Today we’d like to introduce you to Iddris Sandu.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Iddris. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I would say my journey begins at the age of 13, entering at Google. Working there was my first hands-on experience on how large teams work together to complete a goal in the digital world.
I was born in Accra Ghana and came here before I could even speak, I was raised here all my life (United States). From the ages of 13 to 19, I will go on to consult for some of the largest tech companies in the world, meeting President Obama. And working with various politicians to push forward stem initiatives California.
After the age of 19 is when I realized my purpose — understanding that I could be the bridge between diversity through technology as well as the interpreter of youth culture.
After consulting for Uber I decided to focus solely on cultural empowerment through technology, empowering the next generation of leaders. I did a collaboration with hip-hop artist Nipsey Hussle which would garnish a spotlight on me as the face of technology in hip hop.
Using this as leverage and a rare privilege I identified various ways that I could make technology cool through the alignment of intellectualism and celebrity. We started to realize that kids actually did care about technology and how to build it . It was all just a matter on who introduced it to them.
And that’s what I’ve been doing for the last three years, aligning, collaborating, and partnering, with the most influential people in various cultures infusing it with intellectualism for the greater good of the youth.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I feel like for the most part of being a trendsetter or futurist, you’ll always be met with roadblocks because you’re advocating for things which aren’t within the norm of societal structure. But being able to be authenticated in this world by one of the most notorious independent artists, definitely assisted in breaking through the glass ceiling very rapidly.
Ethos – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
So we’re currently working on projects related to sustainability. A lot of the world’s issues can be fixed if we just focus the right resources on them. That’s sort of an embodiment of everything we’re doing now.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me is more so spiritual (my opinion). To me, success is about joy and fulfillment which can only be attained when you remove yourself from the equation. I think about the larger picture.
With my team and I, our priorities are based on questions. Questions like “ how many people did we impact , what was the purpose of this in the larger scheme of things , and And how can we improve it and make it better the next opportunity.“
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/iddrissandu
- Twitter: twitter.com/iddris_sandu
Image Credit:
Jason Landis
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