TECH STARS (960)
She is an entrepreneur with several years of experience in the construction industry. Her goal is to help professionals in the sector enhance their performance.
Eya Hammouda, a Tunisian tech entrepreneur (photo), is the co-founder and CEO of BIMFLOW, a startup offering an immersive virtual reality (VR) platform designed for teams in the construction and real estate sectors. Founded in 2022, BIMFLOW allows construction professionals to virtually tour, collaborate, test, and revise projects in real time. The platform also optimizes workflows by automating repetitive tasks, saving time and resources, with the ultimate goal of improving efficiency in construction.
BIMFLOW’s solution, Stride, enhances teamwork by ensuring seamless collaboration across construction projects. From task delegation and progress tracking to identifying potential obstacles, Stride provides full visibility into every aspect of a project, helping teams stay on course and aligned with objectives.
In addition to her role at BIMFLOW, Hammouda is also the managing director of HK Consulting, a Tunisian firm active in the construction sector. She holds a master's degree in Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Law from the Institut Supérieur des Sciences et Technologies de l’Environnement in Borj-Cedria, which she completed in 2012.
Hammouda began her career in 2011 as a media analyst at MediaScan, a marketing research firm. In 2012, she joined ETPPM (Entreprise de Travaux Publics Pétroliers et Maritimes), where she rose through the ranks from chief coordinator to director of marketing and business development. By 2015, she became director of public relations and marketing at Raven Prod, an audiovisual production company. In 2022, she also worked as an educational technologist at her alma mater in Borj-Cedria.
Hammouda has received numerous awards for her contributions to the industry. In 2022, she won the Workforce of the Future award at the Big 5 Impact Awards, which recognizes sustainability, collaboration, and technological advancements in the construction sector. In 2024, she was named one of the 50 finalists for Africa’s Business Heroes, a prestigious recognition celebrating Africa’s top entrepreneurs.
Melchior Koba
He actively encourages and supports the tech community in Africa. His efforts have been recognized with numerous awards and honors in his native South Africa.
Mixo Ngoveni (photo) is a South African tech entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Geekulcha, a platform that connects information and communication technology (ICT) students with the professional world.
Founded in 2013, Geekulcha brings together young, skilled, creative, and ambitious talent in the tech sector. The platform fosters knowledge sharing and collaboration on various projects. It organizes tech events, offers training, and helps students enhance and strengthen their skills. Geekulcha also hosts hackathons and numerous tech events, providing its "geek" community with opportunities to develop digital skills. Its mission is to make South Africa’s tech ecosystem more competitive while ensuring that innovative tech solutions incorporate sustainability wherever possible.
Mixo Ngoveni holds a bachelor's degree in computer science, with a focus on business applications, which he earned in 2013 from Tshwane University of Technology. Between 2011 and 2013, he was a "Microsoft Student Partner" while also serving as an assistant at the mLab incubator. From 2018 to 2021, he was the head of Red Bull Basement in South Africa, a tech initiative from the Red Bull brand.
Ngoveni has been recognized and celebrated as one of South Africa’s top young leaders and entrepreneurs by various media outlets and organizations. Notably, he was featured in the Mail & Guardian's Top 200 Young South Africans in 2015 and was a finalist for the South African Institute of Information Technology Professionals (IITPSA) IT Personality of the Year award in 2017.
Melchior Koba
The technological revolution is steadily advancing across Africa, impacting every sector and offering numerous advantages. In the field of education, two tech entrepreneurs have developed a tailored solution specifically for schools.
Tespire is an innovative edtech solution developed by a Nigerian startup that enables schools to fully digitize their administrative systems while allowing parents to monitor every aspect of their children's education. Based in Abuja, the company was founded in 2022 by Abdulkadir Suleiman Lapai and Umar Madugu. In September 2024, Tespire announced the successful completion of a funding round, though the amount raised remains undisclosed, aimed at supporting its expansion efforts.
“Tespire’s vision goes beyond just fixing administrative issues. They are committed to using the power of data to increase access to quality education across Nigeria and other Sub-Saharan African countries, starting with local schools and scaling toward a broader national and international market,” stated Abdulkadir Suleiman Lapai.
The platform operates as a web portal where parents can directly access comprehensive school-related information, including tuition fees, class schedules, and enrollment processes. If a parent selects a Tespire-affiliated school, they can navigate to the school’s webpage from their computer, choose the application portal, and click "Go."
On the left side of the page, they select "New Applicants," fill in the necessary fields, and submit the application. If accepted, the parent receives an application number for their child. Subsequently, they can log into their dashboard to complete the enrollment process.
Access to Tespire's services incurs a fee. The startup offers various subscription plans for schools to join its partner database, with options starting at 2,000 naira (approximately $1.21), 2,500 naira, and higher. Tespire has ambitious plans for growth, aiming to expand its reach across Nigeria and into other countries within the region.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
She has over 17 years of experience in media, communication, and technology. She also supports the creation and development of high-impact tech companies in Africa.
Irene Phoebe Kiwia (photo), a Tanzanian tech entrepreneur based in South Africa, is the co-founder and Chief Growth Officer of Adanian Labs, a high-impact tech venture studio that drives digital transformation across Africa. Founded in 2020, Adanian Labs focuses on the creation, development, and scaling of tech startups, emphasizing innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT). The studio provides expert software engineering support to help startups develop tailored solutions and has successfully created over 40 tech startups to date.
In addition to startup creation, Adanian Labs enhances the capabilities of tech teams through training programs in software development, data science, IoT, AI, and blockchain. These offerings include short courses, boot camps, and masterclasses. The studio also provides a comprehensive suite of services, including legal support, accounting, financial planning, technology management, human resources, and marketing.
Irene Kiwia is a member of Top Tier Impact, a global ecosystem of investors and entrepreneurs, and serves as the Tanzanian ambassador for the Women in Africa Initiative. She is also on the advisory board of African Women in Energy and Power.
Before co-founding Adanian Labs, Kiwia established Frontline Media Africa in 2006, a pan-African media and communications firm focused on technology. In 2017, she launched Twaa, an AI-powered knowledge-sharing and mentorship platform for women and girls in Africa. In 2019, she founded eCOBba, an AI-driven fintech company, and in 2021, she established The Africa Blockchain Center, a Web 3 company specializing in blockchain skills and solutions development.
Kiwia holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Public Administration from the University of Dar es Salaam (2004) and a master’s degree in Marketing (2011). In 2015, she was named Africa Woman of the Year by Africa Reconnect, a pan-African platform dedicated to women's empowerment and girls' education.
Melchior Koba
He is an expert in supporting and financing innovation in Africa. He runs a startup incubator in the Republic of the Congo.
Dexter Trésor Omono is a Congolese entrepreneur and businessman. He is the founder and CEO of Kosàla, an organization dedicated to supporting innovative startups in Africa.
Founded in 2020, Kosàla helps develop startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Central Africa, guiding them from the ideation stage to project realization. The organization offers its expertise and network to assist these companies in securing the necessary funding for success. While Kosàla is open to all types of projects, it places particular emphasis on technological and environmental initiatives. The organization provides a structured approach to help entrepreneurs, from data collection to analysis, facilitating effective decision-making. To date, Kosàla has received 16,450 requests for support and has backed 4,186 projects, 3,136 of which were led by women.
Dexter Trésor Omono also serves as an observer on the Local Development Council at the French Embassy in Congo. He is a consultant for the World Bank’s Digital Transformation Acceleration Project and is part of the scientific team of the National Digital Summit, which is affiliated with Congo’s Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and the Digital Economy.
Omono holds a technical diploma in human resource management from the Institute of Advanced Management Studies, obtained in 2011. In 2021, he earned a postgraduate diploma in project management from the Canadian Academy of Management and Technology, followed by a master’s degree in international trade from HEC Morocco in 2022.
His career began in 2011 at Escom Group, an investment management firm in Congo, where he worked as a logistics officer. In 2018, he joined Oukaley, a crowdfunding platform for sub-Saharan Africa, as the representative for Congo and the DRC. In 2021, he became a specialist consultant for the International Association of Francophone Mayors.
Melchior Koba
She earned her university degree in France. After several years of experience in the financial sector, both in France and Africa, she established her own fintech company.
Magalie Gauze-Sanga is a Cameroonian economist and entrepreneur, serving as the founder and CEO of Koree, a rewards application aimed at fostering customer loyalty in Francophone Africa.
Founded in 2022, Koree enables users to create digital loyalty cards that allow merchants to credit cashback and provide change. The platform addresses the persistent issue of small change shortages prevalent in Francophone Africa and supports various payment methods, including cash, mobile money, and bank cards.
The inspiration for the app struck Gauze-Sanga after she faced a shortage of change while purchasing pastries at a bakery in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. "Working in the payments industry in sub-Saharan Africa allowed me to refine my idea for digital cards similar to an 'Apple Wallet' that could tackle this problem. I aimed to incorporate several additional services to simplify life for consumers and enhance their purchasing power, such as earning cashback," she explained in April 2024.
In January 2024, Koree secured $200,000 in pre-seed funding to facilitate its expansion throughout Francophone Africa, enhance its merchant network, broaden its user base, and tailor the product to meet market demands.
Gauze-Sanga also serves on the board of African Women in FinTech & Payments (AWFP). She holds a master's degree in industrial economics from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University and a master's in management from Em Lyon Business School.
Her professional journey began in 2012 at BGFIBank Cameroon, where she interned in private wealth management. In 2013 and 2014, she worked as an assistant in private banking at ODDO BHF, a financial group based in France. In 2015, she became a consultant at PayPal and transitioned to a research analyst role at BNP Paribas in 2016.
In 2019, Gauze-Sanga was appointed head of financial services for e-commerce startup Jumia in Francophone West Africa. From January to June 2021, she held the roles of COO and later CMO at Ivorian fintech Julaya. Subsequently, from July 2021 to November 2022, she managed payments for Ivorian online commerce startup ANKA.
In 2023, she became the first woman to win the Ecobank Fintech Challenge, earning a prize of $50,000.
Melchior Koba
With over a decade of experience in the African financial sector, he is a seasoned computer scientist specializing in fintech. He has already created three fintech companies.
Stone Atwine (photo) is a Ugandan computer scientist and tech entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and CEO of Eversend, a fintech startup.
Founded in 2017 with Ronald Kasendwa, Eversend offers an all-in-one payment platform specializing in cross-border mobile money transfers, virtual cards, bill payments, and cryptocurrencies, particularly serving expatriates. The platform allows users to manage money via cryptocurrencies, using APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), enabling easy payments and currency exchanges.
"For Africans and Africans in the diaspora that experience inconvenient and expensive financial services and hidden fees, Eversend is a one-stop financial services hub that provides a multi-currency wallet allowing them to exchange, save and send money at the best possible rates, while offering personal loans, payments, investments and and other financial services," said Stone Atwine in 2020.
Today, the company supports nine currencies and boasts over 700,000 satisfied users. It operates in Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, France, the UK, and the United States.
Before founding Eversend, Stone Atwine co-founded two other startups in 2013: Useremit and Yetu Credit Finance. Useremit facilitates international money transfers, particularly for those in rural Africa, often underserved by traditional banking services. Yetu Credit Finance, a microfinance company, provides salary loans to Ugandan civil servants. He served as its managing director from its inception until 2017.
Atwine holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from Mbarara University of Science & Technology in Uganda, earned in 2004. Before diving into entrepreneurship, he worked for Payment Solutions International, a fintech firm based in South Africa, where he was responsible for the company’s business development in Uganda and served as the country manager for Kenya.
In 2015 and 2016, Atwine was recognized by the Choiseul Institute in Paris as one of the top African leaders under 40 to watch for his contributions to the continent's economic development. In 2017, the French government named him an exceptional talent in entrepreneurship.
Melchior Koba
After several years in the United States, he returned to Senegal to contribute to national development. He is using technology to modernize and revitalize the real estate sector.
Papa Kane (photo) is the founder and CEO of Kanimmo, a startup he launched in 2023 with the aim of revolutionizing property management in Senegal. Kanimmo is a tech platform designed for rental property owners and real estate agencies, simplifying and enhancing property management. It helps reduce administrative tasks, improve tenant relations, and make financial transactions more transparent.
“Kanimmo helps real estate agencies optimize their operations by automating up to 85% of their activities, reducing daily time-consuming administrative tasks and the resources required to complete them. Our mission is to save you time and money so you can focus on what matters most: growing your business, retaining property owners, and expanding your rental portfolio,” the startup explains.
In addition to his role at Kanimmo, Papa Kane also heads programs at Senstartup, an independent association promoting a favorable environment for the growth of start-ups in Senegal. Founded in 2018 by entrepreneurs and digital professionals, Senstartup plays a key role in supporting innovation.
Kane holds a bachelor’s degree in leadership and management from Franklin University in the U.S., earned in 2015. During his studies, he worked as a computer lab assistant at the university. In 2014, he joined HKT Teleservices, a tech company, first as a sales trainer, later becoming recruitment coordinator and senior recruiter.
Upon returning to Senegal in 2020, he became vice president of business process management at Digital Ubuntu, a company offering online learning solutions for teaching communities.
Melchior Koba
He is committed to helping African businesses secure the funding they need to grow. Based in Europe, he connects Western investors seeking to diversify their portfolios with African ventures.
Alain Nkurikiye (photo) is a Burundian-born social entrepreneur specializing in the finance sector. He is the founder and CEO of Wajenzi, a digital platform created to address the lack of investment in sustainable startups in Africa.
Founded in 2017 in the Netherlands, Wajenzi’s mission is to promote investment in African businesses. The platform connects innovative companies with individual and institutional investors in Europe and the United States, facilitating equity financing. Wajenzi offers a range of innovative financial tools that enable direct equity stakes in African startups. This not only accelerates the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) but also helps drive economic development.
“Africa, representing only 1% of the global stock market, is a largely untapped resource. Wajenzi is revolutionizing the scene by enabling African startups to access long-term capital from European retail investors. We offer a distinctive platform for investors seeking to diversify their portfolios and contribute to African entrepreneurship,” Alain Nkurikiye explained in March 2024.
In addition to his role at Wajenzi, Nkurikiye serves as a startup financing consultant for the African Development Bank Group. He graduated from Lumière University of Bujumbura with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2004 and earned a master's in business strategy and economic policy from Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands in 2010.
Before venturing into entrepreneurship, he worked as a consultant for various organizations, including the International Trade Centre, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the Maastricht School of Management. From 2022 to 2024, he held the position of expert in inclusive entrepreneurship at Dorcas, a Dutch organization dedicated to fighting poverty.
Melchior Koba
He aims to help tech entrepreneurs bring their innovative ideas to life and achieve their dreams. He has already invested in several startups in Africa.
Kwamena Afful (photo) is a lawyer by training, a businessman, and an investor from Ghana. He is the co-founder and CEO of PAVE Investments, where he focuses on investing in tech startups across Africa.
Founded in 2014, PAVE Investments is an investment platform that provides capital, strategic access, and resources to those creating opportunities to promote African talent on a global scale. The company also works with international businesses to help them succeed on the African continent.
PAVE primarily targets tech startups, supporting entrepreneurs in building their businesses. Among its investments are Nigerian fintech companies PaySack and Flutterwave, as well as Kenyan e-commerce platform MarketForce.
In addition to his role at PAVE, Kwamena Afful co-founded and is a partner at Microtraction, a Nigerian venture capital firm established in 2017. Microtraction provides pre-seed and seed funding to early-stage tech startups. He is also a co-founder and partner at MAGIC Fund, a venture capital fund launched in 2018, dedicated to supporting high-growth startups.
Afful holds dual bachelor’s degrees in law and in finance and international business from the University of Sydney in Australia. From 2004 to 2006, he worked as an accountant at First Data Corporation, an Australian fintech. In 2008, he joined the law firm Allens as a financial analyst, and from 2009 to 2013, he served as a team leader at Bain & Company, an international consulting firm.
Melchior Koba
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With several years of experience in the Algerian hospitality sector, he aims to help both tourists and his fellow citizens efficiently plan their trips.
Mohamed Abdelhadi Mezi (photo) is an Algerian entrepreneur, co-founder, and CEO of Volz, a tech startup specializing in online airline ticket sales. Founded in 2022, Volz provides a platform for purchasing plane tickets with various payment options, including credit cards and cash on delivery. The platform offers a wide range of airlines and flight options at varying prices, making travel planning more accessible for users.
In addition to its core services, Volz is developing fintech solutions to ensure its services are accessible across all economic levels. Its features include price freezes, transparent refunds via its Refund by VOLZ function, price tracking, and a “book now, pay later” option, catering to a broad spectrum of customers.
Mezi is also the co-founder and CEO of Hotelris, another startup established in 2022. Hotelris assists hotels and travel agencies in developing long-term digital marketing strategies aimed at generating revenue, enhancing brand visibility online, and converting leads into clients.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from the National Higher School of Tourism of Algeria and studied digital marketing fundamentals at The Open University Business School in 2020.
His career began at KT Hotel in Algeria, where he worked as a restaurant manager and front desk agent. In 2018, he was appointed marketing director at Nreservi.com, an online travel agency. The following year, he joined Hyatt Regency Algiers Airport as a customer service associate.
In 2020, he joined Marriott International, where he served in various roles, including customer service associate, marketing specialist, and marketing manager for Algiers Marriott Hotel Bab Ezzouar and Residence Inn by Marriott Bab Ezzouar.
Melchior Koba
He aims to streamline Moroccan daily life by providing technological solutions that automate repetitive household chores, saving time and effort.
Majid Benslimane (photo) is a Moroccan digital innovation expert and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Presta Freedom, a platform offering subscription-based home services.
Founded in 2020, Presta Freedom connects Moroccan households with qualified cleaning agents through an intuitive web platform. Users can entrust their home cleaning to certified professionals, with services completed between 45 minutes and less than 3 hours, depending on the requirements.
Presta Freedom offers a wide range of services designed to simplify daily life, including laundry, gardening, pest control, repairs, handyman work, pet grooming, laundry pickup, pool maintenance, and grocery delivery. The company’s team of experts is equipped to meet the diverse needs of its clients.
Since 2009, Majid Benslimane has also served as Deputy General Manager at Uniforce Informatique, an IT solutions integrator. The company is part of the Medtech group, which includes several firms specializing in new technologies.
Benslimane holds an engineering degree in electronic and microelectronic engineering, which he earned in 2003 from the University of Moncton in Canada. He began his career the same year at Uniforce Informatique as Director of Development. In 2008, he joined the Young Leaders Center (CJD), where he participated in the commission on the Good Governance Code, leaving the center in 2012.
Melchior Koba
His aim is to simplify daily life for South Africans. A qualified accountant, he utilizes technology to provide financial solutions that cater to both individuals and businesses.
Andre Hugo (photo), a South African accountant and entrepreneur, is the co-founder and CEO of Spot Money, a fintech startup. Founded in 2019, Spot Money offers a comprehensive banking platform that empowers South Africans to manage their finances more effectively.
Founded in 2019, Spot Money offers a banking platform in South Africa that allows users to manage their finances more effectively, whether for saving, spending, or investing. The app combines payments, traditional banking services, rewards, alternative credit, and a marketplace for shopping, all within a single interface.
With Spot Money, users can scan any QR code to make payments. The app also provides loans and insurance through an open banking marketplace. Additionally, users can earn rewards in airtime or data when purchasing from Spot Money’s partners. The company, which does not charge account management fees, already boasts over 100,000 users.
Before launching Spot Money, Andre Hugo co-founded Money for Jam (M4JAM) in 2014, where he served as CEO until 2016. M4JAM delivers impartial, real-time data from actual consumers to brands, businesses, and organizations. The platform supports market research, mystery shopping, merchandising, product training, brand activations, as well as large-scale audit and compliance solutions that are faster and more cost-effective.
Andre Hugo holds two bachelor's degrees in accounting, auditing, and taxation, earned from the University of Cape Town in 1991 and the University of South Africa in 1993. In 1995, he became a Certified Information Systems Auditor. His career began in 1992 at P.A. Becker and Co., a German auditing firm, where he started as a trainee.
He later worked for major firms such as Deloitte between 1996 and 2013, holding various roles, including Director of Innovation, Marketing Director, and Head of Digital. From 2017 to 2020, he joined Virgin Money, a Scottish financial company, where he served as a strategic advisor and later as CEO.
Melchior Koba
His goal is to help parents better support their children in their studies. He also leads two startups specializing in educational technologies.
Nick Miller (photo), a South African mechatronics engineer and entrepreneur, is the founder and CEO of Teach Me 2, a tech startup specializing in youth learning.
Founded in 2006, Teach Me 2 is a South African tutoring startup that simplifies the process of finding and managing tutors, helping parents avoid the hassle of searching for teachers for their children. The platform automatically schedules sessions, offering the flexibility for students to receive tutoring at home or online. It provides tutors in a wide range of subjects, including accounting, chemistry, economics, mathematics, physics, statistics, French, history, and life coaching. Since its launch, more than 35,000 parents have trusted the company.
Miller is also the founder and CEO of Coachbit, a startup launched in 2019 that offers a scientifically-based life and learning coaching program with personalized content, specifically designed for preteens and teenagers.
Before these ventures, Miller co-founded Clickego in 2008, serving as CTO until 2012. Clickego specializes in online ad management. In 2011, he co-founded Rental Connect, a software engineering firm, and in 2014, he created Storie, a startup he led as CEO until 2016, which offered a mobile app for easily creating and sharing videos.
Miller holds a bachelor's degree in mechatronic engineering from the University of Cape Town, specializing in facial recognition, image processing, and signal processing, which he earned in 2007. From 2013 to 2016, he also worked as a content creator on YouTube.
Melchior Koba