the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Linda Young, co-founder, Pocket People Solutions (South Africa)
Startup Story
Linda Young is the co-founder of Pocket People Solutions, a South African specialist HR business built on a foundation of strong values and a holistic approach to managing people talent for its clients. The business focuses on helping other businesses to build highly skilled and motivated workforces that can fulfill their potential and contribute to overall company success.
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Zainab Dakik, co-founder, Maternia (Tanzania)
Startup Story
Zainab Dakik is a Tanzania-born expert on emerging markets, with a particular focus on production and logistics. She is the co-founder of Maternia, an organization led entirely by women aiming to reduce the rate of stillbirths through an innovative low-tech, low-cost medical device. She possesses valuable experience through working in refugee camps, conducting research, and managing distribution channels. At present, she is actively engaging with Maternia's beneficiaries on-site, fostering stronger connections to better understand and address their needs.
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Matilda Akinsuyi, founder and creative director, Myra Woman (Nigeria)
Startup Story
Matilda Akinsuyi is the founder and creative director of Myra Woman in Nigeria. She is a visionary entrepreneur, and a trailblazer in the world of fashion. With a background as a successful lawyer, her journey towards building a fashion business was driven by an unwavering passion for elegance and sophistication. As a young girl, she was captivated by the transformative power of fashion, and with an unyielding desire to follow her dreams, finally took a leap of faith and founded her fashion business in 2017. With a focus on providing classy and elegant corporate and occasion wear for sophisticated women, Matilda was keen to redefine the concept of professional attire. The pieces she creates exude timeless sophistication, empowering women to feel confident and radiant in any setting. Attention to detail and commitment to quality set the creations apart, making them the go-to choice for women who crave understated elegance.
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Goretti Kat, CEO, Minzoto Club (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Startup Story
Goretti Kat is the founder and CEO of Minzoto Club, an educational cultural centre for teenagers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She has a degree in organizational and corporate communications and is a member of the global network of educators HUNDRED.org. She is also a facilitator and trainer in entrepreneurship, leadership and personal development. Goretti first worked for young people’s development as an activist for 5 years. During this time, she acquired 3 leadership certifications after helping to set up 4 youth support structures in universities. After that, she then set up Minzoto Club in early 2021. In 2018, she was awarded the title of "100 young pages of hope in the DRC", an annual diploma honouring the 100 country's most active young people of the year.
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Queen Uwabuofu, founder and Creative Director, CloveKids International (Nigeria)
Startup Story
Queen is the Founder and Creative Director of CloveKids International in Nigeria. Her business, founded in 2019, is focused on raising and building the African child for the future through a range of innovation products that promote black representation, inclusion, diversity, child education and sustainability. Queen is an award winning innovative entrepreneur with 12 years of experience in Business administration and handcrafting. She is a graduate of International Studies and Diplomacy from the University of Benin.
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Shádia Gafur Chachine, founder, Mbira Advisory (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Shádia Gafur Chachine is the founder of Mbira Advisory, a consulting company specializing in people management in Mozambique. She has 15 years of professional experience, mostly in NGOs, of which 4 are in project management in the area of HIV/AIDS prevention and 11 years in the area of HR, people management. With this experience Shádia acquired an understanding of international standards, dealt with a diversity of people, cultures and different realities, always in close collaboration with those responsible for the departments/areas in the organization, to ensure that all tasks were carried out in compliance with organizational growth and challenges. It was in this context that during the COVID pandemic, when the effects of the pandemic were already being felt in the work area, she decided to create Mbira, with the aim of contributing to the well-being of people in the work environment.
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Diana Dwamena, founder and ceo, The Learning Nuggets Company Limited (Ghana)
Startup Story
Diana Dwamena is the founder and ceo of digital learning and transformation company, The Learning Nuggets Company Limited, in Ghana. She is a trailblazing strategist and tech-savvy innovator who has been shaping the digital transformation landscape for over two decades. With her impressive track record of pioneering impactful technology solutions, she has been featured in the esteemed UK History of Parliament Trust's “300 Years of Leadership and Innovation” commemorative album. She launched her business in 2007 and it employs 5 people.
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Safia Shatta, founder and CEO, Mango Gate (Sudan)
Startup Story
Safia Shatta is the founder and CEO of Mango Gate in Sudan, a specialist language learning platform. She is an urban planner, education activist, and a passionate polyglot, and is also proud to be an alumni of Orange Corners Sudan, a member of Women in Africa (WIA) and eTrade for Women. Additionally, she has been recognized as a UNDP-4YFN women innovator and the winner of North Africa's Most Promising Entrepreneur Award at the AfricArena Summit 2022. Through Mango Gate, Safia is dedicated to empowering people through language learning and breaking down communication barriers. She started the business in 2020 and today it employs 12 people.
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Emi-Beth Aku Quantson, Founder & CEO, Kawa Moka Coffee Company (Ghana)
Startup Story
Emi-Beth Aku Quantson is the Founder, CEO and Chief Caffeination Officer at Kawa Moka Coffee Company, Ghana's leading social enterprise coffee company and roaster, where she drives investment and growth. She has raised over $200,000 in debt and equity investments; created over 250 jobs in coffee through farmer partnerships and employment of marginalized groups; and established Accra's largest roastery, supplying major supermarkets and cafes across the country and internationally. Emi-Beth has been recognized by the President of the Republic of Ghana, President Akuffo Addo. Prior to founding Kawa Moka in 2015, Emi-Beth worked as a tax consultant and transfer pricing expert at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in Ghana and Kenya.
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Cátia Siueia, founder, Smart Energy Initiatives (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Cátia Siueia is the founder of Smart Energy Initiatives in Mozambique. She is an entrepreneur extremely passionate about technology. Her business distinction lies in offering totally environmentally friendly and economically sustainable solar cookers to low-income women. At the end of 2021, Smart Energy Initiatives was created for the purpose of reaching women who do not have access to energy. The company currently has four employees who promote this impact driven initiative.
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Yolanda Matine, founder, MomlifeMarmitas (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Yolanda Matine is the founder of MomlifeMarmitas in Mozambique, a business idea inspired by her two daughters. Yolanda has taken various entrepreneurial routes in the past 10 years, but has now arrived at her destination, doing what she loves the most, which is cooking. She is using this love to help caretakers (moms, dads, grannies, aunties, uncles, helpers) to make healthy lunchboxes (with less processed food) for their children, while at the same time creating incredible food memories. MomlifeMarmitas offers courses with weekly menus, recipes, weekly shopping lists, lunchbox set ups, bento boxes, accessories, and an eBook with more than 25 recipes, tips on food storage, and lunchbox plans.
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Ama Brenya, founder and ceo, LADL Patisserie Company Limited (Ghana)
Startup Story
Ama Brenya is the founder and ceo of LADL Patisserie Company Limited in Ghana. She has about 10 years’ experience working in the mining industry as a Chemical Engineer and three years working in the banking sector in supply and logistics management. She officially ventured in to entrepreneurship since 2017, operating a brick and mortar pastry shop and then added a mobile food truck from which she sold pastries along some streets in the business district in Accra. During the pandemic in 2020, it became necessary to rethink her business strategy in order to remain relevant and resilient. During the lockdown, the idea of producing frozen croissants and bread rolls was birthed.
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Startup Story
Kgabiso Palesa Sephai is the founder and managing director of two entities, KgabisoPalesa Consulting and KgabisoPalesa Cares NPC in South Africa. She is also a director at In Pursuit Renewable Energy. She has over 15 years experience in project planning, project & programme management, PMO setup and management. She holds a B.Eng (Hons) in Electrical Engineering from Multimedia University in Malaysia, a Postgraduate Diploma in General Management, and an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business Science. She is also a Project Management Professional and a member of the Project Management Institute.
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Silvia Ferreira, founder, Cosini Lda (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Silvia Ferreira is the founder of Cosini Lda, a construction, real estate and industrial solutions company started in Mozambique in 2020 and with a workforce of 12. She is the winner of the Access bank 2022 award for the biggest Female Entrepreneurship project in Mozambique. She has an MBA in supply chain from Vlerick Business School in Belgium.
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Daphne Kasambala, founder and CEO, Meekono (Malawi)
Startup Story
Daphne Kasambala is the founder and CEO of Meekono, a wholesale marketplace for African creatives seeking global trading opportunities. A multifaceted entrepreneur and former corporate banker with experience gained with major institutions in Europe and Africa, Daphne is a relentless problem-solver and collaborator who is determined to play a key role in putting African creativity on the map. Daphne considers herself a global citizen, and has recently returned after many years abroad to focus on growing her business. One of Daphne’s proudest moments was scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise funds for a revolving micro-loan facility for African women micro-entrepreneurs. Her business was launched in 2021 and today employs 5 people.
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Nicolene Schoeman-Louw, co-Founder & Managing Director, PocketAdvisor (South Africa)
Startup Story
Nicolene Schoeman-Louw is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of PocketAdvisor in South Africa. She is also one of the skilled facilitators at PocketAdvisor. Nicolene’s involvement is a passion and means through which reliable legal information can be made available to more people. Nicolene is also the Founder and Managing Director of SchoemanLaw Inc in Cape Town, South Africa. She is an admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa, Conveyancer, Notary Public and Mediator with a passion for entrepreneurs and helping them reach their most ambitious goals. Nicolene has enjoyed the confidence of many successful entrepreneurs (both locally and abroad) over the years and continues to do so. As a trusted advisor she has actively contributed to the successes of many businesses, helped and continues to help many entrepreneurs build lasting legacies.
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Robyn Keet, co-founder, BrightWolves (South Africa)
Startup Story
Robyn Keet is the co-founder and operations manager for the South African entity of a Belgian-based management consulting company called BrightWolves. Robyn is passionate about bringing together sustainability and entrepreneurship. After gaining valuable experience studying and working in Europe, Robyn returned to her roots to co-lead the international expansion of BrightWolves into South Africa with business partner Domien Agten. BrightWolves is a boutique consulting firm that specializes in providing end-to-end solutions, from strategy to implementation. The company covers the entire spectrum, from business advisory to digital transformation and sustainable value creation in companies. BrightWolves’ vision is to deliver positive and sustainable impact to its clients, to its team, and the South African economy.
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Leonilde Melembe Bene, founder Paphalati (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Leonilde Melembe Bene, is the founder of Paphalati, a handicrafts and handmade jewellery small business in Mozambique. She has a passion for accessory designs, recycling materials and home décor articles. Paphalati also restores old pieces of jewellery, giving them a second life. She founded her business 15 years ago, first it was only her and now she employs 3 people, one of them a local community seamstress. Professionally she also works as a Communication and Public Relations Manager. From a very early age she became interested in the world of arts and culture. She made her directorial debut with this short film and was the winner of the 2nd Edition of the Maputo Shortcutz competition (2022).
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Zola Mhlongo, founder, Undefined Shapes (South Africa)
Startup Story
Zola Mhlongo, better known as Zola Zee Lovin’, is an actress, singer and media personality turned businesswoman with a contemporary shape-wear brand, Undefined Shapes, based in South Africa. Born and raised in Durban, and pursuing a degree in Drama at the University of Cape Town, the stage has been her office until Undefined Shapes awakened her entrepreneurial spirit. In just two short years since its inception, Undefined Shapes has achieved remarkable sales success, consistently selling out multiple times. The business continues to thrive, cultivating a rapidly growing community of loyal customers.
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Vanize da Natividade Teixeira, founder, Muyana and Arts (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Vanize da Natividade Teixeira is the founder of Muyana and Arts in Mozambique. The company uses recycled materials, transforming them into dolls, bags and other products for the home, through sewing skills and empowering women who want to embrace this artform. Vanize has two interns who work with her, and who are currently being trained in specific skills. She is still running the company herself because it's small, but her dream is to be big and international one day. Vanize has a degree in accounting from high school, and was the commercial director of the company Mocinter lda that was in the field of service provision, and also of the business, Marumadi Planeta Mozambique, a guesthouse.
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