We have put together a compilation of the African Techpreneurs listed in the 2019 edition of Forbes 30 Under 30. We started out celebrating the youths that are proffering solutions to the challenges facing the African society in Part 1. Today, we choose to celebrate the enlisted Heroes of our times who defy the odds and rise above mediocrity.
Silas Adekunle, 26
Reach Robotics, Nigeria
Silas Adekunle graduated from the University of the West of England in 2010 with a Robotics degree. Four years later, he took a bold step to make his first robot prototype – MekaMon, the world’s first augmentative reality gaming robot. He spent years building the MekaMon technology alongside Chris Beck and John Rees to launch the world’s first AR gaming robot in 2017. Adekunle did not forget home, he has begun a robotics and engineering pilot program in Nigeria.
Tyrone Adams, 28 & Siyabonga Thomas Tiwana, 29
Skywalk Innovations, South Africa
Tyrone and Siyabonga met in their third year at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. They set out to follow their passion and started Skywalk Innovations. It is a tech hub and software engineering firm that provides IT solutions to business problems. They presently have a team of nine engineers, business analysts and website developers.
Wissal Farsal, 27 & Khalid Machchate, 26
K & W Technologies, Morocco
Wissal and Khalid founded K & W Technologies International in 2016. They offer digital solutions and specialize in software and hardware innovative products ranging from machine learning to cybersecurity. The duo received an award as the Entrepreneur of the Year by Demo Africa and accepted into the Silicon Valley’s acceleration program.
Karidas Tshintsholo, 24 & Matthew Piper, 25
Khula App, South Africa
Matthew and Karidas left comfort to start a business in Johannesburg. They spent countless nights over a period of six months on the floor because they couldn’t affect a decent accommodation. After putting in the hard work, they have become award winners from founding Khula. Their agritech solution supplies organic fresh produces aggregated from farmers.
Uka Eje, 29
Thrive Agric, Nigeria
Uka Eje started out selling KFC and catfish pepper soup, and also started an online food portal as an undergraduate. He now owns Thrive Agric, an aggregator company that provides a ready market for smallholder farmers in Nigeria. Thrive Agric competed in Crenov8’s Innov8 Agric Challenge and Google Developers Launchpad Space. He currently employs a total of 120 staff and has been able to fund over 15, 000 farmers across Nigeria. Eje is a Mandela Washington Fellow and an alumnus of the Young Africa Leaders Initiative, 2018.
Josh Okpata, 27 & Tochukwu Mbanugo, 29
Eazyhire, Nigeria
The story of how Josh and Tochukwu remained in business is one of resilience and determination. They started a digital peer-to-peer sharing platform known as Eazyhire in 2016. Few months into the business, someone stole their business idea and replicated the same online. It took them time and credibility to win back the hearts of their customers. They have since scaled their business in two African countries and received several awards as rewards for hard work.
Muhammad Salisu Abdullahi, 28
eTrash2Trash, Nigeria
Muhammad co-founded eTrash2Cash in 2016 as an avenue for people to exchange waste for money. The waste is then sorted, recycled and processed into organic compost, pellets and tissue paper. The business partners with Microsoft, Co-Creation Hub and other companies to help people monetize their waste products. Muhammad is a Mandela Washington Fellow and alumnus of the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program.
Eric Rutayisire, 28
Charis UAS, Rwanda
As an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, Eric Rutayisire invested his $1000 savings into building drones. He founded Charis in 2014 to provide rapid and high-quality aerial imagery to businesses in Rwanda. Having defied naysayers and working for free in 2015 to prove them wrong, he now employs 16 staff and operates in Cote d’Ivoire.
Eric Muli, 27
Odyssey Capital, Kenya
Eric started his entrepreneurial journey after a scholarship program at Babson College, Wellesley US. He started Jossle, a marketing company as an undergraduate then returned to Kenya to start Odyssey Capital, a finance firm to cater to the low-income earners. Odyssey has grown into a team of over 90 employees, and 500 agents across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The company works in collaboration with the likes of Samsung, Huawei and Airtel.
Melissa Mwale, 29
Hive Incorporation/ CryptoGem, Zimbabwe
Melissa Mwale started by selling second-hand clothes whilst job hunting in 2016. After the death of her eldest brother, she took a journey into self-discovery. This led her to start Hive Incorporation, an online fashion store with the money received from the sales of her car and laptop. She also founded CryptoGem Global, a pair-to-pair bitcoin exchange for traders to trade digital currency to local tenders. Melissa is the founder of Messe Foundation which aims to mentor other women in business and raise 100 Africa female millionaire entrepreneurs by 2030.
Joshua Chibueze, 26; Somto Ifezue, 28 & Odunayo Eweniyi, 26
PiggyVest, Nigeria
Joshua, Somto and Odunayo met as undergraduates at Covenant University in Nigeria. They co-founded pushcv.com in 2014 to provide a digital platform for the unemployed to secure job opportunities. They also co-founded PiggyVest, a fintech company that is helping Nigerians to save and invest for the future. They have received several awards including the Future Awards Africa Prize in Technology 2018, the Business Day Top 100 SMEs, amongst several others.
Courtney Bentley, 29
Vizibiliti Insight, South Africa
Courtney Bentley started ZA Support to provide Apple products and services to SMEs in South Africa, with just R10. He also co-founded Vizibility, a financial system that builds track-records for individuals and businesses without them having to incur debt. The business has won multiple awards and provides alternative credit facility to over 21 million consumers across South Africa.
Wilford Mwanza, 29
FordOlutions, Zimbabwe
Wilford Mwanza is an Electrical Engineer who went against all odds and attempted the building of a power station to increase electricity supply in Zimbabwe. He went on to establish FordOlutions to provide practical training on the applications of robotics for SMEs, private businesses and government organizations. He was recognized as one of the 60 Global Shapers at the African World Economic Forum last year.
All these entrepreneurs have proven that success can be achieved through dedication and resilience. They are creating jobs and building tenable brands that put Africa in the limelight. Despite the challenges of doing business in Africa, they have achieved success in different sectors. Today, we choose to celebrate our own who ignored the naysayers and stood strong against all odds.