Startup Night Africa, The Hague / Lionesses in Profile
As a key driver of Lionesses of Africa’s ‘Access to Markets and Investment Programme,’ Start-Up Night Africa in The Hague aimed to connect Africa’s high-growth women entrepreneurs to international markets and investment opportunities. We showcased 10 inspirational women entrepreneurs in growth-mode at the event on 11 July 2023, all looking for new investment, markets, and collaboration opportunities. If you didn’t get to meet each of them on the evening, then take a look at their start-up stories below, which have all been published on the Lionesses of Africa website, and make those all important connections now.
Carmen Stevens Wines Pty Ltd, a multi-award winning, black-and-woman owned winery creating impact in South Africa
Carmen Stevens, founder of Carmen Stevens Wines Pty Ltd, is the first black person accepted to study winemaking in South Africa and qualified in 1995 as South Africa's first black winemaker. She was recognised with a Top 10 Pinotage award in 1998 for her very first red wine production. Carmen's industry awards include International Decanter Trophy winner, 2015 Winemaker of the Year California, 2018 - Winemaker of the Decade UK (Naked Wines.com). Carmen Stevens Wines continue to win recognition and industry awards every year. In 2019, Carmen registered the first 100% black-and-woman owned winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa and was awarded South Africa’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2017 and 2019. The Carmen Stevens NPO was registered in 2015, and today the foundation provides over 25000 learners from 125 schools in the Western Cape with a nutritious breakfast and lunch.
Savanna Premium Chocolate, a bean-to-bar brand putting Zambia on the global chocolate map
Passion is one of the key ingredients to building any successful business and brand. And, in the world of artisan chocolate making, it is one of the Savanna Premium Chocolate brand’s strongest assets, thanks to founders Chiinga Musonda and Lynn Musonda Phiri.
PremierCredit, The Pan African Challenger Bank for SMEs
Chilufya Mutale is the Co-Founder and CEO of PremierCredit, a multi-award winning and fastest growing Pan African Challenger Bank for SMEs that is democratizing access to digital financial services for the unbanked population through an online micro-lending and investment platform. 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.
Exotic EPZ, a Kenyan macadamia nuts processing and export company supporting smallholder farmers
Jane Maigua is the CEO of Exotic EPZ, a macadamia nuts processing and export company based in Nairobi Kenya. The company was restarted in 2017 under Jane's leadership and has grown its supply of high quality nuts to the Netherlands and a growing customer base in USA, Spain, Germany, Italy and China. Jane has two business partners, Charity Ndegwa and Loise Maina, and together they have established the only solely woman-owned processing and export company in the macadamia value chain in East Africa. Exotic EPZ employs 187 workers giving them a decent employment, and it sources its raw nuts from over 9000 small holder farmers. Of the company’s workers, 85% are women and 75% are youth. Exotic EPZ’s commitment to environmental sustenance has been demonstrated in its use of solar power to run its processing factory and recycling of shells as boiler fuel, in addition to use of energy efficient processing systems. Currently the company is launching a campaign for planting of macadamia trees as a source of income as well as for carbon sequestration.
Taeillo, Nigeria’s first e-commerce furniture business to enhance customer experience through augmented virtual reality
Jumoke Dada is an award-winning entrepreneur, international keynote speaker, and the founder of Taeillo, an e-commerce furniture and lifestyle brand based in Lagos Nigeria and Nairobi Kenya. By the age of 26, she had built a muti-million-dollar furniture and lifestyle brand from zero capital a couple of years prior. An advocate and a role model for women’s empowerment, Jumoke is an inspiration to a lot of upcoming women and entrepreneurs in Nigeria and outside the country. Elle Decoration South Africa named her as one of the creatives doing something interesting on the continent at the moment. Taeillo was launched in 2018 and today employs 99 people.
GBRI Business Solutions, on a mission to be a leading horticultural company in Tanzania.
Hadija Jabiri is the founder and MD of GBRI Business Solutions in Tanzania. She is an entrepreneur committed to making agricultural production a sustainable and profitable business through empowering smallholder farmers. Hadija is an IVLP alumnae and holder of multiple awards and nominations for her work and business which is making a real difference in people’s lives.
Oryx Desert Salt, bringing a taste of the Kalahari to the world’s kitchens
With the world looking to source more sustainable, ethically produced and renewable sources of foodstuffs, one South African business venture, Oryx Desert Salt, founded by entrepreneur Samantha Skyring, is looking to bring an exceptional source of salt to enrich both the flavour of food and also promote good health.
Wonderbag, a revolutionary product empowering Africa’s women, one home at a time.
Sarah Collins is an impact driven entrepreneur whose company manufactures, sells and subsidizes a revolutionary cooking product known as the Wonderbag. A Wonderbag is based on the oldest technology in the world – heat retention cooking. These non-electric bags are made up of lab tested chipped foam that is housed in colourful, African-inspired printed fabrics with a drawstring at the top to retain the heat. This simple but ingenious product allows for food to be brought to the boil by conventional cooking methods and once put into the Wonderbag will continue to cook the food for up to 12 hours.
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.
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.