Announcing the Winners of The Lindas 2022

Launched in 2019 in tribute to Endeavor co-founder and CEO Linda Rottenberg, the Lindas honor Endeavor Entrepreneurs who not only have achieved extraordinary scale, but who also exemplify the values of the Endeavor Global network: integrity, trust, high-impact ambition, a borderless mindset, and a commitment to paying it forward by spreading the transformative qualities of entrepreneurship through role modeling, mentorship, and reinvestment. Honorees are nominated by their peers, as well as mentors, board members, staff, and other members of the Endeavor network and are  selected by the Endeavor Global Board and the ten past winners of The Lindas. 

The award ceremony, held this year on December 6th at Endeavor’s 25th anniversary gala in New York City, also provides a platform to tell the human stories behind the transformational impact entrepreneurs have had on building a more hopeful and just tomorrow. At this year’s event we were thrilled to honor the contributions of Dr. Nadine Hachach-Haram, CEO of Proximie; Martin Migoya, CEO of Globant; Mudassir Sheikha, CEO of Careem; Peter Njonjon, CEO of Twiga; and Songe La Ron, CEO of Squire. 

Dr. Nadine Hachach-Haram, CEO of Proximie

Human bodies around the world are alike. They all malfunction in the same ways and fall victim to similar injuries. But the results of those injuries can be very different depending on where a particular person lives. At least 5 billion people around the globe don’t have  access to safe surgery and inadequate  access  to  surgery  kills  nearly  17  million people each year. Too often geography often determines whether a case of appendicitis is an annoyance or a death sentence. 

Dr. Nadine Hachach-Haram was honored for her efforts to close gaps in access to surgery through her work at Proximie, where she serves as CEO. Proximie has created a  technology platform that combines machine learning, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality to allow clinicians to virtually ‘scrub in’ and collaborate with each other from anywhere in the world. Already the platform is being used in 100 countries and has facilitated 13,000 surgeries, and its reach is still growing rapidly. How many of those 17 million lives a year lost to lack of access to surgery will be saved by Proximie? More than enough to earn Nadine a Lindas award.

Martin Migoya, CEO of Globant

Founded by four friends with an initial investment of just $5,000 during a low point for Argentina’s economy, Globant now has a market capitalization of $7.32 billion, offices from Brazil and Peru to Canada and the UK, and more than 6,000 global employees. Such incredible growth alone might be enough to earn Globant’s CEO, Martin Migoya, a Linda but that’s not actually the primary reason why he was selected. 

Globant is not only globally successful, it also has the largest ‘Multiplier Effect’ of any Endeavor company. Between spin-offs, angel investments, and mentees, the founders have supported more than 700 other founders. In partnership with Laboratoria, the company is also training Latin American women to enter the IT sphere, while its Be Kind Fund is helping new businesses curb online harassment and improve data privacy. Globant — and Martin— exemplify what Endeavor means when we say success isn’t just about valuations and fundraising rounds, but about impact and paying it forward. 

Mudassir Sheikha, CEO of Careem

Careem, a super-app that has become a symbol of mobility, fintech, and digital culture in the Middle East, is famous for getting acquired by Uber for $3.1 billion and becoming the region’s first unicorn. But underlying these headline accomplishments are the smaller stories of the millions of Careem users and drivers whose lives have been transformed by the platform. 

About 2 million drivers, including many women, are registered under the Careem umbrella, and the company serves 48 million customers, many of whom rely on the app for their mobility. In the Middle East and North Africa, on-demand services are more than just a convenience. They are an essential tool to empower underprivileged communities. In the UAE, where Careem was founded, 50% of drivers use their earnings to fund their children’s education. Which was all the justification that the Endeavor judges needed to honor Mudassir for his work bringing prosperity and opportunity to his home region. 

Peter Njonjo, CEO of Twiga 

Back when he served as President of Coca-Cola West Africa Kenyan businessman Peter Njonjo noticed two things as he traveled around his country. One, the streets were filled with small vendors selling every type of fruit and vegetable, and two, Kenya was blessed with an incredible amount of arable land. But despite the advantages of a fertile landscape and a hard-working population, Peter also saw that food production and distribution faced severe challenges. He founded Twiga to tackle them. 

The platform allows food sellers to conveniently and transparently buy from food producers at fair prices using cashless transactions. According to Business Insider Africa, it has connected over 17,000 fresh food producers and 8,000 retailers, reducing food prices for consumers in the process. And Twiga is targeting pan-African expansion next. At Endeavor we’re cheering Peter on and celebrating his already impressive impact by awarding him a Linda this year. 

Songe La Ron, CEO of Squire

Some entrepreneurs focus on access to healthcare or mobility or food security. Songe La Ron decided to focus on a frequently overlooked but no less essential ingredient in human flourishing — community. And he decided to do it through barbershops. Together with his co-founder, Dave Salvant, Songe developed Squire, a suite of tools to help keep neighborhood barber shops in business and profitable so they can continue to serve as the unofficial heart of their communities. 

Songe’s success is reflected in the many local businesses Squire has helped to thrive and  in the company’s soaring valuation — it rose from from $85 million in March to $750 million in August 2021. But among his most meaningful impacts has been serving as a beacon of hope and encouragement for other up-and-coming Black entrepreneurs. That’s definitely a message Endeavor is happy to amplify by awarding Songe a 2022 Linda award. 

Each of this year’s five winners have created a unique impact in their particular niche and region. By celebrating the diversity and scale of their impacts Endeavor hopes not just to showcase their incredible accomplishments, but also to highlight the fact that entrepreneurs are transforming lives and markets in every sector and around the world. High-impact entrepreneurship is a transformative global phenomenon and these five winners represent the breadth and scale of that impact. Congratulations to all of them!