Episode title

Why Brilliant Women Founders Are Still Overlooked, Lisa Maynard Atem Exposes the Real Problem

Episode summary

In this episode of Zero.24%, Michael Livingstone speaks with Lisa Maynard Atem, founder of STYLISA, an ecosystem focused on increasing the visibility, capital, and influence of women.

Lisa sits at the intersection of storytelling, positioning, and access, helping ambitious founders, especially women and underrepresented entrepreneurs, present themselves at the level they are already operating at so they can unlock funding, partnerships, and long term growth.

This is a powerful conversation about why so many brilliant founders are still being overlooked, what it really means to be seen and valued in business, and how better positioning can change the opportunities that come your way.

From founder visibility to investment readiness, this episode unpacks the hidden gap between talent and recognition, and why closing that gap matters more than ever.

Why you should listen

If you are a founder, particularly from an underrepresented background, this episode will challenge how you think about branding, visibility, and access to opportunity.

This conversation is for anyone who has ever felt that their ambition, talent, or business has not been fully recognised. Lisa shares insight into why that happens, and what founders can do to position themselves more powerfully in rooms where decisions are made.

In this episode

How Lisa built STYLISA to increase the visibility, capital, and influence of women

Why so many brilliant founders are still overlooked

The connection between narrative, positioning, and access

Why having a strong business is not always enough on its own

How founders can better reflect their true value through their brand and presence

What holds women and underrepresented founders back from funding and partnerships

The role of storytelling in shaping perception and opening doors

Why conversations around money, visibility, and influence matter

Lisa’s wider work across innovation, STEM, education, and future opportunity

About the guest

Lisa Maynard Atem is the founder of STYLISA, an ecosystem designed to increase the visibility, capital, and influence of women. Through her work, she supports purpose driven founders in positioning themselves for funding, partnerships, and sustainable growth.

She also leads STYLISA FoundHers, a storytelling platform spotlighting bold female founders, and FoundHer FundHers, which explores how women engage with money, investment, and long term financial positioning.

Alongside STYLISA, Lisa contributes to wider conversations around innovation, skills, and global opportunity, including board level involvement with The Blair Project and support for Verciti, an immersive EdTech platform focused on net zero skills.

Listen if you care about

Women in business

Founder visibility

Investment readiness

Personal branding

Underrepresented founders

Storytelling for business growth

Access to funding

Entrepreneurship and influence

Follow and connect

If this episode resonates with you, follow Zero.24% for more honest conversations on investment, survival strategies, and the founder journey.

You can connect with Lisa here: lisa@lisamaynardatem.com

Hashtags

#Zero24Percent #WomenFounders #FemaleFounders #FounderVisibility #StartupFunding #UnderrepresentedFounders #Entrepreneurship #PersonalBranding #InvestmentReadiness #StorytellingInBusiness #WomenInBusiness #LisaMaynardAtem

Episode summary

In Episode 2, Part 2, Michael Livingstone continues the conversation with Eric Masaba, and this time the story gets even more shocking. After 17 years of fighting for recognition, Eric opens up about the real cost of being overlooked, the pain of seeing innovation go uncredited, and what his journey says about how Black inventors are too often pushed to the margins. This is not just a story about a patent. It is a story about power, erasure, and refusing to give up.

Why you should listen

If you have ever felt ignored, underestimated, or robbed of your moment, this episode will hit hard. Eric’s story is a wake up call for founders, innovators, and underrepresented builders trying to succeed in systems that were never built with them in mind.

In this episode

What really happened during Eric’s 17 year fight for recognition

The hidden emotional and financial toll of protecting innovation

Why this story is bigger than one inventor or one patent

How Black innovators can be written out of history

What founders must do to protect themselves, their ideas, and their future

The uncomfortable lessons this story holds for investors, institutions, and policymakers

Guest

Eric Masaba, inventor and founder, patent holder for Taxi Dispatch System, US11586999.

Host

Michael Livingstone, founder of Dustid.com, building the addressing architecture for the digital economy and beyond.

Keywords for discoverability

Black founders, Black inventors, underrepresented founders, startup story, patent battle, innovation, intellectual property, founder resilience, business injustice, venture capital, bootstrapping, startup struggles, recognition, UK startups, inclusive innovation.

Resources mentioned

Eric Masaba patents listing, including Taxi Dispatch System, Patent 11586999

Patent publication page for the Taxi Dispatch System

Eric’s post describing his 17 year journey, in his own words

Call to action

If this story moved you, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow Zero.24% on Amazon Music, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other major podcast platforms for more real stories about founders who refused to be erased. You can also listen hands free on Amazon Music with Alexa.

Here is an even more aggressive headline style version of the episode summary if you want it punchier:

Episode summary

They nearly wrote him out of the story. In Episode 2, Part 2, Eric Masaba reveals the brutal reality behind his 17 year fight for recognition, exposing the personal cost of protecting innovation while being overlooked by the very systems meant to reward it. This episode is raw, powerful, and a must listen for anyone who has ever had to fight twice as hard just to be seen.

In our opening episode, Michael Livingstone sits down with Eric Masaba, inventor behind the Taxi Dispatch System patent, to unpack a story that will hit home for black and underrepresented founders building with limited access. Eric shares what it took to keep going through a long patent journey, the personal cost of protecting IP, and what founders should know about innovation, resilience and power.

If you're building a startup in the UK, raising pre seed or seed, bootstrapping, or fighting to protect your ideas, this episode is a reminder that the system is not always designed for you, but your conviction still matters.

1. Eric’s origin story, what problem he was trying to solve
2. The invention, and what his Taxi Dispatch System patent covers
3. Eric’s account of a 17 year patent process, and what that did to his life and momentum
4. The founder reality of IP, legal cost, mental load, and staying in the game
5. Lessons for underrepresented founders on protecting your work, documenting everything, and building leverage
6. What Eric wants innovators, investors, and policymakers to learn from his experience

Eric Masaba, inventor and founder, patent holder for Taxi dispatch system, US11586999.

Michael Livingstone, founder of Dustid.com, building the addressing architecture for the digital economy and beyond.

Black founders, underrepresented founders, venture capital, fundraising, bootstrapping, startup growth, intellectual property, patents, USPTO, innovation, resilience, UK startups, founder story, investor readiness, product strategy, go to market.

1. Eric Masaba patents listing, includes Taxi dispatch system, Patent 11586999
2. Patent publication page for the Taxi Dispatch System
3. Eric’s post describing his 17 year journey, in his own words

If this episode resonates, share it with one founder who needs encouragement today, and follow Zero.24% on your podcast platform so you never miss an episode. New episodes every two weeks.