After his graduate studies in England, he returned to his native country to build his accelerator for effective support to techstart-ups.

Abdigani Diriye (photo) is a Somali-born computer scientist and tech innovator. He is, since 2014, the co-founder and director of Innovate Ventures, the first and leading startup accelerator in Somaliland and Somalia.

He co-founded the accelerator, in 2012, with two partners, to support “ambitious startups who use technology to change the world.” From inception to date, Innovate Ventures claims over US$150,000 invested in more than 54 startups. Its director also co-founded, in 2021, Bloom, a fintech startup that allows East Africans to save in US dollars and spend in local currencies. In 2011, he co-founded the professional network Worldwide Somali Students & Professionals, which he led till 2015.

From 2009 to 2012, Abdigani Diriye completed research internships at institutions including The Open University, Microsoft, and FX Palo Alto Laboratory in the US. He was then hired by Carnegie Mellon University as a postdoctoral researcher.

In 2013, IBM appointed him as a researcher and in 2016, he became the company's research director. With his team, he develops a machine learning approach that leverages new data sources to assess the financial profiles and credit scores of hundreds of millions of Africans.

From 2019 to 2021, he worked as a research manager at Amazon, where he helped develop new models that allow Alexa, Amazon's virtual assistant, to speak more naturally with users.

Over the course of his entrepreneurial career, he has won several awards and recognitions. For instance, he was named among MIT Technology Review's 35 Innovators Under 35. The following year, he was on the Quartz’s list of the top 30 African Innovators. In 2020, Choiseul Institute named him one of the 100 young economic leaders in Africa.

"I’m humbled to be included among CEOs and other business leaders in the rankings released by Institut Choiseul. I’m also excited that they are beginning to include scientists on the list, and recognizing the prominent role science will have to play in accelerating economic development in Africa," the computer scientist said while acknowledging the Choiseul ranking.

In 2017, Abdigani Diriye became a NEF (Next Einstein Forum) Fellow and TED Fellow. From August 2018 to November 2019, he was a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Innovation Ecosystems.

Melchior Koba