Nam Mokwunye

Founder/Chief Executive Officer, PublicVine

Is this your first trip to Kingston? What were your first impressions of the city?

Yes. It’s pretty organised and the people are friendly and kind.

What is the most memorable meal you have enjoyed in Kingston?

Fried dumplings from the Spanish Court Hotel; and jerk chicken wrap from Jo’s Jo’s Jerk Pit.

What is on your your must-do list while in Kingston?

Visit old reggae recording studios, Bob Marley Museum, and the memorial of Paul Bogle.

What would you do if you were mayor of Kingston for a day?

Work with government and the private sector to export Jamaican content to the diaspora in other countries.

What is your beverage of choice?

Ginger beer.

Share the title of the last book you read.

Various technical books about deal-making and venture capital. I tend to read more newspapers and magazines like The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Tech Crunch, The Economist, Harper’s Bazaar, Ebony, JET and Wired.

What cologne are you splashing?

I’m a deodorant man, not cologne.

Share your five favourite destinations in your travel black book.

Kingston, Barcelona, Cape Town, Florence (Alabama), Abuja.

As founder and chief executive officer of PublicVine, tell us how the idea for the company started.

I was a Reuters Digital Foundation Fellow at Stanford University looking for an answer to how to help the Internet, telecoms, and content industries work together to better benefit content vendors and consumers.

Bloomberg Business lists you as a “social entrepreneur, designer and fitness enthusiast” and “founder/chairman of

$100-million Health-care tech project”. Which of those labels are you proudest of?

I think I like designer, and then everything else follows. I generally don’t like labels and it’s tough to favour one child over another. They have each had a place in my life and have together carried me to where I am.

The dot-com famously burst in 2000. What makes the current state of technology mode stable and a viable investment?

The economy is more stable than it was in 2000. However, there is always the rightful fear that the investment market might once again overvalue tech ventures.

Who is your professional idol and why?

Steve Jobs. He was a designer who was not afraid of tackling problem sets everyone else refused to tackle. He also was not afraid to do things the way everyone else was afraid to do them.

Dan Price, founder of the Seattle-based Gravity Payments, will forego the typical hefty executive increase, cutting his salary from $1 million, and giving all his employees a minimum of $70,000 a year, the exact amount he too will take home. Your thoughts?

That’s a generous offer by Dan. I applaud him.

When was the last time you had a good laugh?

Last night listening to people’s stories and sharing my own.

Last time you cried?

Two weeks ago as a result of the unfortunate circimstances of an employee.

What is your life philosophy?

Make an impact, and you’ll make money.