Michele Carelse, a passion-driven holistic health entrepreneur in South Africa

May 29, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Feelgood Health, a growing online health store on a mission to promote natural and organic products

Michele Carelse is the founder and ceo of Feelgood Health, an online health store in South Africa. She originally qualified as a Clinical Psychologist in 1992 and ran a private practice for many years. Here, she saw the need for natural alternatives to prescription drugs. Initially a small range, Feelgood Health, which was started in 1998, grew exponentially to an online health store with thousands of natural and organic holistic health, beauty and lifestyle products, all 100% natural, environmentally friendly and cruelty free! Today, the business employs 14 people. Michele has three adult children, three grandchildren and lives in Cape Town with her partner.

Zainab Ashadu, a Nigerian entrepreneur building a renowned handbag brand

May 22, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Zashadu, an award-winning luxury and sustainable handbag design and manufacturing business in Nigeria

Zainab Ashadu is the founder and Creative Director of Zashadu Ltd, a renowned handbag brand founded in 2010 in Nigeria, a business which today employs 20 people. She is a seasoned entrepreneur and award winning Creative. Zainab’s business is focused on creating beautiful handcrafted, design led handbags in a slow and sustainable way. Her bags have are retailed internationally and have been worn by notable and powerful leaders such as Beyonce, and Chimamanda Adichie. In 2022, Zainab she was recognized by the Lagos State Government as one of the state’s 100 most influential women. She is also the founder of Harmonious Whole, a wellness and Intuitive Energy Healing enterprise set up in 2022.

Yvette Tetteh, a Ghanaian entrepreneur building an impact driven agribusiness

May 14, 2022 Melanie Hawken

The Pure and Just Company, trading under the Yvaya Farm brand of tropical dried fruit, adds value to Ghana’s agribusiness sector

A Stanford University graduate, Yvette Tetteh is the co-founder and ceo of the Pure and Just Company, a rural-urban business transforming fresh fruit into natural, tropical dried fruit products. Yvette brings analytical thinking and academic rigour to team leadership and business development in the business which, founded in 2018, today employs 18 local people. In 5 years she has raised over US$170k in various personal and business awards and grants. Born and raised internationally, Yvette moved to her native Ghana in 2015. Her passion is to catalyse African potential in order to help create a world where all Africans have the economic capacity to achieve their dreams.

Evelyn Kaingu, a Zambian fintech champion empowering women and business

May 8, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Evelyn Kaingu, Co-Founder and CEO, Lupiya (Zambia)

Lupiya, an innovative fintech business in Zambia building inclusive and accessible financial solutions

Evelyn Kaingu is the Co-Founder and CEO of Lupiya, a Zambian fintech providing financial solutions for individuals and businesses in Zambia. Evelyn is an award-winning young leader whose selfless belief in people drives her to innovate solutions that are people centric. Her ideas are well-placed in considering small enterprise and technology as enablers and measurements of economic progress in Africa. She has first-handedly designed products with very few resources and built Lupiya to be a million-dollar business. Launched in 2016, today Lupiya employs 20 people. Evelyn is one of the 50 founders selected for Google’s prestigious inaugural Black Founders Fund in Africa.

Tutuwa Ahwoi, a Ghanaian beauty brand-builder empowering women

May 1, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Nokware Skincare, a modern day, sustainable, African skincare company

Tutuwa Ahwoi is the 31 year old founder and CEO of Nokware Skincare. She was born in Accra, Ghana where she currently resides. She founded the business in 2017. Today, Nokware is a modern day African skincare company that has 11 female employees, 8 product lines (and counting) and a successful event gifting business.

Lauren Anderson, a passion-driven entrepreneur making learning accessible

April 24, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Koa Academy, a South African online learning business helping children learn and fulfill their potential

Lauren Anderson is the co-founder and CEO of Koa Academy Online School in South Africa. She founded the business with her husband in January 2021 and today it employs 21 people. Her background is in nursing and health systems, which she credits to teaching her much needed skills in the startup world. Lauren is driven to provide high quality education that is easily accessible and engaging, while creating a work culture for staff that is inspiring and conducive to growth.

Chilufya Mutale, building a Pan African Challenger Bank for SMEs

April 17, 2022 Melanie Hawken

PremierCredit, a Zambian fintech platform supporting women entrepreneurs and small scale traders

Chilufya Mutale is the Co-Founder and CEO of PremierCredit, an online microlending and investment platform operating in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Since 2019 PremierCredit has been offering micro loans in Zambia, supporting local entrepreneurs and small scale traders, many of whom are women, increasing their access to capital and the ability to grow their businesses. With the support of its partner banks in Zimbabwe, PremierCredit provides affordable bicycles, smart phones and solar equipment to underserved communities across Zimbabwe. PremierCredit is the first mover on the Zambian market to offer Peer to Peer lending, a platform that connects Investors to borrowers. The company currently employs 60 people.

Heleen Henriques, a design focused furniture sales business builder

April 10, 2022 Melanie Hawken

MOBI Lda, a home and office furniture solutions business for the Mozambican market

Heleen Henriques has the title of Financial Director at MOBI, and being one of the co-founders, she has a hand in most parts of the business operation. She has an architectural degree from the University of Cape Town where she met her husband, Sérgio, who is her partner in business and in life. In 2006 she left South Africa for Sérgio’s native Mozambique, learned Portuguese and slowly assimilated the new culture. With him she co-founded architectural firm Estúdio Quatro Arquitectos in 2007 and MOBI Lda. In 2011. Most recently Heleen led MOBI’s successful bid in Standard Bank’s competition “Acelere o seu Negócio” which has a cash investment and mentorship program as prize. MOBI is a job creator and employs 18 people in the business.

Gwendolyn Mahuma-Madida, a visionary in South Africa’s infrastructure sector

April 3, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Mahuma Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd, a South African investment business with interests in steel and infrastructure

Gwendolyn Mahuma-Madida is the CEO and founder of Mahuma Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd, otherwise known as MIH, a South African based investment company with interests in the steel and Infrastructure sectors. Gwen is equipped with an entrepreneurial spirit which has helped her in building a portfolio of investments in line with her vision of becoming a major player in the infrastructure sector by being a supplier and manufacturer of steel and concrete products to the rail, civils and general infrastructure sector.

Jihan Abass, a Kenyan innovator in digital insurance

March 27, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Lami Technologies, democratizing insurance and helping improve the lives of millions in Africa

Jihan Abass is the founder and ceo of Lami Technologies, a game-changing B2B2C Insurance-as-a-Service platform and API. She grew up in Mombasa, Kenya and started out her career in finance as a commodities trader in London, trading on the New York and London sugar markets. After that short stint in finance, Jihan set up Lami with the aim of increasing insurance penetration in the developing world. She has an undergraduate degree in finance from Bayes Business School and an MBA from the University of Oxford. She started Lami Technologies in 2018 and today it employs 48 people.

Yetunde Ayo-Oyalowo, a game-changing affordable healthcare entrepreneur

March 6, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Market Doctors, a social impact-driven organization bringing accessible healthcare to Nigeria’s communities

Yetunde Ayo-Oyalowo is the ceo and founder of Market Doctors in Nigeria, a social impact organisation looking to bring affordable healthcare to people with minimal disturbance to their economic activities. She is a tenacious, self-driven medical doctor determined to ensure that location and financial capacity is not a barrier to access quality healthcare services. Market Doctors has a team of 18 permanent staff and 40 who are employed adhoc on a 2 year contract basis. Yetunde is determined to ensure 100 markets can have access to healthcare in the next 5 years.

Mampho Sotshongaye, an award-winning South African leader in construction

February 27, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Mampho Sotshongaye, founder & Managing Director, Golden Rewards 1981 (South Africa)

Golden Rewards 1981 cc, a South African construction business empowering and upskilling women in the sector

Mampho Sotshongaye is the founder and Managing Director of Golden Rewards 1981 cc in South Africa. She is an entrepreneur and award-winning business leader, and her construction business has won local awards and received international recognitions. She founded the business in 2010 but started operations in January 2013 and now employs 56 people from disadvantaged communities. On an ongoing basis, she applies various skills transfer and community upliftment programmes, providing training and support for local workers in all projects. Mampho brings 18 years of experience in the construction industry to the business having previously worked as a Construction Manager and Contracts Manager.

Tigist Kebede, a passionate media entrepreneur showcasing great Ethiopian content

February 20, 2022 Melanie Hawken

habeshaview Technology and Multimedia, a fast-growing entertainment and multimedia business in Ethiopia

Tigist Kebede, co-founder of habeshaview Technology and Multimedia, is an experienced entrepreneur specializing in the media, entertainment and telecommunications sectors. Throughout her career she has been driven by a passion for the Arts and Culture and combining this with emerging technologies and the best possible user experience for customers. Tigist is responsible for leading habeshaview, one of the fastest growing entertainment services in Ethiopia and with the Ethiopian diaspora community worldwide focusing on promoting and developing the culture and skills of Ethiopian content creators and bringing them to the global community.

Violet Amoabeng, a passion-driven natural skincare innovator in Ghana

February 13, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Skin Gourmet, a raw handmade skincare brand inspired by the West African bush

Violet A. Amoabeng is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Skin Gourmet Limited, a Ghanaian innovation that creates Raw handmade skincare sourced from the Wilds of Ghana and so pure you can eat it. Violet created Skin Gourmet on 9th October 2014 when she realized there was need for unadulterated high quality body and skincare that was safe for human consumption. In other words, the rawest, purest and wildest skin care sourced from the heart of the West African bush – Raw edible skincare!

Funkola Odeleye, a legal technology change-maker empowering entrepreneurs

February 6, 2022 Melanie Hawken

DIYlaw, a legal technology company in Nigeria providing access to simplified, quality and affordable legal services

Funkola Odeleye is co-founder at DIYlaw in Nigeria, a legal technology company committed to empowering entrepreneurs through the provision of accessible and affordable legal services and free legal and business resources. She is a Cartier Women’s Initiative 2020 Fellow, 2019 Obama Africa Leader, 2019 Sub-Saharan winner and Global Finalist of the Entrepreneurial Award of the British Council Study UK Alumni Award, 2019 Africa 35 under 35 Laureate and a 2015 Innovating Justice Fellow of The Hague Institute for the Innovation of Law (HiiL). Funkola was recently recognized as one of five business leaders whose work significantly impacts their countries’ economies by the Reykjavík Global Forum. DIYlaw was founded in 2015 and today employs 19 people.

Navalayo Osembo, a Kenyan running shoe brand-builder with a big vision

January 30, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Enda, a proudly Kenyan running shoe brand on a mission to be one of the top three running shoe brands globally

Navalayo Osembo is the Co-Founder and CEO of Enda Athletic, Inc. Enda creates original men’s and women’s running footwear and apparel made in Kenya, for sale under its branded name, on both online retail and wholesale to running and athletic retailers. As a made-in-Kenya running shoe, Enda possesses a unique brand and selling point that no existing competitor can match. Navalayo is a graduate of the London School of Economics and has worked internationally, including in the US, UK, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya where she utilizes her diverse skills as an accountant, a lawyer, risk manager, and in international development. She is from a town near Eldoret, Kenya that has produced generations of the world’s greatest distance runners. Prior to creating Enda Athletic Inc., Navalayo started a sports academy in Bungoma, Western Kenya to provide sports proteges from disadvantaged backgrounds access to much-needed professional training without compromising their education. In order to maximize social impact in Kenya through sports, Navalayo teamed up with her Co-Founder to create Enda Athletic Inc., a made-in-Kenya running shoe brand that creates jobs, invests in local communities, and spurs economic development through exports.

Khadija Elbedweihy, a tech pioneer championing equal opportunities in STEM

January 16, 2022 Melanie Hawken

PraxiLabs, an award-winning business in Egypt providing STEM education through 3D interactive virtual science lab simulations.

Khadija Elbedweihy is the founder of PraxiLabs in Egypt, an award-winning tech business founded in 2016 and which now employs 30 people. She graduated top of her class four years in a row, and went on to receive her PhD from the University of Sheffield to be the youngest lecturer in her faculty, with a PhD focused on human-computer interaction and user experience. Together with her belief in adopting technology for improving education and enabling equal opportunities, Khadija founded and is currently managing PraxiLabs with an amazing team who have the same vision as she does. This is her true passion and daily quest. PraxiLabs aims to provide equal opportunity for an enhanced STEM education for students everywhere by providing 3D interactive virtual simulations of science labs that are accessible, usable, and affordable for educational institutions and students alike. PraxiLabs not only provides an immersive virtual lab experience, but adds enriched content that provides students with more understanding and knowledge according to their own pace and learning style.

Siba Mtongana, a culinary entrepreneur tour de force

January 9, 2022 Melanie Hawken

The Siba Co and SIBA - The Restaurant, multifaceted food and hospitality businesses in South Africa

Siba Mtongana is a food authority, restaurateur, The Siba Co-Founder, a television Celebrity Chef, Judge and Mom. From aspiring home cook in the semi-rural Eastern Cape to restaurateur in one of the most prestigious hotel venues on the African continent, there’s simply no stopping the food authority and culinary tour de force that is Siba Mtongana. And it’s not just her loyal fans and patrons who say so. From academics and peers to international industry authorities, judges and newsmakers, the accolades keep accumulating for this humble, acclaimed chef who has her roots firmly grounded in her mom’s kitchen, her proudly South African food heritage, and her family.

Market Doctors, a social impact-driven organization bringing accessible healthcare to Nigeria’s communities

Sign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletters for Africa's women entrepreneurs.