the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Ana Belmonte
Startup Story
Creating a unique service offering is always a great starting point for a successful business, and Ana Belmonte is certainly doing that with Malachi Garden Service Lda. She brings her considerable expertise and passion for gardening to every job she undertakes for her clients, and her reputation for great service is growing as a result.
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Dr Mejury Chipato
Startup Story
Dr Mejury Chipato is a Medical Doctor, a Microbiologist, a Philanthropist, and a growing force in the world of entrepreneurship through her multi-faceted business, ProMJ Incorporated Company. She is also a Pastor, a Life & Business Coach, a Mentor, a Leader, a Published Author of the Book “I’m in charge of my Narrative“, and a multi-Award Winner both in Business and as an Author. Recent recognition includes the Zimbabwean Achievers Award Winner for Fashion Designer of the Year 2021 (China Edition). She was also honoured as one of The Most Inspiring Women Awardees of 2022, won The Young Achievers Award presented by the Pride of Africa Awards and received The Leadership & Inspiration Award from Gumiguru Achievers Awards 2022. She is also the Founder of Patience of Hope Foundation which is a non-profit organization whose aim is to pay school fees for orphans and underprivileged children in Zimbabwe and across Africa.
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Jazeera Suwani, co-founder, Drunken Elephant Mara (Kenya)
Startup Story
Jazeera Suwani, a serial entrepreneur and previously the founder of Say it with Chocolate, is now the co-founder of Drunken Elephant Mara in Kenya. She has been featured in Africa's Top 40 under 40 in 2018. The concept behind Drunken Elephant Mara, is to provide a complete vacation for the individual looking to disconnect from the world of technology and immerse themselves in Nature. The business was launched in 2021 and today employs 7 people.
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Mendy Lerato Lusaba
Startup Story
Mendy Lerato Lusaba is a social entrepreneur and a decent work advocate with special interest in the domestic work sector. She is the founder of Chris and Geo Placements a domestic placement agency based in Zimbabwe. Chris and Geo recruits and places marginalised and economically disadvantaged persons as domestic workers. To date, she has placed over 2000 workers whilst impacting over 4000 families. Mendy also runs a team of 19 contract domestic workers. She is also the founder of the Domestic Workers Association of Zimbabwe a network of Zimbabwean domestic workers working in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and United Arab Emirates. DWAZ runs the first domestic worker training centre in Zimbabwe offering trainings in housekeeping, cooking and baking, gardening and care work. They also have a domestic worker netball team for the mental health of domestic workers.
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Narcia Taalumba Walle, co-founder & ceo, Margarida & Rose Beauty Bar (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Narcia Taalumba Walle is the co-founder and ceo of Margarida & Rose Beauty Bar in Mozambique. Margarida & Rose is a nail spa, make-up studio and cosmetics store that provides offers high quality products and services in a relaxed environment. The business was founded through a joint venture in 2021 and employs 4 women from the local Mozambican community. Narcia has 7 years’ experience in the beauty industry as a cosmetics retailer through her company Rose & Rose Store that has been catering to the Mozambican market since 2015. She is also a corporate lawyer, certified SAP consultant, and a humanitarian working for the UN WFP.
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Ellen Tshidi Cooper, Founder & CEO, Conscious Lifestyle Collective (South Africa)
Startup Story
Ellen Tshidi Cooper is the Founder and CEO of Conscious Lifestyle Collective, a South African, eco-friendly marketplace connecting conscious sellers and conscious shoppers. She is a social entrepreneur at heart, her business is more than just about making a profit but takes care of people and the planet. She holds an Honours Degree in business and also works as a Branding and Website Designer for startups and small businesses through her design studio ellecooper.co.
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Irene Isac Mavie, founder & CEO, Mavie Cosméticos (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Irene Isac Mavie is the founder and CEO of Mavie Cosméticos in Mozambique. As a lover of creativity, her business is focused on the supply of natural and handmade cosmetics which are of good quality. Her business model takes into account ensuring accessibility of the product range for her customers.
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Startup Story
Zvikomborero Jane Chigumadzi is a Zimbabwean based entrepreneur who provides an online grocery shopping and door to door delivery service. She started her enterprise in October 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Zvikomborero Jane sees herself as a fearless woman and a goal getter in life and in business. She is mother to a son Julian, and he is the reason the business was formed, so it was named after him. Zvikomborero Jane calls him her entrepreneurial baby.
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Marina Prinsloo, founder, TICIA Group (South Africa)
Startup Story
For anyone wanting to get ahead in life and in business, having a confident, authentic personal brand is essential, as it encourages better relationship building and creates more opportunities. Marina Prinsloo, founder of the TICIA Group in South Africa, is helping clients to become better versions of themselves through confident and authentic communication, engagement and personal positioning skills.
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Tatyana Moeda, founder, Miss Cake (Angola)
Startup Story
If you appreciate how special a good cake can be, and how a great cake can make any occasion truly memorable, then Miss Cake, founded by Tatyana Moeda in Angola is a business you need to check out. It creates delicious cakes for every type of event, from an afternoon tea to a celebratory party, and is building a great reputation for her products with clients.
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Lily Katumba, founder, Zuri Styles (Uganda)
Startup Story
Lily Katumba is the founder of Zuri Styles, an accessories design and manufacturing business in Uganda creating jobs and restoring hope to vulnerable people. Lily’s mission is to stop Human Trafficking and empower those most vulnerable by creating sustainable employment, providing coaching and mentorship, and empowering girl children.
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Marita Walther, co-founder & managing director EBIKES4AFRICA (Namibia)
Startup Story
As co-founder and managing director of award-winning social enterprise, EBIKES4AFRICA, Marita Walther represents a women-led entity that works to empower African communities through sustainable mobility and energy. With a background in media, journalism and social sciences, Marita is passionate about gender and youth empowerment, uplifting local communities and preserving the natural environment for future generations. The business, which was launched in 2015, now employees 20 people.
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Lailate Talaquichande, founder, Super Fashion, Lda (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Wearing beautiful clothes can improve a woman's self-esteem and give that feeling of self-confidence through comfort and elegance, and in Mozambique, Lailate Talaquichande, founder of Super Fashion, Lda, is helping customers to do just that.
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Zamabuya Muhanelwa, founder, Indoni Perfumes (South Africa)
Startup Story
Zamabuya Muhanelwa is the founder of Indoni Perfumes in South Africa, a manufacturer and retailer of fragrances. Originally with a PR & Communications background, her entrepreneurial journey has taken her into the market of high end fragrance creation. When she first founded Indoni Perfumes in 2018, Zamabuya had no idea it would grow into one of the best fragrance retailers, creating job opportunities and empowering youngsters in the process. Today, Indoni Perfumes is a perfume manufacturer and retailer based in Johannesburg, South Africa, but trading nationwide. It is predominantly known for offering cutting edge fragrances as well as home and pamper care products for less.
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Sónia Lumeka, founder, Kaylina Photos (Angola)
Startup Story
Sónia Lumeka is the founder of Kaylina Photos in Angola. She is an artist, architect, writer and photographer. An introvert person who enjoys good reflection and quiet places, she was born and raised in the country and is married and the mother of three children as well as being an entrepreneur.
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Mbalenhle Ndaba, founder, HomeMinder4U (South Africa)
Startup Story
For those who need specialist cleaning services in their homes and offices, help is at hand from entrepreneur Mbalenhle Ndaba, founder of HomeMinder4U in South Africa. Improving lives through cleaning is her passion and prompted her to launch her business offering a wide range of cleaning services in 2019 in Johannesburg.
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Charlotte Binya, founder, Country Foods SARL (Cameroon)
Startup Story
Charlotte Binya is the founder of Country Foods SARL which is an agri-food company based in Douala, Cameroon, producing products such as fish, pork, beef sausages, natural jams, natural fruit juices and peanut butter. Holder of an engineering diploma in transformation and quality control of fishery products, Charlotte is also a trainer in the food industry and delivers several training courses in the food industry, as well as with international organizations, individuals or companies wishing to update their teams in the food industry.
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Wada Kealotswe, founder & director Aiko Creations t/a Eco Zera (Botswana)
Startup Story
Wada Kealotswe is the founder and director of Aiko Creations t/a Eco Zera in Botswana, a company that manufactures eco graphite and colour pencils. The business has been running for 2 years and today has 3 permanent employees and 15 part time employees, mostly youth who have never worked before. Wada is a Development Economist from Botswana with over 10 years’ experience doing developmental work, and a graduate from the University of Pretoria in South Africa. The company was a 2021 runner-up for the Catalyst SEED award in the Waste Management category, and its stories have been featured on global platforms like Forbes and Xinhua.
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Umutoni Thuku-Benzinge, founder and creative director, Umutoni (Kenya)
Startup Story
Umutoni Thuku-Benzinge is the founder and creative director of Umutoni, a luxury jewelry brand where every piece is handmade with love by the best artisans from the heart of Kenya. She is on a mission to empower the disenfranchised through her ethically driven jewellery. With a degree in Economics and background in the IT industry, Umutoni is utilizing skills developed in her professional background to share the narrative that jewellery can be an agent for social change. Having spoken at Cambridge University, being featured in Forbes and BBC, she's keen to share the brand story and continue to make an impact as she continues to amalgamate her worlds together.
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Sasha Knott, CEO, Job Crystal (South Africa)
Startup Story
Sasha Knott, the CEO of Job Crystal in South Africa, started her career in IT and moved quickly in her career finding her passion for entrepreneurship and combining this with technology that works for the customer and often disrupts industries. Sasha’s current plan is to make job seekers lives easier while helping SMEs find talent fast and effortlessly! With Job Crystal’s new system called Crystal which combines RecTech, AI, machine learning and UX functionality that makes it easy to find the needle in the haystack for SMEs looking for talent. The vision is to make a dent in unemployment.
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