WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.240 Hello and welcome back to Pod News Weekly. I'm 00:00:03.240 --> 00:00:06.440 enjoying this week by a wonderful CEO that I 00:00:06.440 --> 00:00:10.240 met out in LA at podcast moving evolutions. She 00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:12.519 became my evolutions buddy for the whole week. 00:00:12.519 --> 00:00:14.679 Actually, when we found out she knew everyone 00:00:14.679 --> 00:00:17.160 I knew, which is very strange and we'd never 00:00:17.160 --> 00:00:20.640 met before I knew. Hello. How are you? I'm great. 00:00:20.780 --> 00:00:23.530 Thank you, Sam. How are you? Great to see you. 00:00:23.690 --> 00:00:26.070 Very well. Very well indeed. Good to see you 00:00:26.070 --> 00:00:29.989 again. Now you are the CEO and founder of Chiconomy. 00:00:30.670 --> 00:00:34.390 What is Chiconomy? Chiconomy is the world's first 00:00:34.390 --> 00:00:38.310 and only podcast listening app that's now on 00:00:38.310 --> 00:00:43.049 Android, iOS, KaiOS, and a new operating system 00:00:43.049 --> 00:00:46.049 called Geo, which you've probably already heard 00:00:46.049 --> 00:00:50.750 of with Geo7. and Pod LP, we've now entered into 00:00:50.750 --> 00:00:54.850 the low -cost mobile market. And we just announced 00:00:54.850 --> 00:00:59.950 that we entered into the televisions, Geo STBs 00:00:59.950 --> 00:01:04.510 in India and on their $100 laptops, the GeoBooks, 00:01:05.030 --> 00:01:09.030 already present on the Geo Next phones, the Android 00:01:09.030 --> 00:01:12.430 phones, which we created during COVID. So what 00:01:12.430 --> 00:01:16.269 type of content is on Chiconomy? What's in there? 00:01:16.549 --> 00:01:19.409 Yes. Great question. So it's the world's first 00:01:19.409 --> 00:01:22.629 and only podcast listening app focused on women's 00:01:22.629 --> 00:01:25.549 content primarily. And this would be anything 00:01:25.549 --> 00:01:29.250 from women's health to entrepreneurship, investing 00:01:29.250 --> 00:01:34.670 leadership, technology, wellness, healing, different 00:01:34.670 --> 00:01:38.269 kinds of meta tags, including climate women, 00:01:38.469 --> 00:01:43.370 climate warriors, as well as topic specific language 00:01:43.370 --> 00:01:47.170 specific. So let's say. content around spanish 00:01:47.170 --> 00:01:51.010 it's all latina podcasters we've got bengali 00:01:51.010 --> 00:01:55.030 hindi telugu marathi arabic so we went really 00:01:55.030 --> 00:01:58.390 specific not just on the devices multi device 00:01:58.390 --> 00:02:00.890 we went multilingual as well as multi -platform 00:02:00.890 --> 00:02:04.769 correct me if i'm wrong is this india only or 00:02:04.769 --> 00:02:08.509 is this available globally chicana me was actually 00:02:08.509 --> 00:02:12.870 built first on ios then we built on android and 00:02:12.870 --> 00:02:18.120 then we saw a surge of downloads, about 300 ,000 00:02:18.120 --> 00:02:21.800 downloads in 195 countries. So we're now all 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:25.599 over Africa. We're on island nations. We're in 00:02:25.599 --> 00:02:30.500 the far corners of Latin America, Asia. So at 00:02:30.500 --> 00:02:33.300 the moment, India is the newest market for us, 00:02:33.379 --> 00:02:36.939 the newest focus as of this past March. We announced 00:02:36.939 --> 00:02:39.280 it on March 8th with Jio, but until then we were 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:44.509 global. Awesome. Now, how Do people on your platform 00:02:44.509 --> 00:02:48.530 monetize? What's the form of monetization? So 00:02:48.530 --> 00:02:52.129 at the moment we have listeners and we have creators 00:02:52.129 --> 00:02:55.569 and the way it works is you can listen, learn 00:02:55.569 --> 00:02:59.689 and earn. Anyone from anywhere can earn Sheik 00:02:59.689 --> 00:03:02.969 tokens and these are reward tokens and the way 00:03:02.969 --> 00:03:06.729 we built Sheikonomy was that we wanted to incentivize 00:03:06.729 --> 00:03:11.710 people to engage. from inception. And everyone 00:03:11.710 --> 00:03:14.650 had the same access and everyone had the same 00:03:14.650 --> 00:03:18.789 ability once they were able to listen. And it 00:03:18.789 --> 00:03:21.110 should be equal. At the end of the day, we thought, 00:03:21.110 --> 00:03:23.469 you know, let's start building this on low cost 00:03:23.469 --> 00:03:27.110 devices, get this to work. And then with more 00:03:27.110 --> 00:03:31.009 listenership, because at the moment, let's be 00:03:31.009 --> 00:03:34.629 honest, the democratization of podcasting hasn't 00:03:34.629 --> 00:03:37.729 reached its full potential. because we're leaving 00:03:37.729 --> 00:03:41.169 30 % of the world out of the equation. And so 00:03:41.169 --> 00:03:43.509 we wanted to start by addressing that digital 00:03:43.509 --> 00:03:46.509 divide, that audio gap, that educational gap. 00:03:47.330 --> 00:03:51.229 Let's start there and incentivize people to listen. 00:03:51.430 --> 00:03:54.750 The more that people listen, you've got consumer 00:03:54.750 --> 00:03:57.050 brands that are trying to engage this population 00:03:57.050 --> 00:03:59.750 because guess what? They're consumers too. So 00:03:59.750 --> 00:04:02.030 at the end of the day, the monetization will 00:04:02.030 --> 00:04:06.129 be podcasters who want to get a bigger audience, 00:04:06.169 --> 00:04:08.469 a greater audience, reach more people with their 00:04:08.469 --> 00:04:11.789 content. They get more downloads and ultimately 00:04:11.789 --> 00:04:15.250 they can start charging brands more for their 00:04:15.250 --> 00:04:18.889 ads, whether it's host read ads or a dynamic 00:04:18.889 --> 00:04:21.889 ad insertion or whatnot. But we're flipping the 00:04:21.889 --> 00:04:24.589 model on its head. We're saying there can be 00:04:24.589 --> 00:04:28.290 another way to be both inclusive to get more 00:04:28.290 --> 00:04:32.670 diversity of content and spread the wealth with 00:04:32.670 --> 00:04:36.829 brands to the people and let's try it and see, 00:04:36.829 --> 00:04:38.589 you know, where this goes. So at the moment, 00:04:38.589 --> 00:04:41.250 we're testing out a membership model. We just 00:04:41.250 --> 00:04:44.569 started. It's an annual membership of $500 for 00:04:44.569 --> 00:04:46.490 anyone that would like to come in or a lifetime 00:04:46.490 --> 00:04:49.910 membership of $1 ,000. We've had a community 00:04:49.910 --> 00:04:53.110 from before that's now building, but ultimately 00:04:53.110 --> 00:04:55.870 this is our community that supports amplifying 00:04:55.870 --> 00:04:58.370 the voices of women that have been traditionally 00:04:58.370 --> 00:05:00.449 marginalized, underserved or underrepresented. 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:03.199 Okay, let me try and understand that because 00:05:03.199 --> 00:05:06.300 slight confusion in my head So if I was female 00:05:06.300 --> 00:05:09.319 and I joined she economy I can buy tokens and 00:05:09.319 --> 00:05:12.180 I can give those tokens to the content creators 00:05:12.180 --> 00:05:15.060 and rewards For listening to their content. Is 00:05:15.060 --> 00:05:18.279 that correct? There's no buying tokens. These 00:05:18.279 --> 00:05:22.100 are just rewards and It's rewards like airline 00:05:22.100 --> 00:05:25.720 points or hotel points Which can be redeemable 00:05:25.720 --> 00:05:28.339 at a later stage for the time being since we've 00:05:28.339 --> 00:05:31.069 been building in stealth all through COVID. This 00:05:31.069 --> 00:05:34.269 was a kitchen table project. I would say our 00:05:34.269 --> 00:05:36.810 primary focus was let's get the devices built. 00:05:37.250 --> 00:05:40.769 Let's get the integrations completed. Going mobile 00:05:40.769 --> 00:05:42.930 was very difficult from the onset. We have a 00:05:42.930 --> 00:05:45.610 web directory as well. But the most important 00:05:45.610 --> 00:05:48.290 thing was getting the content. And the second 00:05:48.290 --> 00:05:50.870 part of the equation was making sure that we 00:05:50.870 --> 00:05:53.189 have enough languages that's representative that 00:05:53.189 --> 00:05:56.149 people can participate. So inclusivity was a 00:05:56.149 --> 00:05:59.490 big thing. So we said for those people that want 00:05:59.490 --> 00:06:03.569 to blast their content to the masses and not 00:06:03.569 --> 00:06:08.290 pay Mark Zuckerberg $1 ,000 for running ads for 00:06:08.290 --> 00:06:11.050 a couple weeks or a couple geographies. We said 00:06:11.050 --> 00:06:13.389 there's another option. There's another alternative. 00:06:13.449 --> 00:06:15.569 If you'd like to work with us, let's do that 00:06:15.569 --> 00:06:18.790 and get you out to as many ears in addition to 00:06:18.790 --> 00:06:23.259 as many eyeballs. Cool. Now When did you start 00:06:23.259 --> 00:06:25.439 this? You said it was back in COVID, but before 00:06:25.439 --> 00:06:27.980 you did that, you were also working on another 00:06:27.980 --> 00:06:30.980 project, which who is fundamentally a project 00:06:30.980 --> 00:06:33.220 to do with the state of women. You were producing 00:06:33.220 --> 00:06:35.160 a report and you're in the fifth anniversary 00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:38.019 report. Tell me more about that. Yeah. So the 00:06:38.019 --> 00:06:42.279 state of women is a US 501 C3. It's a nonprofit 00:06:42.279 --> 00:06:44.620 for the rest of the world. You'd understand this 00:06:44.620 --> 00:06:48.800 as an NGO. And what this nonprofit does is it's 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:52.279 focused on amplifying the voices. marginalized, 00:06:52.500 --> 00:06:55.019 underserved, underrepresented women and girls 00:06:55.019 --> 00:06:59.660 using all forms digital. And we had been working 00:06:59.660 --> 00:07:04.740 with events and conferences. And during the pandemic, 00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:07.420 we created an event series called Amplifying 00:07:07.420 --> 00:07:10.439 Her Voice. So we joined together podcasters, 00:07:10.680 --> 00:07:13.459 we joined together people, women that are in 00:07:13.459 --> 00:07:18.040 AI, women in blockchain, women focusing on leadership. 00:07:18.160 --> 00:07:21.379 And we had all kinds of content. And we had a 00:07:21.379 --> 00:07:23.980 Mother's Day event, a Father's Day event. We 00:07:23.980 --> 00:07:26.819 had a International Women's Day event. We partnered 00:07:26.819 --> 00:07:29.500 with the government of Bermuda for Women's Entrepreneurship 00:07:29.500 --> 00:07:33.160 Day. And we had sponsors come in like Deloitte 00:07:33.160 --> 00:07:38.000 and Butterfields Bank and Clarion Bank and Bracardi 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:40.959 and all different kinds of companies that came 00:07:40.959 --> 00:07:44.600 in to amplify women's voices on different topics. 00:07:45.149 --> 00:07:50.850 And what we did is we had about 150 podcasters, 00:07:51.449 --> 00:07:54.410 mostly female, that formed the State of Women 00:07:54.410 --> 00:07:57.970 Podcast Network. And we also had a collaboration 00:07:57.970 --> 00:07:59.889 with the Podcast Academy, which you're probably 00:07:59.889 --> 00:08:03.709 familiar with, Rob Brimi and Michelle Cobb. And 00:08:03.709 --> 00:08:06.949 so once a month, we'd have a State of Women networking 00:08:06.949 --> 00:08:09.779 reception, which was open to women. their members 00:08:09.779 --> 00:08:11.839 as well as our members and they would come together 00:08:11.839 --> 00:08:15.040 and have a virtual networking event. So really 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:18.459 that organization works hand -in -hand with Shikonomi 00:08:18.459 --> 00:08:21.050 because once we build the apps We have these 00:08:21.050 --> 00:08:24.509 low -cost phones that we can then donate to foundations 00:08:24.509 --> 00:08:27.110 and charities and different women's groups and 00:08:27.110 --> 00:08:29.970 organizations. So that's why that organization's 00:08:29.970 --> 00:08:32.309 there. We also applied for a number of grants 00:08:32.309 --> 00:08:35.509 that we won, the Islamic Development Bank, Al 00:08:35.509 --> 00:08:38.909 -Gharan Foundation. We also worked with SDG Impact 00:08:38.909 --> 00:08:42.129 Accelerator and also Reliance Geo. So you've 00:08:42.129 --> 00:08:45.009 got the report, you've got the platform, you've 00:08:45.009 --> 00:08:48.230 got the sheet economy that you're focusing around 00:08:48.230 --> 00:08:51.330 to bring brands in. What's next? Where does this 00:08:51.330 --> 00:08:55.250 all lead to? Well, the ultimate goal is is using 00:08:55.250 --> 00:08:59.269 podcasting as a tool to mitigate the digital 00:08:59.269 --> 00:09:02.590 divide. And we can do this with audio. And many 00:09:02.590 --> 00:09:03.990 of you have already been doing this. I would 00:09:03.990 --> 00:09:06.590 say everyone listening or reading this article 00:09:06.590 --> 00:09:10.490 has already played your part because you're using 00:09:10.490 --> 00:09:14.389 a medium that's accessible to, I would say, the 00:09:14.389 --> 00:09:17.490 majority of people who can't read. And ultimately, 00:09:17.490 --> 00:09:20.690 if we can just get this out there, even broader 00:09:20.690 --> 00:09:24.289 to reach more people than we've accomplished 00:09:24.289 --> 00:09:27.049 our mission. And so what we'd like to do going 00:09:27.049 --> 00:09:31.149 forward is partner with organizations like yourself, 00:09:31.509 --> 00:09:35.110 work with podcasters like yourselves to basically 00:09:35.110 --> 00:09:38.330 get outstanding content to people that want to 00:09:38.330 --> 00:09:41.029 listen, learn and earn. And if we can do that 00:09:41.029 --> 00:09:44.049 and we can collaborate and move the needle forward 00:09:44.049 --> 00:09:46.669 to those people who really want to engage with 00:09:46.669 --> 00:09:49.000 your content, that haven't had access before, 00:09:49.120 --> 00:09:51.500 then we're winning. And for those people who've 00:09:51.500 --> 00:09:54.519 already been accessing amazing content, if you'd 00:09:54.519 --> 00:09:57.639 like to share that with more people and get behind 00:09:57.639 --> 00:09:59.860 this, maybe offer scholarships to young women 00:09:59.860 --> 00:10:02.960 and girls who want to share their voice or share 00:10:02.960 --> 00:10:04.899 scholarships to people that want to learn the 00:10:04.899 --> 00:10:08.799 craft of podcasting, whether it's editing or 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:11.580 making audiograms or social media or whatnot, 00:10:12.159 --> 00:10:14.840 then fantastic. We do this together. And we've 00:10:14.840 --> 00:10:17.019 got the platform now that's ready, that's built 00:10:17.019 --> 00:10:19.860 for brands to engage, for podcasters to engage, 00:10:20.419 --> 00:10:23.159 for industry leaders to engage. I think the way 00:10:23.159 --> 00:10:25.200 forward is together. And that's it. That's one 00:10:25.200 --> 00:10:27.879 answer. It's the way forward is together. And 00:10:27.879 --> 00:10:31.740 that's what we're doing. Cool. Now, where would 00:10:31.740 --> 00:10:34.639 anyone go to find out more information then? 00:10:34.840 --> 00:10:38.539 So please check out Chiconomy. It's on any platform. 00:10:38.639 --> 00:10:41.600 You just have to spell it right. It's S -H -E 00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:46.669 -Q. O -N -O -M -I website, Instagram, Facebook, 00:10:47.110 --> 00:10:49.450 LinkedIn. We're building an active LinkedIn group. 00:10:49.889 --> 00:10:52.570 So please do check us out. S -H -E -Q, if you 00:10:52.570 --> 00:10:55.649 forgot one more time, O -N -O -M -I. Thank you. 00:10:56.330 --> 00:10:59.049 Amazing. Anu, thank you so much. Thank you for 00:10:59.049 --> 00:11:01.009 telling us all about Shikonomi. Again, if you 00:11:01.009 --> 00:11:03.210 need to find out more about it, go to the website. 00:11:03.570 --> 00:11:06.429 And obviously, if they wanted to contact you, 00:11:06.529 --> 00:11:08.789 are you on LinkedIn, Twitter? You're everywhere. 00:11:08.990 --> 00:11:11.139 I knew what was your handle. What would they 00:11:11.139 --> 00:11:13.080 connect you with? I think the best thing right 00:11:13.080 --> 00:11:16.759 now is to go on LinkedIn and type in the name 00:11:16.759 --> 00:11:19.360 of the company, follow our page. I'm requesting 00:11:19.360 --> 00:11:21.299 you, if you want to have any contact with us, 00:11:21.320 --> 00:11:23.639 follow our page and send a message. You will 00:11:23.639 --> 00:11:26.539 get to me. The personal LinkedIn is full. The 00:11:26.539 --> 00:11:29.740 Facebook is full. Instagram, I'm not very active. 00:11:29.799 --> 00:11:32.919 My team manages it for me. I would say go on 00:11:32.919 --> 00:11:36.279 LinkedIn and type in S -H -E -Q -O -N -O -M -I 00:11:36.279 --> 00:11:38.000 and that's how you would reach me. Thank you 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:40.929 so much. Thank you, Sam. It was a pleasure.