Michael Podolny: Social Entrepreneurship and Empowering Women Through Theodora Africa

Michael Podolny

From Wall Street to West Africa, I build market-driven, scalable businesses that lift women out of exploitation, link global markets, and transform injustice into opportunity.

MICHAEL PODOLNY

2020 to Present – Founder/CEO, Theodora Africa Project, Accra, Ghana, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Michael Podolny has been a social impact innovator developing the Theodora Africa model. Theodora Africa is an innovative social impact enterprise incubator that uses a market-based, demand driven approach to resolve the long-standing African problems of insufficient economic opportunity and exploitation of Women.

Theodora’s unique model helps African women while solving businesses needs in developed markets. Theodora lifts African women out of the sex trade, transforming them. It provides highly in-demand virtual services in developed markets, where individuals and small businesses have difficulty finding reasonably-priced and reliable professional assistance. The result is a win-win situation where a developed business gains cost effective service while providing dynamic social impact. Theodora Africa is unique It provides sustainable benefits developed for participants on a fixed initial donation amount. The concept is highly scalable. Impact goes direct to those serviced without middlemen. Employee Ownership means no entrepreneur taking the majority of the profit. The jobs created pay extremely well, driving real transformation. And true country economic development is created as well.

professionals through the creation of powerful personal networks.

1993 to Present – Founder/President, The Podolny Group, Inc., Albuquerque, New Mexico

The Podolny Group, Inc. is an ownership consulting practice based in Albuquerque, New Mexico It applies a human centered design approach to resolving owner exit, succession, and transition challenges. Michael has authored two books. ‘Make Your Business Serve You, The Business Owners Guide to Peace-of-Mind, Self-Satisfaction and Personal Wealth’ and ‘Shortcut to Security, Make Your Business Worth More to You’.

1982 to 1993 Managing Director - Sirrah Corporation, Chicago, Illinois

Principal of an investment banking firm which served middle sized business, nationwide. Initiated and executed acquisition transactions, debt and equity placements, business plans, strategic plans and valuations.

1976 to 1981 Senior Commercial Loan Executive - First National Bank of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland