BY Busayo Sotunde
One of the biggest events that will define the future of Africa entrepreneurship is holding this weekend.
Organised by She Leads Africa, an African-focused social enterprise, the event will feature 10 young female entrepreneurs who will champion Africa’s economic growth in the future.
The journey started with a business pitch competition was launched in June to “provide entrepreneur development, networks and funding for promising female entrepreneurs who have the ambition and drive to be the business leaders of tomorrow, building companies that will become pan-African and global leaders”.
After that, 10 talented young entrepreneurs were chosen from a list of 380 applicants from 27 countries.
“These finalists represent some of the best and the brightest entrepreneurial talent in Africa, and we look forward to seeing the outcome of the competition,” co-founder of She Leads Africa, Yasmin Belo-Osagie, said.
The inaugural competition has attracted seasoned African entrepreneurs including chairman of Etisalat Nigeria, Hakeem Bello-Osagie; CEO of Standard Chartered Nigeria, Bola Adesola; and Ngozi Edozien, former managing director for private equity firm Actis, who will mentor them.
Final prizes of more than $30,000 in cash and prizes. Non-financial prizes such as phones and tablets, brand consultation, free office space, access to prominent venture capitalists and angel investors, as well as additional tools needed in order to expand their existing start-ups and achieve their business dreams will also be available for winners.
TheCable spoke with these emerging female entrepreneurs about their thoughts and aspiration on the competition.
Winnifred Selby (Afrocentric Bamboo Limited)
A finalist of the Cartier Women’s Award, Winnifred Selby is a 19-year-old Set Africa Fellow and Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum. She is a graduate of the Joy Standard College, and is an outstanding leader and serial social entrepreneur who has created a team of dedicated young social entrepreneurs who work together to create new commodities and markets for young people. Winnifred serves as the CEO of Afrocentric Bamboo Limited, a Ghana-based company that takes advantage of the country’s abundant bamboo to address the transportation needs of rural dwellers and producing bamboo bike frames for the international export markets while training women entrepreneurs to use bamboo waste to manufacture charcoal briquettes.
“I hope to build my capacity and improve upon my business presentation skills, network with female entrepreneurs and investors from other parts of the continent and the diaspora and take advantage of the tailored business training and other mentoring and consultancy opportunities offered by She Leads to take my business to the next level,” she said.
Banke Kuku (founder, Banke Kuku Textiles)
“I have been fascinated with textiles as far back as I can remember. I was knitting at age five; I would always pick the floral dresses and draw patterns on everything with a felt tip pen! So going into the textile industry was a very natural and easy decision for me.”
Banke Kuku Textiles fuses traditional African with western culture to create, intricate, unique and luxurious fabrics for the interior and fashion industries.
“I applied to She Leads Africa for the opportunity to meet likeminded entrepreneurs and the expert panel to further develop my business,” she said “I hope to take away better understanding of my business model and expert advice from the mentors.”
Oyindamola Honey Ogundeyi (founder, Fashpa.com)
She has over 10 years experience in Technology & Consulting, with experience from Global Companies such as McKinsey & Co, Ericsson and Google.
Fashpa.com is filling the online-fashion gap that exists in Nigeria by redefining how fashion is accessed, providing affordable high-street fashion that is not readily available to offline shoppers.
“I look forward to taking advice, learning and feedback on how to build a successful business in Africa from a great selection of Investors, Mentors and Business owners as well as access to a network of female entrepreneurs leading the way in Africa.”
Elizabeth Kperrun (founder, Lizzie creations):
She is an entrepreneur passionate about creating a better life for underprivileged women and children. And that is essentially what Lizzie’s Creations is about. It sets out to create mobile applications targeted towards the education and enlightenment of women and children. So far, it has developed the award winning app “AfroTalez”, a story-telling app for kids. The company is currently working on the pilot episode of an interactive novel titled Choices.
“I hope to take away a wealth of knowledge about entrepreneurship and the growth of technology in Africa and the role women in general have to play in this field.”
Nour Drissi (Founder, Loue1voiture.com)
A graduate of a French business school, she has four years work experience in management and marketing (especially in the car hire sector). She is launching Loue1voiture.com, the first car hire booking platform to book a car from local & international car hire companies in Morocco. Last May, this project won the first prize of MIT pan Arab startup competition.
“I hope yo take away feedback and advice on my business and extend my network,” she said.
Anike Lawal (founder, Mamalette.com)
As a mother of one boisterous toddler and also an expecting mum, Anike Lawal decided to start Mamalette.com when she was unable to find answers to her most pressing pregnancy and parenting questions.
From pre-pregnancy to parenthood, Mamalette.com is the place for mothers and mothers-to-be to learn, chat, seek advice, solve problems, share experiences and relax through the website and social networking platforms.
Anike has a degree in Business Studies and French from Trinity College, University of Dublin, Ireland and an M.Sc. in Law and Accounting from the London School of Economics in England. She worked for a couple of years as a Management Consultant at KPMG Nigeria.
“What I hope to take away from this experience is the knowledge and belief that I can achieve the business goals I have set for myself. The skills taught and support given by She Leads Africa should help me properly structure and scale my business.
Taffi Woolward (founder, Thando’s)
Woolward is the co-founder and CEO of Thando’s and a Guyanese-American living in Lagos, Nigeria for the past year. She and her fiancee, Jibolu “JG” Ayodele, started Thando’s in 2012 while they were MBA students at New York University. As an entrepreneur, she is constantly on the go. Her hectic schedule and high heels often meant very sore soles. JG is a practical art-enthusiast with an equally-keen finance acumen and eye for fashionable footwear. Our love for each other, love for Africa and love for art, inspired us to create an innovative footwear line that facilitates a modern woman’s busy lifestyle. Thando’s shoes are African designed foldable ballerina flats, giving women a compact and comfortable shoe option that they can easily take with them on the go.
I’m an overachiever so I hope to take away the 1st place cash prize. More important than winning is the feedback and mentorship we are receiving through the process of refining our pitches and preparing for the competition. I look forward to forming relationships with the judges, panelists and other finalists. A strong network is extremely invaluable to an entrepreneur.”
Kega-Florence Mukwevho (founder, MKP Fast foods (Pty) Ltd)
Mukwecho is a 21-year-old, aspiring CA(SA) and final year B Com Accounting student from the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. She is passionate about Education, Youth empowerment and Entrepreneurship (EYE). As an Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Candidate Fellow, she strives to embody the values of high-impact responsible leadership and entrepreneurship. Her company focuses on solving two problems, mainly the chronic youth unemployment situation in SA and expensive franchising in the chicken fast food industry.
MKP Fast Foods is a low-cost, scalable, mobile kitchen that supports the growth of a chicken brand, Galito’s. It’s mobile kitchen has employed six full-time employees. It is fully equipped with all that a normal restaurant would have, but on a smaller scale. It is placed in areas where it is not feasible to operate a full store.
“I had initially thought She Leads Africa was just another Pitch contest. However, during this entire experience, I have become attuned with the vision of She Leads Africa which goes far beyond the monetary funding possibilities,” she said.
“I am looking to leave more empowered as a female entrepreneur, with not only business skills but personal growth so that I can be able to make a more meaningful impact and motivate more women back in SA and Africa to rise up and take that first step to making their dreams a reality. I believe that I will be inspired to be more confident and courageous as a young entrepreneur by interacting with like-minded women from across Africa. Being associated with some of the best woman entrepreneurs has been humbling.”
Cherae Robinson (founder, Rare Customs)
Originally from Brentwood, NY, she has built a career raising visibility and support for international nonprofit organisations. A self-described “passport stamp collector”, she has travelled to nearly 30 countries, 10 of them in Africa. She has had the pleasure of meeting dynamic people who turn the world’s perception of Africa on its head. Her experiences in the places she has visited were unlike anything she could have imagined.
She decided to create Rare Customs to bring the world to “aspirational Africa” and be a game-changer in a tourism industry that too often gives the continent the short end of the stick. Rare Customs is focused on disrupting the entire tourism value chain on the continent by providing services that make the sector modern and sustainable. Its first product, Tastemakers Africa, is a mobile app and website that allows users to pre-purchase curated experiences in Africa a la carte. It speaks directly to travellers who want to travel Africa and skip the mediocre. From boutique hotels, to exclusive restaurants, to nightclubs and unlisted excursions, Tastemakers Africa helps trips go from zero to epic. Unlike other travel apps, Tastemakers Africa is the only global solution that caters to modern jetsetters.
” The Rare Customs team has been energised by the outpouring of support we’ve received as finalists in She Leads Africa. We plan to leave the competition and build, build, build. We are ready to get the mobile app launched and in the hands of users. We will take a large chunk of the money and put it into the technical development of the app,” hs e said.
“We will utilise any remaining funds to support a regional tour on the continent where we can spend time building partnerships with businesses that fit our brand and our users. Having strong ties on the continent is critical to our growth and success. Beyond the takeaways for our business, I look forward to building a strong network of women committed to affecting positive change on the African continent through entrepreneurship.”
Jade Mann (founder, Night Bus)
Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Mann has a corporate law and operations background and has worked for some of the top corporate law firms in South Africa. She also ran national retail operations for a well-known local fashion label for almost two years and on the transportation side operated a successful business in the event transport space.
Night Bus is a dedicated fixed line bus service that runs between nightlife hubs in Joburg, throughout the night. The buses are kitted out and offer an engaging on-board experience that offers relevant content and entertainment, making transport part of the overall party experience. The service will launch in Joburg, with plans to roll out to other cities in South Africa and in developing markets as well.
“Even just being a finalist in this competition means that I get the chance to get my business in front of top-tier investors and entrepreneurs and to get their input and advice, which to me is invaluable. It’s also a chance to engage with and learn other inspiring female entrepreneurs, including not only the finalists amazing founders of She Leads Africa the other contestants.
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