Greetings from Kumasi,
Ghana!
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| That's me! |
My name is Tim Yuan and
I recently wrapped up my first year in the full-time MBA program at the
University of Michigan – Ross School of Business. During my time at Ross, I’m transitioning
into product management within technology startups from a prior career in
management consulting. I am originally from Chicago and will enthusiastically
support Chicago’s merits on all fronts, including the Cubs, the hot dogs, and
deep dish pizza.
Anyway, day one here in Ghana has been eventful so here's a highlight reel of what happened...
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View from the KNUST overpass into an unofficial market |
- May is mango season in Kumasi! Mango trees are
everywhere and many of them bear ripe and ripening mangoes. There's
something to be said about freshly picked fruit and how much better it is
than the supermarket stuff we get in the United States. However, one fell
off a tree and missed my head by about four inches. On-the-job risk I
guess.
- The lizards are out to play. During a delightful dinner
of red-red, chicken, and plantains, a small lizard took a misstep on the
ceiling and fell straight onto my lap, where he decided to camp out for a
bit. Cheers mate.
- Care to trade your jeans for a shirt? I was offered an
authentic Kente-cloth shirt along with an original painting for my jeans
or maybe a pair of sneakers. When asked if he wanted the t-shirt I was
wearing instead? "Maybe if you have four or five of them..." In
the end, no deal was reached.
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KNUST main gate
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But on to the project.
As mentioned, I'm working on a solar-powered mobility solution targeted towards
emerging markets. The goal of the product is to provide motorized
transportation and charging capabilities via the sun. Given the GDP per capita
in Ghana is about $1,400 annually, the solution needs to be affordable and have
low operating/maintenance costs, all while being durable and useful. My goal
for the summer is to perform customer discovery, define product use cases, estimate
the market opportunity, and identify potential supplier and manufacturing
partners.
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To accomplish this, the
team in Michigan has partnered with multiple professors at KNUST, particularly
within the Brew-Hammond Energy Center and the Center for Business Development.
Furthermore, I have additional local support from a recently graduated KNUST
MBA student. He will help me get a lay of the land, make introductions, and
adjust to local working customs.
Anyway, I'm excited to
get going but know that things move at a different pace here. I've started
calling it Africa time (and it makes Michigan time seem like arriving early in
comparison). It's all just part of the adjustment process and one of the
nuances I have to get used to in order to be successful here. Only 11.5 weeks
to go!
