Startup Story
Audrey Simbiso Chidawanyika is the founder of Simbiso Jumpstart Initiative in Zimbabwe. She is a multidimensional pan-African leader, a globally celebrated mentor, and an award winning disruptive innovator. She is an innovation, strategy and transformation catalyst, a human capital development and business process re- engineering expert. A community and program management specialist, she has extensive experience working with NGOs, corporates and start-ups in Africa. She is passionate about accelerating human growth and has over ten years of experience working in the African Innovation, Development, Humanitarian and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem. She has proven ability working with organizations exploring the role of entrepreneurship, technology, innovation and local knowledge in creating paths to sustainable development. Audrey is a Management Consultant and Strategist in Agile Scrum, Lean Six Sigma, Enterprise and Human Centred Design Thinking. She launched her business in 2019 and today it employs 12 people.
Audrey has held several executive and management roles in leading organizations across Africa. She is the Founder and CEO of Simbiso Jumpstart initiative and Zipporah Incorporated. She is also the COO of Be Bold Africa and the Country Lead for Project Girls for Girls Zimbabwe. Audrey is a recipient of the 2022 Africa 40 under 40 Awards under Professional Services. She is an honoree of the 2020 JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons in Zimbabwe. She is also listed on the 2016 Gumiguru 40 under 30 Emerging Leaders and GoGetter Founding 100. In 2020, Audrey was recognised as the Enactus Zimbabwe Alumni of the Year. She is a 2019 Young African Leaders Initiative Mandela Washington Fellow. Audrey is also a Make-IT Africa Women in Leadership Fellow with Stellenbosch Business School and an MBA Candidate with the Quantic School of Business and Technology.
LoA chatted to the impact driven Audrey Simbiso Chidawanyika about her entrepreneurial journey and her ambitions for the future.
What does your company do?
An innovation-driven tech incubator, business aggregator and value integrator supporting emerging businesses, corporations and NGOs prepare for the Future of Work through reimagining tomorrow’s products and services - creating them today.
“What inspired me to start my company was the desire to be a part of the solution to address common and uncommon challenges facing business today.”
What inspired you to start your company?
The desire to be a part of the solution to address common and uncommon challenges facing business today. To create positive, meaningful, and lasting impact in our communities through business leadership, community development and people empowerment.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
It’s human centric approach to disruptive innovation. Putting the needs of the people at the core and creating tailor-made solutions that address the right challenges and create real value and impact.
Tell us a little about your team
We are a consortium of professionals stemming from diverse branches of industry sectors looking to create next generation powerhouses. We are innovation champions driving sustainable development.
“We aim to create positive, meaningful, and lasting impact in our communities through business leadership, community development and people empowerment.”
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I was born and raised by parents who were keen on doing business. They ran business initiatives to put food on the table, but most of the initiatives were at subsistence level. These projects took us to school, fed and clothed us. They were enough to give us a decent living but not the luxuries that we yearned for. My parents failed to grow their initiatives because they lacked enough business knowledge to sustainably run their livelihood projects.
Having experienced this, I was compelled to venture into business development so that I could help other parents like mine and young people to develop their businesses in a sustainable manner. In high school and university, I was part of entrepreneurial clubs and initiatives that equipped people in marginalized communities to build sustainable enterprises. After graduating from college, it became my full time work to closely collaborate with emerging businesses to grow, scale and create value. Over the years, I have trained thousands of small to medium businesses and have worked with corporations and NGOs to scale business and drive value.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
To become the biggest tech incubator, business aggregator and value integrator in Africa. I believe in the African Renaissance and the African Dream. Africa should imagine its tomorrow’s innovation powerhouses and create them today. We are doing our part to create the next generation innovation powerhouses that are creating tomorrow’s products and services. We are at the center of creating positive, meaningful, and lasting value in our communities.
“I believe in the African Renaissance and the African Dream. Africa should imagine its tomorrow’s innovation powerhouses and create them today.”
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Service to others - creating positive, meaningful, and lasting value in our emerging businesses. The act of seeding a culture, climate, and practice of innovation. Being an innovation catalyst, propelling business towards sustainable development.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Go for it! To start is gold. It doesn’t have to be perfect from the start, you will perfect as you go. You have what it takes deep inside your creative capabilities to become that which you desire to be. Do not be afraid. Don’t feel like an imposter. Dance to the tune, to the rhythm of your own beat, the world will slowly start to imitate.
Contact or follow Simbiso Jumpstart Initiative
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | EMAIL audrey@simbisoincubator.org
Why LoA loves it…
Africa needs more women entrepreneurs who are visionaries and who can reimagine high impact businesses that can make a real difference to their countries and their continent into the future. Audrey Simbiso Chidawanyika is one such entrepreneur, and today she is creating solutions that will help others to address the challenges they face in business. She is an inspiration to so many people who want to develop themselves and their businesses to be part of this positive change movement. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa