TECH STARS (1007)
Focused on improving business operations, he offers a technology management platform that empowers companies to enhance their performance through efficient management tools.
Saad Kemmou (photo) is a Moroccan entrepreneur with a bachelor's degree in international business, entrepreneurship, and marketing obtained in 2008 from Drexel University's LeBow College of Business in the United States. He is the founder and CEO of Hsabati, a startup that provides management services to businesses.
Founded in 2018, Hsabati is a modular and customizable management platform for businesses. Its great flexibility allows users to select and configure the features they need for optimized daily management.
Hsabati offers a CRM (customer relationship management) module that enhances performance at every stage of the sales process, from lead management to customer retention. Additionally, the platform optimizes inventory management, purchasing/sales, production, and finances, and includes a dedicated project management module.
Saad Kemmou is also the vice president of the Moroccan Fintech Federation. Prior to Hsabati, he founded Flood Gate Labs in 2012, a startup incubator and studio focusing on new technologies, mobile telephony, and advertising. He served as CEO until 2020.
He has also gained extensive experience working for various companies in Morocco and the United States. In 2009, he was an account manager at Market Resource Partners, a company specializing in the strategic development and tactical execution of integrated marketing programs for software and technology service firms. From 2011 to 2012, he was project and client relations manager at Media Mobility in Morocco, a startup facilitating the creation, distribution, and monetization of mobile applications across all platforms and screens.
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From an economics background, he opted to pursue a career in the transport and logistics sector. Currently, he leads a cutting-edge tech company that facilitates connections between carriers, e-commerce businesses, other companies, and individual customers.
Issam Darui, a Moroccan entrepreneur with a background in management and economics from Mohammed Premier University in Oujda, is the founder and CEO of Colis.ma, a tech startup specializing in international transport.
Founded in 2022, Colis.ma offers a web platform and mobile app that allows individuals, e-commerce merchants, and businesses to manage their international shipments. The startup collaborates with various international carriers, helping to optimize their logistics and resources.
For e-commerce merchants and businesses, Colis.ma enables users to compare rates and find the best offers in the express transport market. Additionally, the platform provides a detailed tracking service, informing users of each step in their parcel's journey, from initial drop-off to final delivery. "Colis.ma is constantly evolving to offer services perfectly tailored to the expectations of both businesses and individuals," explains Issam Darui.
Besides Colis.ma, Issam Darui is the founder and CEO of Lagare.ma, a logistics startup founded in 2014. Lagare.ma offers a web platform and mobile app where users can search, compare, and purchase intercity bus tickets online. The platform supports 25 currencies and is available in 10 languages.
In 2021, Issam Darui also founded Instaweb.ma, a web agency specializing in the creation of websites and mobile applications. That same year, in May, he co-founded Ordera.ma, an online grocery store, where he served as CEO until December 2021.
In 2017, Issam Darui was recognized by Forbes magazine as one of Africa's 30 most promising young entrepreneurs and was named an outstanding young African entrepreneur at the Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship.
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Through his company BenX, he leverages technology to provide financial services to the South African population. BenX helps clients save money and improve their credit scores, enabling them to access affordable loans.
Sean Rossouw (photo) is a South African financial expert and entrepreneur, serving as the founder and CEO of BenX, a fintech startup dedicated to boosting financial inclusion in Africa.
Established in 2019, BenX aims to simplify access to affordable loans and facilitate savings. Its flagship product, CreditBuilder, helps underbanked users improve their credit scores to obtain loans. "CreditBuilder, our signature product, provides customers with a simple and affordable product improve their Credit Score while building an Emergency Savings Fund at the same time," states the company's platform.
BenX leverages a network of registered loan and credit providers to advise clients on loan applications and credit facilities based on their credit scores. To date, more than 100,000 clients have benefited from BenX’s services, with the number continually growing.
Sean Rossouw also co-founded and serves as director of Core Fund Administrators, a company founded in 2009 that provides fund administration services for unclaimed benefit funds within financial institutions. As of January 2023, assets under administration exceeded $23 million, and membership surpassed 23,000.
Before launching these ventures, Sean Rossouw co-founded Kwikpay in 1998, an electronic payment gateway where he served as CEO for over two years. In 2000, he co-founded I-Digital Africa, specializing in online data services for employment and vehicle verification, where he was managing director until 2003. The following year, he founded The Data Factory, a business process outsourcing company focused on early withdrawal services for the retirement finance industry, serving as CEO until 2009.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Cape Town, earned in 1987. The following year, he joined EY as an audit manager, a position he held until 1991. From 2003 to 2005, he was managing director of LexisNexis Risk Solutions, a data management company.
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A digital entrepreneur and investor with over 22 years of experience, he assists companies in executing technological projects and supports startups in their development.
Zulfiq Isaacs (photo) is a South African serial tech entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Liquid Thought, a digital innovation agency. He provides technological solutions to businesses and organizations to help them thrive in the digital economy.
Founded in 2001, Liquid Thought stands out for its custom solutions designed to promote the growth and competitiveness of its clients. The company focuses on customer experience, digital innovation, and transformation services, working with brands such as AlphaCode, Paramount, and Sanlam.
Liquid Labs, the company’s collaborative innovation arm, supports groundbreaking ideas. It offers ideation, research, and prototyping services for brands, businesses, and entrepreneurs with innovative concepts requiring technological support.
Zulfiq Isaacs is also an angel investor and advisor to startups across various sectors, including fintech and healthtech. In 2009, he co-founded Moneysmart, a free online personal finance management platform that helps users take control of their finances with a secure, user-friendly system for tracking budgets and expenses in one centralized location. He holds a degree in information systems, statistics, finance, and strategy from the University of Cape Town, earned in 2000. After graduating, he worked as a business analyst at Dimension Data, a technology company operating in the Middle East and Africa that provides innovative solutions.
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A computer engineer, he is dedicated to democratizing e-commerce, enabling merchants to create online stores and easily sell their products.
Andréas Koumato (photo), a Chadian computer scientist and tech entrepreneur, is the founder and CEO of Mossosouk.com, a tech company specializing in e-commerce. Founded in 2014, Mossosouk.com aims to simplify commerce in Chad by offering a web platform and mobile app that allow users to purchase products online from partner merchants.
The site features a wide range of products, including electronics, beauty products, fashion items, food, and books. For merchants, Mossosouk.com provides the opportunity to open a virtual store on its platform, offering product promotions and posting classified ads. The platform also includes a tracking option that enables users to follow their orders from purchase validation to delivery.
In addition to his role at Mossosouk.com, Andréas Koumato serves as a special advisor to the Prime Minister of Chad. Along with other Chadians, he co-founded Generation ABCD (AnyBody Can Dream) in 2015, an organization that promotes the right to dream, ethical and helpful leadership, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development goals. He served as the innovation and entrepreneurship lead for two years and is now the organization's president.
In 2021, he co-founded EnerGo, a startup specializing in solar energy aimed at ending energy poverty in Africa. The startup is developing an integrated off-grid solar power plant to electrify households and small businesses in Chad.
Andréas Koumato holds a master's degree in mathematics and computer science applied to finance and insurance, obtained in 2014 from Polytech Nice Sophia, France. He also graduated from Colorado State University College of Business in 2021 with a master’s degree in business administration.
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After several years in Belgium, she returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo to support her community. She is now leading an innovation center, where she has launched numerous programs and initiatives aimed at supporting and mentoring Congolese entrepreneurs and innovators.
Sidonie Latere (photo), a Congolese entrepreneur, is renowned for her commitment to supporting entrepreneurship in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). As the founder and CEO of Kobo Hub, an innovation center established in 2018, she develops various programs to assist entrepreneurs and businesses.
Kobo Hub provides invaluable support to project creators and promoters by offering a network of experts and access to the skills, resources, and infrastructure necessary for the success and growth of their startups. The center offers a modern coworking space and tailored training, mentoring, incubation, and acceleration programs to meet the specific needs of each project.
"Kobo Hub offers completely different services from incubators, particularly in that we support existing projects, while an incubator helps develop ideas into projects. The goal is to bring this business project to its full potential. We offer a six-month support program that includes coaching, training, and mentoring. The program is customized as it follows a project diagnosis," explained Sidonie Latere in 2022.
In addition to her role at Kobo Hub, Sidonie Latere serves as the Director of Partnerships for Women in Tech in the DRC. She graduated from the École supérieure des arts Saint-Luc in Belgium with a bachelor's degree in visual arts and advertising in 2011.
Prior to founding Kobo Hub, Latere had an extensive career in the Congolese business and entrepreneurial ecosystem. In 2013, she became the Artistic and Creative Director of Exp Agency, a marketing agency in the DRC. The following year, she was appointed Creative Director of Welike Agency, an advertising and communication agency, and Vice-President of the Francofolies de Kinshasa music festival. In 2017, she joined Osmose Digital, a Congolese startup specializing in the design, production, and distribution of educational and informative digital content, as CEO. From 2020 to 2022, she worked as the General Manager of Yayo Africa, a web platform enabling users to send credit to their relatives in the DRC.
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Passionate about building Ethiopia's next generation of tech leaders, he uses fun and engaging methods to gradually introduce children to the world of computer coding.
Nathan Damtew (photo), a computer science graduate from Addis Ababa University, is an Ethiopian entrepreneur dedicated to teaching coding to children through his startup, BeBlocky, and learning center, Yenetta Code.
In 2018, Damtew founded BeBlocky, a gamified learning app that introduces young African children to the fundamentals of programming using a block-based visual programming language. The app guides characters through puzzles, helping children master coding concepts in a fun and intuitive way. BeBlocky's user-friendly interface allows children to advance without prior coding knowledge, and parents can track their children's progress through a dashboard.
Alongside BeBlocky, Damtew co-founded Social.ly in 2017, a digital marketing company that specializes in lead generation through social media, website development, content creation, marketing, and SEO. Social.ly helps organizations reach their full potential by combining innovative ideas with technology.
In 2019, Damtew established Yenetta Code, a learning center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, aimed at enabling youth to thrive as builders and creators in the tech field. The center offers various programs to develop market-relevant skills, providing learners with the confidence and capabilities to embrace new careers in coding and technology.
Through his diverse initiatives, Damtew opens doors for young generations, offering them the tools and opportunities to excel in the rapidly evolving tech industry.
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With over 17 years of experience in communication and team management, particularly in sales, he currently leads WenaData. His role involves assisting businesses by providing them with valuable information and statistical data.
Nuno Soares is a Mozambican entrepreneur with a degree in Information Sciences from the Instituto Superior Miguel Torga in Portugal. He is the co-founder and CEO of WenaData, a technology company offering solutions and services to citizens and organizations.
Founded in 2017, WenaData provides a web platform, software, a mobile application, and research tools. It collects statistical data for the government, the private sector, and other institutions, serving as an educational barometer and aiding in information gathering and strategic decision-making.
Discussing the origins of his company, Nuno Soares explains, "The idea came from a group of people with common projects. We wanted to create a company in a field that was not sufficiently explored in our country, with a different market approach that truly makes a difference. It took us about a year to develop the entire project. A trial version was released in July 2017, and the final version was published on December 18."
In addition to WenaData, Nuno Soares is the co-founder and CEO of Veludo & Mentol, an advertising and new technology company founded in 2014. Since January 2018, he has been the director of Revista Xonguila, a monthly magazine available online and in print that highlights Mozambique's tourism, culture, entrepreneurship, and environment.
Before venturing into entrepreneurship, Nuno Soares gained experience working for several companies. In 2003, he was hired by NOS Lusomundo Audiovisuais, an audiovisual company, as a cinema technician. In 2006, he joined Guimasete, a Portuguese telecommunications company, where he worked as a customer service specialist until 2015.
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A serial entrepreneur, he has co-founded several companies in the technology, e-commerce, and digital marketing sectors. His latest innovation assists merchants in optimizing their sales on social media and managing their business operations more efficiently.
Ali Ouattara (photo) is an Ivorian marketing expert and serial entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and CEO of Tuzzo, an all-in-one digital solution designed for both informal and formal sector vendors in Africa.
Founded in 2023, Tuzzo helps merchants boost their revenue by selling products on social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok. The app centralizes all sales channels and enables the launch of targeted promotional campaigns to retain customers and drive sales. Tuzzo users also have access to essential data such as profits, total sales, expenses, top-selling products, and best customers.
In addition to Tuzzo, Ali Ouattara is the founder and board member of bim!, a startup offering a digital business card linked to a mobile app for instant information sharing. He also founded Diago, an e-commerce startup launched in 2021 and sold in May 2022 to Chari, a Moroccan company providing e-commerce and fintech solutions to merchants. Currently, he serves as the managing director of Chari in Côte d'Ivoire.
Ali Ouattara's first venture, Digit Communication, was launched in 2017. This 360° marketing agency supports small and medium-sized enterprises in developing and implementing their communication strategies. Ali was a board member of Digit Communication until 2020.
The serial entrepreneur holds a bachelor's degree in marketing, communication, and distribution obtained in 2018 from the Félix Houphouët-Boigny National Polytechnic Institute in Yamoussoukro. He also graduated from the Ecole supérieure de commerce d'Abidjan, where he earned a master's degree in marketing in 2021.
To gain extensive experience, Mr. Ouattara worked for several startups. In 2020, he became the brand manager for PepsiCo in Côte d'Ivoire. From 2021 to 2022, he was a partner at Glovo, an on-demand service app for local restaurants, grocery stores, supermarkets, and retail shops.
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Concerned about the security of data collected by companies, he develops innovative tools to ensure the protection of data collected by digital businesses in emerging markets.
Lanre Ogungbe (photo) is a Nigerian computer scientist and entrepreneur. He is a co-founder and the CEO of Prembly, a data infrastructure and compliance provider for businesses.
Founded in 2021, Prembly specializes in identity verification, security, and compliance, with the mission of protecting digital businesses in emerging markets. This allows these companies to operate globally by establishing a trustworthy relationship with their clients. Under its brand, Prembly offers several solutions, including IdentityPass, IdentityRadar, IdentityForm, Compliance Tracker, and Background Checks by Prembly.
IdentityPass helps digital businesses acquire and onboard clients through instant data verification tools, document verification, and biometric authentication. IdentityForm ensures the authenticity and accuracy of user information. IdentityRadar provides a comprehensive suite of fraud prevention tools, facilitating identity verification and fraud detection for businesses worldwide.
On Wednesday, July 3, Prembly announced its merger with Peleza, a Kenyan company specializing in background and identity checks. The new entity, Prembly Group, will be led by Lanre Ogungbe and will bring together over 100 employees across offices in Uganda, Kenya, the United States, and Nigeria.
Lanre Ogungbe is a member of the Forbes Business Council and serves on the board of The IREDE Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging, educating, and empowering children aged 0 to 18 living with congenital disabilities. He graduated from Adekunle Ajasin University with a bachelor's degree in computer science and earned a master's degree in analysis, leadership, and innovation from The Johns Hopkins University in 2023.
His professional career began in 2014 as a team leader at Enactus. In 2017, he became the operations director at myPadi.ng, a Nigerian digital platform facilitating housing access. From 2018 to 2021, he served as head of business and customer services at Accounteer, an online accounting company for entrepreneurs.
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For several years, he worked as a web designer for various companies. Today, as an entrepreneur, he operates a startup that specializes in the online sale and delivery of fresh household and food products.
Muhammad S. Habib (photo) is an Egyptian computer scientist and entrepreneur who co-founded Breadfast, a startup specializing in the delivery of food and household products. Founded in 2017, Breadfast aims to revolutionize product delivery in Egypt by offering dairy products, eggs, fresh bread, fruits, and vegetables, all available 24/7, with products packaged and delivered fresh daily.
The startup delivers to most neighborhoods in Cairo and Giza, as well as to Alexandria for same-day food deliveries. It also serves Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for next-morning bakery deliveries.
Before Breadfast, Muhammad S. Habib co-founded Nafham in 2012, an online educational video platform aligned with the public school curriculum. In 2015, he also co-founded MarginUX, a Cairo-based user experience design and consulting firm.
Muhammad S. Habib holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from the Modern Academy in Maadi, Egypt, obtained in 2009. He also earned a master's degree in management and business administration from ESLSCA Business School Paris in 2014. His professional career began in 2009 at LINKonLINE, an online services and content provider, where he worked as a web designer. From 2010 to 2011, he held the same position at MSN Middle East.
In 2011, he became a UI designer at Samardy, a company under the telecom operator Vodafone. From 2013 to 2015, he served as a UX consultant for Speakol, a social debate network that enhances online social engagement by providing a structured platform for real-time discussions on current issues.
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She has extensive experience in digital technology and the development of online loyalty programs. Her company enables consumers to consolidate their loyalty points on a single platform, making them easier to use.
Moroccan engineer and entrepreneur Siham Elmejjad (photo) is the co-founder and CEO of Tookeez, a startup inspired by her passion for digital, economic, and financial inclusion.
Tookeez was founded in 2020 by Siham, her sister Wiam Elmejjad, and Hicham Amadi. The startup offers a platform that allows consumers to convert their rewards into tangible benefits. Users can consolidate their loyalty points from various retailers into a single digital wallet, which they can then exchange for services or discounts.
Tookeez also helps businesses understand their customers better by providing consumer behavior analytics and targeted marketing campaigns. In March 2024, the startup raised $1.5 million from Azur Innovation Fund, with the goal of reaching 4 million users by 2028 and expanding to a new country by 2026. Currently, the platform has over 20,000 users.
"We plan to enhance the user experience by developing new features and integrating cutting-edge technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence to optimize interactions between brands and consumers within our system," Mrs Siham Elmejjad said.
The CEO holds an engineering degree in information technology, earned in 2002 from the National Institute of Posts and Telecommunications (INPT). She began her career the same year at Alcatel Research and Innovation as a research and development engineer. In 2004, she became the marketing director at Maroc Telecom.
In 2006, she joined Bilendi, a company that designs and markets online loyalty programs. There, she successively held the positions of business and development manager and general manager in Morocco. In 2019, she became the executive vice president responsible for products and deliveries at World Wide Loyalty System (2WLS), where she worked until 2023. 2WLS helps brands adopt loyalty strategies for their customers and partners.
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In recent years, the digital sector has become one of the most significant development areas for several African countries with the digital economy improving millions of lives. In that context, a Guinean program aims to qualified local ICT professionals.
1000 TechLeaders is an innovative program in Guinea aimed at developing a new generation of skilled professionals in information and communication technology (ICT). Launched on June 18, 2024, by Nimba Hub and the Devscom developer community, the program is championed by Fodé Momo Bangoura, the CEO of Nimba Solution. The objective is to equip young people with advanced technological skills, stimulate local innovation by creating a network of qualified professionals, and facilitate access to investment for innovative projects.
The program offers four main courses, tailored to the current demands of the tech job market: backend development, frontend development, mobile development, and UX/UI design (user experience and interface design). Each course lasts six months and combines theory with practical training, delivered in person.
For 2024, 1000 TechLeaders has already selected 130 young talents from 754 applicants. The courses began on the program's launch day and will conclude on Sunday, December 8, 2024.
To achieve its ambitious goals, the program is supported by several sponsors and partners, including Medias 7 Plus, AfroTech Hub, Tech Elevate Africa, Fata.school, the restaurant Heroes Coffee, and Guinea's Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARPT).
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He plays a key role in the development of ICT in South Africa. Through an innovative platform, he connects technology experts with clients seeking specialized services.
Sai Govender (photo), a South African tech entrepreneur, is the founder and CEO of Blue, a startup he established in 2020. Blue is an innovative platform that simplifies the search for talent and projects in the ICT sector, offering clients a wide range of professionals specializing in various fields such as software development, network infrastructure, cybersecurity, and data analysis. This enables clients to easily find consultants that meet their specific needs.
Blue also provides ICT consultants with opportunities to secure rewarding projects. Consultants can showcase their skills, references, and experiences on their profiles, allowing them to effectively respond to tenders, demonstrate their capabilities, and expand their professional network. This approach facilitates direct interactions between clients and consultants for their ICT needs.
In addition to Blue, Govender is the founder and CEO of Blue Pearl, a start-up he established in 2013. Blue Pearl develops cloud solutions and offers professional consulting services to complement business strategies and management. The start-up implements data analysis processes to provide relevant and useful insights to business leaders for decision-making.
Govender holds a degree in Information Systems Management, obtained in 2002 from Oval International Computer College, and a bachelor's degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of South Africa (UNISA), which he graduated from in 2005.
His professional career began in 1999 at Morar Incorporated, an accounting firm, where he worked as an audit manager. In 2004, he became a compliance auditor for the National Lottery Community Fund. The following year, he joined EY, where he held positions as senior associate, deputy director, and director. In 2010, he was appointed compliance director at Transnet Freight Rail, a logistics and freight transport company in South Africa. In 2015, he was promoted to director, responsible for performance reporting and business intelligence.
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