TECH STARS (1007)
His goal is to boost the efficiency of companies' field sales teams. He offers mobile technologies that help them achieve their objectives.
Sam Clarke (photo) is the co-founder and CEO of Skynamo. Hailing from South Africa, he leverages technology to support the country's sales teams, providing them with the information, analytics, and freedom necessary to meet and exceed their companies' goals.
Founded in 2012, Skynamo offers a mobile sales app designed for manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors employing field representatives. This app automates repetitive administrative tasks that slow down and bore salespeople, allowing them to save time, strengthen customer relationships, and increase sales.
Skynamo also provides business owners and sales managers with better control and greater transparency. With a real-time dashboard, they can monitor all field sales activities and analyze the results. The Skynamo app integrates with various ERP and accounting software, enabling sales representatives to access up-to-date information on prices, customers, and inventory even when they are on the road. The company manages nearly 500,000 client visits, 3 million customer relationships, 2 million products, and has recorded 130,000 orders worth over $70 million for its clients.
In addition to his role at Skynamo, Sam Clarke is an active philanthropist. He sits on the board of the Anna Foundation, an organization that supports underprivileged schools and communities by providing educational, social, and environmental support, as well as essential skills for children.
Clarke holds a master's degree in Computational Electromagnetics from Stellenbosch University, obtained in 2002, and a master's degree in Entrepreneurship from the University of Cape Town, earned in 2007. He has accumulated extensive professional experience working for various South African tech companies. From 2008 to 2012, he was the Managing Director of Magus, the first company he co-founded. Between 2015 and 2019, he served as a Non-Executive Director of Sazo Labs, specializing in virtual and augmented reality software development, and Alchemy-A, a business accelerator in the software and electronics sectors.
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Alain Ekambi (photo) is a Cameroonian computer scientist and tech entrepreneur. As the co-founder and director of Dikalo, he designs technologies that enable people to connect with friends and family, find communities, and grow their businesses.
Founded in 2017 by Alain Ekambi, Daniel Agnéro, Bitoa Pedenkil, and Kate Awanka, Dikalo is a social network with a mission to become Africa's best. Its priority is to connect people while protecting their privacy. Dikalo also aims to stimulate business growth, create jobs, and strengthen the local economy. Through Hoka, its integrated mobile payment feature, Dikalo enables instant bankless money transfers and receptions.
"Dikalo focuses on Africa with features and services tailored to the continent and its people (stickers, Afro emojis, money transfers, e-commerce, etc.). We are authentically African, something WhatsApp will never be. We need our own communication tools because our revolution is more ideological than technological," said Alain Ekambi in 2019.
In 2014, Ekambi founded Ahomé Innovation Technologies with Togolese entrepreneur Elom Amouh. This consulting firm is based in Germany.
Alain Ekambi holds a degree in computer science, obtained in 2010 from Wilhem Büchner University. After his studies, he worked as a software architect at jambit, a German software services provider. Between 2010 and 2014, he was a software engineer at NTT Data Germany, an innovator in business and technology services.
A seasoned serial entrepreneur with extensive experience in technology, he leads an incubator that helps young Congolese become successful tech entrepreneurs.
Jean-François (Max) Bonbhel (photo) is a Congolese entrepreneur. As the founder and CEO of Yekolab, he provides startup incubation services and supports young Congolese tech entrepreneurs.
Founded in 2014, Yekolab is both a startup incubator and a center of excellence for training in new technologies and emerging professions. By leveraging the power of ICT, it promotes innovation, entrepreneurship, and job creation in Congo and across Africa.
In addition to incubation, Yekolab selects and mentors promising tech entrepreneurs, enhancing their technical and managerial skills. The incubator also offers acceleration services to local and regional SMEs, focusing on technology to help them increase their market share and become leaders in their respective fields.
Max Bonbhel is also the founder and president of Africa Java User Groups, a coordination network for Java programming language user groups in Africa. Furthermore, he founded and leads JCertif International, an organization established in 2009 that provides free training materials and speakers, and fosters collaboration among technology user groups on the African continent.
Since 2011, Max Bonbhel has worked as a freelance technical writer for Oracle. He is also a co-founder and the CTO of Access EMI, a U.S.-based company established in 2014 that connects tech businesses with tech communities.
An alumnus of Evry Paris-Saclay University, where he studied from 2000 to 2002, Bonbhel worked for several years at Fujitsu Canada. From 2004 to 2014, he served as a Java consultant, trainer, and project manager.
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She embodies excellence and innovation in the Kenyan digital sector. By supporting businesses and institutions in her country, she helps them succeed in their digital transformation and thrive in an increasingly technological world.
Brendah Mwirichia (photo) is a renowned Kenyan entrepreneur in the digital, technology, and marketing sectors. She is the founder and CEO of Peak and Dale Solutions, a creative and digital agency.
Founded in 2009, Peak and Dale Solutions stands out for its innovative digital solutions designed to help businesses start, operate, and grow. The agency offers a comprehensive range of services, including digital marketing, social media management, website design and development, content management systems (CMS), e-commerce solutions, and search engine optimization (SEO).
Over 15 years, Peak and Dale Solutions has collaborated with a diverse clientele, ranging from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to large corporations, as well as public bodies and non-governmental organizations. Through its user-centric and customized solutions, the agency has helped these entities thrive and become more competitive in their respective markets.
The company has also been repeatedly recognized for its excellence. At the Kenya eCommerce Awards, it was named eCommerce Agency of the Year in 2021, 2022, and 2023, and won the bronze medal for eCommerce SEO Agency of the Year in 2023. This year, Peak and Dale Solutions is nominated in three categories, reaffirming its leadership position in the sector.
Brendah Mwirichia has a strong academic background. She graduated from the University of Sunderland, England, in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in business computing. She also holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics, obtained in 2006 from the University of Nairobi. Between 2021 and 2022, she completed the Stanford Seed Transformation Program at Stanford University Graduate School of Business, enhancing her management and leadership skills.
Her professional career began in 2004 at Celtel Kenya (now Airtel Kenya) as an IT manager. In 2006, she joined Edgenet Ltd, a Kenyan technology company, as a lead software developer. From 2014 to 2018, she served as vice-chair of the Domain Registrars Association of Kenya, an independent non-profit organization promoting the Internet.
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A computer scientist by training, she stands out for her expertise and innovation in the field of drones. She leverages her skills in this sector to address various needs in her country.
Marang Mbaakanyi (photo) is a Botswanan computer scientist and entrepreneur. She is also the founder and CEO of Drones for Africa, a company specializing in using drones to address various challenges across the African continent.
Founded in 2019, Drones for Africa positions itself as a one-stop shop for the sale of all types of drones. In 2023, the company began designing, building, and operating drones for various services, including medical supply delivery and data collection. They also provide last-mile agricultural services, train drone pilots, and offer repair and maintenance services.
The company also has a research and development center to contribute to the advancement of drone technology in Botswana. "We also have a Research and Development Centre where we keep looking for new approaches to investigate and develop the drone market. We want to be able to fabricate and put together drones locally," Marang Mbaakanyi stated in 2023.
Marang Mbaakanyi holds a bachelor's degree in computer systems engineering from the University of Sunderland, UK, obtained in 2014. She also earned a master's degree in computer science in 2021 from the Botswana International University of Science and Technology.
After her studies, Marang Mbaakanyi gained extensive experience working for several companies and institutions in Botswana. From 2015 to 2018, she served as IT manager at the Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation (BITRI). Concurrently, from 2016 to 2023, she was a research assistant at the Botswana International University of Science and Technology. Between 2021 and 2023, she also served as deputy general manager of the Drone Technology Centre, dedicated to developing innovative solutions in the field.
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He aims to democratize access to financial services in Africa. To achieve that goal, he leverages technology to offer innovative solutions that simplify financial transactions for the population.
Barry Abdoulaye (photo) is a Guinean computer scientist and entrepreneur dedicated to the digital transformation of Africa. He is the founder and CEO of YMO, a startup building technological solutions to address financial inclusion challenges in Africa.
"In 2022, 1.3 billion Africans are still excluded from the traditional financial system. We believe that it is possible to have an account, receive money, and send money without handling cash. That is what we offer," Barry Abdoulaye stated in 2022.
Launched in 2019, YMO aims to revolutionize payments in Africa and for the African diaspora. The company develops accessible digital solutions that allow African citizens to perform instant financial transactions, both within the continent and internationally. For the diaspora, YMO provides simple and affordable ways to send money and invest in the continent.
YMO's ultimate ambition is to become the first pan-African neobank, open to everyone. To achieve this, the startup partners with credit institutions to facilitate access to credit via mobile phones. Based in France, YMO already boasts over 500,000 users across more than 30 countries in Europe and Africa.
Before embarking on the YMO venture, Barry Abdoulaye had already proven himself as an entrepreneur. In 2017, he founded Yitoo Technology, a firm specializing in software architecture and development, which he led until 2020.
A trained computer engineer with a master’s degree obtained in 2010, Barry Abdoulaye has also pursued advanced supplementary training. In 2018, he earned the Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) certification, demonstrating his expertise in agile methodologies. In 2020, he undertook a course on blockchain technologies at the prestigious MIT Sloan School of Management.
His professional journey is equally rich, with experiences in renowned companies such as the communication agency Isobar, the media company TF1, telecom operator SFR Business, AXA Tech, and Prisma Media, where he held various developer positions.
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She aims to help African traders and those around the world at large prosper. To achieve this, she leverages technology to simplify transactions between the various parties involved in buying and selling processes.
Anu Adedoyin Adasolum (photo) is a Nigerian entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Sabi, a startup that leverages technology to help traders grow their businesses.
Founded in 2021, her company, Sabi, has built a robust infrastructure for the distribution of physical goods and merchandise. Through its digital platform, it provides agents, traders, wholesalers, aggregators, distributors, and manufacturers with the necessary tools to enhance their capabilities and grow their businesses.
This digital infrastructure facilitates access to order fulfillment, logistics, business management tools, a business-to-business (B2B) marketplace, data, and financial services. In essence, Sabi has become a one-stop shop for everyone involved in buying and selling goods.
In just three years, Sabi has experienced exponential growth, demonstrating the relevance of its business model. With 250,000 registered users and 15,000 monthly facilitated orders, the company has established itself as a key player in Nigeria, its primary market. Buoyed by this success, Sabi has expanded its operations to South Africa and aims to replicate this success in other countries like Tanzania and Senegal.
Anu Adedoyin Adasolum graduated from SOAS University of London with a bachelor's degree in economics and politics in 2009. She also holds a master's degree in management, organization, and governance from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Before founding Sabi, she held various positions of responsibility within renowned companies. In 2011, she began as an operations planner at Dangote Industries Ltd. In 2012, she joined KPMG Nigeria as a business analyst.
In 2014, she was hired by the e-commerce startup Jumia in Nigeria, where she served as head of sourcing and internal procurement, head of vendor acquisition, and vice president of JForce, Jumia's direct sales division. Between 2018 and 2021, she worked at Rensource Energy, a solar energy provider, where she served successively as general manager and chief operating officer.
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A computer science graduate, she actively helps young people create innovative technological solutions. She has received numerous awards and honors for her positive impact on Africa.
Clarisse Iribagiza (photo) is a Rwandan computer scientist and the co-founder of DeepTechAfrica, a venture studio and investment fund.
Established in 2022, DeepTechAfrica was founded in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Legatum Center for Entrepreneurship and Development. It aims to develop inclusive and sustainable ecosystems focused on innovation. The organization focuses on the commercialization of research, provides consulting services, and offers educational programs. It primarily invests in deep tech startups in Africa.
Clarisse Iribagiza also serves on the board of the Allan and Gill Gray Philanthropy in East Africa, which supports the entrepreneurial ecosystem through grants and the incubation of targeted social enterprises. She is also a board member of the Africa Climate Foundation, an African strategic organization focusing on climate change and development. Additionally, she is part of the African Development Bank's Presidential Youth Advisory Group.
Before launching DeepTechAfrica, Clarisse Iribagiza founded the startup HeHe in 2010. HeHe leverages technology to create an efficient logistics service, connecting manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and end consumers, while providing access to a variety of on-demand goods and services.
She graduated from the College of Science and Technology at the University of Rwanda, earning a Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering in 2011. She also holds a Master's degree in Organizational Leadership from the African Leadership University’s School of Business, obtained in 2018.
Her influence and achievements have been widely recognized. She was named among Africa’s 20 most influential people at the continent’s business leaders summit in 2012. In 2013, she received the "Celebrating Young Rwandan Achievers" (CYRWA) award from the Imbuto Foundation. In 2015, Forbes named her among the most promising young African entrepreneurs under 30.
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He aims to help farmers maximize their production. To achieve this, he develops smart devices that support them throughout their cultivation process. Thanks to his innovative solution, he has won several awards, both nationally and internationally.
Pyrrus Koudjou (photo) is a Cameroonian tech entrepreneur specializing in agronomy. He is the founder and CEO of Clinic Agro, a startup designed to help farmers reduce crop losses.
Founded in 2021, Clinic Agro is dedicated to improving agriculture and livestock farming. It aims to optimize farm profitability, increase productivity and food quality, and manage resources more efficiently. The company manufactures and markets soil analysis kits connected to its eponymous application.
Clinic Agro's flagship product, the Kit Clinicsol, is a smart, connected tool that measures various soil parameters such as acidity, NPK levels (nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium), temperature, humidity, and salinity. Comprised of a housing unit, a sensor, and a power source, it also helps identify the best-suited crops for the soil, determine the optimal planting time, and assess water quality for irrigation.
In addition to Clinic Agro, Pyrrus Koudjou founded Promagric in 2016, a virtual marketplace that directly or indirectly connects farmers and buyers of agricultural products to facilitate sales transactions.
Pyrrus Koudjou also leads several other projects, including Buntou, AwaData, and Tchossa IA. Buntou aims to secure remote transactions for buying, selling, and investing for both individuals and professionals. AwaData is a project by M & T Consulting, an IT services and consulting company. Tchossa IA is an intelligent conversational agent.
A graduate of the ISEM-IBCG university group, now known as the Institut Universitaire des Leaders (USL), Koudjou earned a professional degree in software management, database administration, and network and system administration in 2014.
In 2019, he won the Orange Social Venture Prize in Africa and the Middle East (POESAM) in Cameroon. He also won the "Cultivate Digitally" award from Société Générale's Hacklab Africa and a grand prize in the "Hope" category at the Agri Startup Summit. In 2022, he took second place in the ICT Innovation Challenge organized by the Cameroonian Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. He was also a laureate of Orange Fab Cameroon.
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A passionate computer scientist, he uses technology to address the problems facing vulnerable populations in Africa. He has developed several innovative solutions and has received numerous awards.
Djibril Sagna (photo) is a Senegalese computer scientist and entrepreneur. He is also the CEO of Impact Solution, a startup founded in 2018 that offers innovative technological solutions in various fields such as healthcare, transportation, commerce, education, and management.
Under Djibril Sagna's leadership, Impact Solution has developed several groundbreaking solutions. One of the most notable is Kereya, an electronic medical records platform designed to improve healthcare access and patient outcomes, particularly in rural areas of Africa. The said platform aims to enhance care coordination, reduce medical errors, and strengthen the capacities of healthcare personnel while eliminating the inefficiencies associated with manual paper record management.
Another brainchild is iTRANS-Voyagel, a platform that modernizes urban transportation by allowing users to plan and pay for their public transport journeys. In May 2024, the company won the Innovation Award from the Executive Council for Sustainable Urban Transport in Senegal, sponsored by Orange Business Senegal.
Additionally, Impact Solution established the Impact Digital Center, an information and support hub for students and digital project initiators. The center offers innovative and intensive programs, where a team of experts collaborates with beneficiaries to identify and solve their problems.
Besides his roles at Impact Solution, Djibril Sagna has been the IT manager for the Network for Health, AIDS, and Population (RESSIP) of the European NGO platform in Senegal (CONGAD) since 2016, where he manages the health NGOs' database. He is also a web developer for Senegalese NGO Connexion Sans Frontière.
Djibril Sagna graduated from the Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar with a master's degree in law in 2015. He also holds an engineering degree in software engineering obtained in 2017 from IAM Tech, the technology school of the African Institute of Management (IAM). Between 2018 and 2020, he worked as IT director for AFRICKONCEPT, an international company specializing in ICT development in Africa.
In 2022, at the Africa Entrepreneur Summit in Paris, he received the Impact Award for Kereya. He also won the Health Disrupt Senegal Contest Award presented by Free Senegal.
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After years working as a lawyer in England, she returned to Africa to venture into entrepreneurship. She uses technology to empower Black women.
Gisela Van Houcke (photo) is a lawyer and entrepreneur from the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is the founder and CEO of Zuri, a women-led beauty tech platform.
Founded in 2016, Zuri aims to empower Black women through beauty and technology. The platform provides Black beauty entrepreneurs with software tools, branding, supply chain access, and financing needed to enhance their economic mobility and that of their clients.
The idea for Zuri came from an observation by Gisela Van Houcke. "When I came back to Africa, I immediately noticed a gap in the market for extensions and cosmetics, particularly for people with dark skin. People around me were always asking me to bring back extensions and cosmetic products when I traveled. This gap was simply inconceivable; Africa having a large number of people interested in such products," she explains.
Gisèla left her country for the UK in 2003 due to wars and political instability. She studied at Cardiff University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in law in 2013. She then worked as a lawyer at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates, a UK law firm.
In 2015, she became head of the legal department at BBOXX, a British company developing smart solar solutions for developing countries. After moving to Africa, she resigned in 2017 to dedicate herself fully to Zuri. Today, Zuri has 20,000 clients and employs 60 women.
In 2018, Gisela Van Houcke was named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the business category. She is also listed in the top 50 of Africa's Business Heroes 2023.
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He advocates for a circular economy in Morocco. Leveraging technology, he encourages Moroccans to adopt responsible consumptio habits.
Moroccan entrepreneur Bentaleb Yassine (photo) is a marketing expert and the founder and CEO of Foodeals, an innovative startup dedicated to combating food waste in Africa.
Founded in 2020, Foodeals connects restaurants, bakeries, supermarkets, and Moroccan citizens, thereby committing to reduce food waste. In collaboration with professionals, its mobile platform offers a variety of menus daily to meet the expectations of its users. On May 29-31, 2024, the startup, represented by Bentaleb Yassine, showcased its solutions at GITEX Africa, a major event held in Marrakech.
In addition to Foodeals, Bentaleb Yassine founded and manages Smartmove Consulting, an independent consulting firm based in Fez since 2015. This firm assists and advises companies, public institutions, and associations in managing their stakeholder relationships.
In 2017, he co-founded Al Fihriya Birdies, a coworking space, incubator, and accelerator for Moroccan startups, where he served as marketing manager until 2018.
Bentaleb Yassine holds a degree in marketing and commercial actions from the National School of Commerce and Management in Settat, Morocco, and a bachelor's degree in marketing from the European Business School in Paris.
His professional career began in 2011 at Banque Centrale Populaire du Maroc, where he worked until 2022. During his tenure at this institution, he held several positions, including prospect acquisition manager, sales representative, and trade finance manager.
Between 2015 and 2017, Bentaleb Yassine was a guest lecturer at the University Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah in Fez. Concurrently, he served as a mentor for the employability platform Ta3mal, launched by Silatech and Microsoft, and as a business mentor for Injaz Al-Maghrib, an association promoting entrepreneurship among young Moroccans in public schools.
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A serial entrepreneur, he harnesses the power of technology to create solutions for businesses, helping them boost their efficiency and reach.
Bilal Nsib (photo) is a Tunisian tech entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Screenflex. He leverages technology to help businesses broadcast advertisements, information, or entertainment.
Founded in 2021, Screenflex is a cloud-based platform that enables businesses to create, manage, and display engaging and personalized content on their digital screens. The company's goal is to simplify and optimize digital signage management and marketing for businesses. It offers a suite of features and tools allowing businesses to create high-quality content for their screens. These tools include customizable templates, drag-and-drop design tools, and support for various media formats.
Beyond management functions, Screenflex provides advanced marketing capabilities based on artificial intelligence, enabling businesses to create interactive experiences for their customers. Users can also schedule playlists of content to be displayed on their screens.
A serial entrepreneur, Bilal Nsib co-founded BeeCall in 2018, a Tunisian contact center that helps businesses grow. In 2020, he co-founded Arty.land, a platform that provides artists with a space to connect, unlock opportunities, and monetize their passion. He served as CEO until 2021.
The entrepreneur graduated from the Higher Institute of Computer Science in Tunisia, earning a bachelor's degree in industrial computing, specializing in embedded systems, in 2010, and an engineering degree in applied sciences and technology in 2014. The following year, he became CEO of InnovAnt, a Tunisian company specializing in strategy development, design, and technology development.
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A mechanical engineer by training, he chose to embark on an entrepreneurial journey after graduation. He develops technological solutions that make life easier for Angolans.
Erickson Mvezi is a co-founder and CEO of Tupuca, an Angolan startup transforming the way people order and receive meals and other essentials. Born in Angola, Mvezi founded Tupuca along with Patrice Espírito Santo, Sydney Texeira, and Wilson Ganga to provide users with a convenient platform to order meals and have them delivered to their homes.
Established in 2015, Tupuca initially focused on home meal deliveries. However, the company quickly expanded its services to include grocery orders, support for small businesses, and even postal services. Tupuca's delivery personnel can run errands at various stores in Luanda on behalf of their clients, making it a one-stop-shop for many users.
In 2022, Tupuca expanded its operations to the Democratic Republic of Congo and is currently developing a super mobile application. According to Mvezi, the company is strategically positioning itself for rapid growth over the next 18 months through the implementation of an all-in-one super-app strategy.
Mvezi holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, which he earned in 2014. He also holds a master's degree in social entrepreneurship from Hult International Business School in the United States, obtained in 2015. Besides Tupuca, Mvezi co-founded the T’LEVA app in 2018, which allows users to order a taxi based on their location.
Mvezi began his professional career in 2009 as a mechanical engineering intern at C&C Technologies South Africa. In 2015, he worked as a business development consultant for IDEO.org, a nonprofit design studio that creates programs, products, and services to improve health, economic mobility, and well-being.
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