From the street to the boardroom
FOR seven years, Ari Goldstein lived as a destitute on the streets of Harare.
Each day, he had to rummage through bins and rubbish heaps to get food.
During winter, he often slept on the cold pavement, with cardboard boxes and plastic shielding him from the bitter weather.
Those who used to know him when he was living on the streets will surely not recognise the 34-year-old.
Through a stroke of luck and sheer hard work, Goldstein transformed himself from a street kid to a successful businessman who can now afford the finer things in life.
His story is both amazing and inspirational.
“My parents died when I was oneand-half-years-old and I was taken in by a relative. Growing up, I was taken into the custody of many family members before I ran away from home and lived on the streets due to ill-treatment by some of them,” Goldstein said.
As fate would have it, he was picked from the streets and taken into foster care, with his educational needs covered by Higher Life Foundation, a philanthropic organisation that was established in 1996 by Econet founder Strive Masiyiwa and his wife Tsitsi.
Together with his friend, Goldstein went on to establish Avantis Technologies, a start-up company that designs and produces computers and other consumables.
He now employs 37 workers, among them software engineers and supporting staff.
Unlike some people who are ashamed of sharing their rough past, Goldstein is now using his tough upbringing to inspire people who might be in similar circumstances.
“Why should I be ashamed of my past? For seven years, I lived on the streets of Harare. That is the truth that I will never try to hide.
“My story should serve as an
inspiration to people, especially the youths, who might be in the same predicament that I once faced,” he said.
Although he oversees an enterprise that sells more than 315 000 computers in countries such as Uganda, Egypt and Kenya, among others, he still remains a humble.
“Living and hustling on the streets shaped me into who I am today. I learnt a lot from the streets — survival skills, the art of negotiating and a never-die attitude. What I learnt on the streets is worth more than most of these university degrees.”
Unlike other youthful businesspeople who flaunt their wealth at every opportunity and drive around in expensive cars, the self-taught businessman dresses modestly and drives a simple car.
“Life on the streets taught me that money is like a visitor: It can come and go. I know of people who made small fortunes hustling at the former Ximex Mall, but if you see them today, some of them are as poor as a church mouse.”
Managing one’s finances in a professional way, he said, is one of the major attributes of a shrewd businessperson.
Avantis Technologies was founded in 2016 and started off as a company that specialised in selling computers.
“My friend, who was working for a company that was selling computers, was fired from his job. He knew that I had a passion for computers and he then approached me and we started off by selling computers,” he recounted.
The pair then managed to get an investor who poured in a substantial amount of capital.
It was, however, not plain sailing. Thieves broke into the fledgling company’s premises and stole computers worth US$290 000.
“After the break-in, the investor pulled out and we became broke. We used some of the money that we had saved to do some research and we started to design and produce our own computers.”
The computer that Avantis first produced — the Parrot 1030I — was defective and had to be extensively redesigned before it was perfected.
Deriving inspiration from Strive Masiyiwa, Goldstein has not forgotten where he came from.
“In the near future, I am going to donate to the Capernaum Trust and the Higher Life Foundation. These organisations made me who I am today. If I had lived on the streets for a much longer time, I might have been dead by now,” he reckons.
“I never imagined that I would one day have a home, let alone become an employer. God has a way of lifting people from seemingly difficult circumstances.”
His goal is to list his company on the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange.
Apart from computers, Avantis also designs and produces accessories such as cables, chargers, power banks, flash sticks and headphones.
The company is currently using the TelOne mobile phone and laptop manufacturing and assembly plant that was recently officially opened by President Mnangagwa.
“Living and hustling on the streets shaped me into who I am today. I learnt a lot from the streets — survival skills, the art of negotiating and a never-die attitude. What I learnt on the streets is worth more than most of these university degrees.”