africa's best - 10 under 30 entrepreneurs
Post on 28-Oct-2014
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Oluwaseun Osewa, 30, Nigeria
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Oluwaseun Osewa, 30, Nigeria
• At the age of 23 he started Nairaland.com which has become the most popular website in Nigeria
• Nairaland.com has more than 1 million registered users
• It is the most visited website in Africa as per Alexa rankings
• In 2003 he attempted to start a web hosting business but failed
• Undaunted he opened Nairaland.com in the year 2005
• His approach was to try and provide solution to something you need, or want to be solved
• Nairaland.com was started to address issues in Nigeria
• It was to be a general purpose forum with focus on issues of interest to Nigerians
• Nairaland.com generates revenue through its ad inventory
Ola Orekunrin, 27, Nigeria
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Ola Orekunrin, 27, Nigeria
• At the age of 21 Orekunrin graduated from the University of York as a qualified doctor
• She was awarded Japanese Government Scholarship and moved to Japan to conduct research
• After coming back to Europe she decided to work for improving healthcare in Nigeria and Africa
• It was the death of her sister due to anaemia which prompted her to take this decision
• She started Flying Doctors Service and also consults government and private agencies on aesthetic and emergency medicine
• Flying Doctors is west Africa’s first indigenous air ambulance
• It offers national and international evacuation services
• They have 4 aircrafts strategically located at 4 major airports in Nigeria
• They also provide health and safety audit services, clinic staffing, telemedicine, and first aid training
Jonathan Liebmann , 28, South Africa
Image credits: http://www.mblife.co.za/
Jonathan Liebmann , 28, South Africa
• Liebmann is the Managing Director of Propertuity, a South African real estate development company
• He had started 5 businesses by the age of 24 and Propertuity was the most successful one
• Liebmann found Propertuity in 2007 with which he launched property investments
• Liebmann studied business and accounting from Monash University
• But according to him bulk of education came from hands-on experience and entrepreneurship
• Maboneng Precinct in Johannesburg was his brainchild
• Maboneng is a vibrant urban community with Art galleries, Art museums retails space and offices
• He thinks entrepreneurs need unrealistic optimism, perseverance, design and lifestyle exposure, and passion to do what he does
• “Practice what you preach, Live the vision”, is his advice to all budding entrepreneurs
Lorna Rutto , 28, Kenya
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Lorna Rutto , 28, Kenya
• Lorna after graduating in commerce and accounting
started a career in banking
• In 2009 she resigned her banking job and pursued
her interest in environmental science
• She along with Charles Kalama, a biochemical
engineer, started small business called EcoPost
• To start with it was a small plastic recycling
business
• Plastic waste collected across Nairobi was used to
manufacture durable and environmental friendly
fencing posts and sign posts
• Some of the products are used for building and
construction purposes
• Lorna saw opportunity where others saw trash
• She won numerous awards like 2009 Enablis
Business Award, 2010 SEED Award, and 2010 Bid
Network Nature Challenge Award
Evans Wadongo , 27, Kenya
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Evans Wadongo , 27, Kenya
• This Kenyan engineer is the Chairman of Sustainable Development For All-Kenya (SDFA-Kenya)
• As a child he grew up in rural Kenya and with his four brothers studied using a kerosene lamp
• His eyesight was permanently damaged due to poisonous gas emitted by kerosene lamp
• This experience lead to his development of MwangaBora solar lamp
• MwangaBora was first African designed and produced lamp and was built from 50% recycled material
• He featured on Forbes and CNN as one of Africa’s Best Young Entrepreneurs
• In 2011, Evans launched Just One Lamp, a campaign to raise funding and awareness for MwangaBora lamps
• In 2012 he received the African International Achievers Award
Sizwe Nzima, 21, South Africa
Image credits: http://ysa2013.mg.co.za/
Sizwe Nzima, 21, South Africa
• Sizwe Nzima graduated from Raymond Ackerman
Academy of Entrepreneurial Development
• He aspires to eliminate the problem of queuing at
clinics and hospitals with his venture Iyeza Express
• Iyeza Express is a business where chronic medication
is transported using cycles from local clinics to
doorsteps of residents
• This solution seems to be solving problem by saving
time and money for his clients
• This business has managed to employ many young
men
• The only skills requirement here are ability to ride
bicycle and to know the town well
• Sizwe sees entrepreneurship as a way to combat
social issues in South Africa
Andrew Mupuya, 21, Uganda
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Andrew Mupuya, 21, Uganda
• It was in the year 2008, at the age of 16 when
Mupuya decided to launch his company
• It was a paper bag production company and was a
result of ban on plastic bags by government
• Mupuya was only in secondary school when he
decided to take up this challenge
• He realized a capital of 36000 Ugandan shillings
were needed and it was raised selling used plastic
bottles and borrowing from school teacher
• With just $14 (36,000 shillings) he started his
entrepreneurial journey
• At the age of 21, he is the owner of Youth
Entrepreneurial Link Investments (YELI)
• YELI was the first registered company to make
paper bags
• He employs 16 people and have 72 clients
Farai Gundan, NA, Zimbabwe
Image credits: www.africaspeaks4africa.org
Farai Gundan, NA, Zimbabwe
• Farai is the co-founder of FaraiMedia.com and
AfricanTripDeals
• FaraiMedia is an online and mobile advertising
platform focused on Africa
• She completed her MBA from The School of
Business & Industry at Florida Agricultural &
Mechanical University
• She guest writes for Forbes and is a leading expert
on African women in Media and Technology
• AfricanTripDeals is an end-to-end online
marketing and reservation system for African
hotel, travel & tourism industry
• She is a producer and a lead anchor of women’s
talk show “Point Of View” and “AfroHits Top 10”
for Afrotainment Television Channel
• “Don’t be afraid to raise your hand and ask. Let
your presence be known.” is her advice to business
women from Africa
Mark Kaigwa, 25, Kenya
Image credits: http://www.mark.co.ke/
Mark Kaigwa, 25, Kenya
• Mark Kaigwa is much travelled and recognized IT guru
• He describes himself as a consultant, strategist, and speaker with a liking for solving problems and applying ideas
• He is the co-founder and partner of Afrinnovator
• Afrinnovator is a venture to put Africa on the map by publishing about African innovation, technology, and start-ups
• Kaigwa is also a partner at African Digital Art which is the leading resource for creative design, photography and animation from Africa
• Afrinnovator is selected by CNN as one of the Top African Voices to follow
• In 2007 he led creative direction of video game for Warner Brothers titled Pamoja Mtaani
• Also an Actor and director of live action films
• He is the African Ambassador for the Sandbox Network
Ashley Uys, 30, South Africa
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Ashley Uys, 30, South Africa
• Uys completed his B.Sc honours degree in Biotechnology and a MAP certificate from Wits University
• Uys started Real World Diagnostics to develop products which are affordable for people who need them
• Reliable and affordable medical kit is one way to a more promising and healthy future in Africa
• He is recognised and appreciated for his efforts in the field of healthcare
• He won the Breweries Innovation Award and was selected among Africa’s Best Young Entrepreneurs by Forbes
• Even today he continues to research on ways to develop new products
• Uys is a great believer of giving back to the society
• Along with Real World Diagnostics, he is also the Managing Director of Medical Diagnostech and Oculus ID
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