or restaurant or cafe in your neighborhood about us. Tell them about our cause. Ask them to be part of the zero hunger revolution that we're starting. And you be part of it as well. So thanks for the support in advance, Katherine. It's been just amazing being here.

Katherine Ann Byam  24:17  

Wonderful. Great to have you and thanks for joining the show. Thanks for listening. This podcast was brought to you today by Career Sketching with Katherine Ann Byam and The Space Where Ideas Launch. Career sketching is a leadership development and coaching brand offering personalised career transition and transformation services. The Space Where Ideas Launch offers high performance, leadership coaching, and strategy facilitation to businesses and the food and health sectors. To find out more contact Katherine Ann Byam on LinkedIn.