Beyond Passion: The Truth About Leading a Climate Tech Startup
In this episode of Impact Talk, Nadine Zidani sits down with Ragy Ramadan, founder of NoorNation, a clean energy startup dedicated to delivering solar power and safe water to underserved communities across Africa. NoorNation’s bold mission: empower 1 million lives by 2028 through sustainable, community-driven innovation.
Ragy opens up about the real cost of building a social enterprise — from walking away from a stable full-time job to navigating a devastating project cancellation just 45 days later. With remarkable honesty, he shares the emotional and financial toll of entrepreneurship, and how resilience became NoorNation’s most vital corporate value.
This episode goes beyond the usual founder success story. It dives deep into the realities of leading with purpose — the pressure of payrolls, the illusion of instant impact, and the necessity of bouncing back when everything feels lost.
In this episode, you will gain insights on:
- How NoorNation is scaling clean energy access across Egypt and Africa.
- The emotional journey of leaving job security to build for impact.
- What it really takes to bounce back from failure and disappointment.
- Why resilience matters more than passion in social entrepreneurship.
- The pressure of leadership when visibility outpaces real results.
- How to focus on meaningful, lasting impact — not quick recognition.
- The values and mindset every impact-driven founder should hold onto.
Guest Bio:
Ragy Ramadan is the founder of NoorNation, a purpose-led clean energy company on a mission to provide power and water access to underserved communities. With over a decade of experience, he has trained more than 600 professionals across the MENA region, and is dedicated to building solutions that scale impact, not just visibility.
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