She recognizes the difficulties logistics professionals encounter in obtaining loans to fund their operations. To tackle this issue, she's harnessing technology to streamline online loan applications, making the process more accessible and efficient.

Gugulethu Siso, a Zimbabwean marketing expert and entrepreneur, is the founder and CEO of Thumeza, a fintech platform that provides data-driven financing solutions to logistics players across Africa.

Thumeza, established in 2018, initially offered last-mile delivery services for e-commerce sites, small businesses, and retailers in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. By 2019, it had evolved into a freight platform coordinating a network of small carriers. In 2021, Thumeza shifted its focus to financing logistics operators. The platform now provides loans to small carriers through an online loan management system, offering factoring services and early invoice settlements. It handles the entire lending process for its distribution partners, such as FMCG companies and logistics aggregators, allowing them to concentrate on their core activities.

Siso is also one of the Shouthern African representatives on the Afrikan Youth Business Council, a continental organization uniting private sector entities and institutions led by young people in Africa. In 2015, she co-founded Ninety Nine Investments, serving as CEO until 2017, a company offering retailers comprehensive cart management solutions.

A graduate of the University of Namibia with a Bachelor’s in Strategic Marketing (2015), Siso also participated as a coach in the 2022 Future Females entrepreneurship training program. She is an alumna of the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program (2018) and a provincial winner of Youth Connekt (2019). In 2020, she was selected for the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs, took part in the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa cohort, and was recognized as one of the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Zimbabwe’s Ten Outstanding Young Persons.

Melchior Koba