Ten years ago, as part of an exercise at Point’s National Leadership Conference, Adaobi Kanu wrote her main career goal on a giant piece of butcher paper: “Create a cookbook
that shows people how to eat healthily and keep it affordable.”
Adaobi went on to complete her MBA at Columbia Business School and has dedicated her work to democratizing health by disproving the idea that eating healthy meals must be expensive, overwhelming, and time-consuming. Last year she founded Vitalcart.co, a shopping assistant app that provides real-time nutritional guidance for finding healthy foods at your local, online grocery store.
Adaobi is at the intersection of many identities as a Black, first-generation American, bisexual woman. For her, being at the helm of a tech startup means fighting assumptions, both her own and others. Adaobi was unsure about being the CEO of Vitalcart, but a former founder and mentor convinced her to move forward, saying, “Adaobi, this is your company … You have to be the one to tell this story.” Adaobi is now paying this forward as a Point Mentor to Flagship Scholar Yvin Shin, a queer first-generation American studying at Columbia University. Adaobi explains, “I love being a mentor. I love being a resource to people, to give them the tools to uncover what matters to them and create a direct path to living a happy and fulfilling life.”
Adaobi hopes to see Point continue to expand its leadership training. She hopes the next class of Point Scholars remembers: “There is power in representation. Seek it out for yourself and share your experience with others.”
Learn more about Point’s Flagship program here.
