The Week That Was #3

# On Monday we received some rather alarming inquiries regarding Branch’s mysterious disappearance at the end of last week. Some of you actually thought they might have moved out… Well, they say curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back for a reason. Turns out, Branch did take a couple of days off and went on a company retreat outside Nairobi. We weren’t further informed on what exactly happened there, but it could be a ‘What happens in Ole Sereni, stays in Ole Sereni’ kind of situation. What we do know is that since much of their work is updated in real-time, they couldn’t really go all wild in the wild, but they did enjoy some relaxed atmosphere while doing what they all love and are passionate about. Jealous much? Give them a break, they spent the whole 4th of July (and fyi – most of the team is from US) working hard in the office, while most of you guys had a day filled of sun and liquids, celebrating a holiday which probably wasn’t even yours.

# Who’s that girl, who’s that girl… It’s Ann! – You might have noticed that over the last 2 weeks there has been a new face in the NG team. Ann will be taking care of our events and space. So whenever you feel like complaining about things not working properly – reach out to her. Let’s wish her a thick skin and plenty of patience while dealing with your requests. All jokes aside though – she’s cool. And a catch.

# Code for Africa has an addition to their team as well – a new lead fellow in Kenya. And if you ask us, she’s quite a star. Catherine is way more than her awesome dreads. She’s the former editor-in-chief of the Star newspaper and a former title editor at the Nation Group. She is also a renowned investigative journalist – WikiLeaks LOVE her. It also means that we already very much adore her. Welcome, Rafiki.

# It is exciting times for Nest – this week they officially launched in Africa. Their managing partner believes that by combining the best practices of two vibrant startup ecosystems – Nairobi and Hong Kong – and connecting two continents, Nest could help founders internationalise their startups and scale their innovations outside of Africa. That’s a pretty ambitious plan, Aaron, especially seeing that Hong Kong and Kenya are as different as chapati and rice paper… On a more serious note though – we wish you guys the best of luck and it is great to have you with us. Here’s to great co-working!

# And finally… Some of you have been wondering – who’s the person behind these lines and some other features we’ve launched recently. Fortunately, I get to write my own short story. My name is Zane and I have a thing for stories, penguins, water and flying. I also feel like now is the time to come out regarding my ornitophobia. I am super scared of birds – I would rather find a snake in my bedroom than face a bird. Also, never ever call me /ˈzeɪn/. It’s [zane]. Consider yourself warned! 😉