# Meet The HIBT Fellows: Pierre Paul & Toby Egbuna

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2021-05-11
- Length: 28m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-11-meet-the-hibt-fellows-pierre-paul-toby-egbuna

## Summary

Pierre Paul, founder of We Hear You, explains how his childhood experiences with exclusion inspired a sign language translator app that converts finger spelling to speech using Android tablets, aiming for full gesture recognition. Toby Egbuna, co-founder of Chezie (formerly Diversify), describes building a platform that uses curated, anonymous 'stories' and demographic 'portraits' to help job seekers from underrepresented groups find inclusive workplaces, contrasting it with generic review sites like Glassdoor. Both founders discuss their early-stage development, the ambiguity of product-market fit, and their participation in the How I Built This Fellows program.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-11-meet-the-hibt-fellows-pierre-paul-toby-egbuna#t=0) Introduction: How I Built This Fellows Program
- [2:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-11-meet-the-hibt-fellows-pierre-paul-toby-egbuna#t=123) Pierre Paul's Origin Story and We Hear You Concept
- [8:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-11-meet-the-hibt-fellows-pierre-paul-toby-egbuna#t=490) We Hear You Prototype: Finger Spelling and Android Tablets
- [15:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-11-meet-the-hibt-fellows-pierre-paul-toby-egbuna#t=926) Toby Egbuna's Consulting Background and Chezie Idea
- [20:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-11-meet-the-hibt-fellows-pierre-paul-toby-egbuna#t=1227) Chezie Rebranding and Platform Features
- [24:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-11-meet-the-hibt-fellows-pierre-paul-toby-egbuna#t=1478) Chezie Content Strategy: Curated Stories vs. User Reviews
- [26:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-11-meet-the-hibt-fellows-pierre-paul-toby-egbuna#t=1562) Founder Challenges: Ambiguity and Leadership

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch

## Mentioned

- We Hear You (product)
- Chezie (product)
- Diversify (product)
- Android (other)
- Glassdoor (product)
- Yelp (product)
- Lyft (company)
- Google (company)
- Goldman Sachs (company)
- Facebook (company)
- NPR (company)
- U.S. Bank (company)
- Visa (other)
- Bradley University (other)
- UNC (other)

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- [148: A Minimum of Two Poops](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2016-04-21-148-a-minimum-of-two-poops) (Embedded.fm)
- [Founder Feature: Tabi and Meena Hoshmand of Tursh](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-11-14-founder-feature-tabi-and-meena-hoshmand-of-tursh) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [An Interview with Josh Lifton](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2016-09-09-an-interview-with-josh-lifton) (The Amp Hour)
- [Navigating Entrepreneurship and the Stigma of Autism](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2023-01-17-navigating-entrepreneurship-and-the-stigma-of-autism) (The Manufacturing Executive)

## Citing this page

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