Startup Story
Victoria Haihambo is a Founder of a startup called Agelvipa Online in Namibia. She is also a Startup Business Coach and an Author. Her business aims to support micro women vendors by linking them to the market and offering them business management training. She founded the business in 2019 and to date has offered support to over two hundred women through training, mentorship and helping them to create business linkages. Over the past two years, she has received several start-up entrepreneurship awards, both nationally and internationally, and was inducted into the Namibia Business Hall of Fame as an Emerging Entrepreneur in 2020. In addition to these achievements, Victoria is a published author and has published her first book, the highly sought after Women’s Persistence (2019). This was followed by her current book, published in September 2019, titled ‘’The Journey To and From Wealth’’ in which she combined fiction with an element of entrepreneurship and wealth, and the pros and cons that come with it.
Lionesses of Africa spoke to Victoria about her entrepreneurial journey, her publishing, and her further aims and ambitions for the future.
What does your company do?
Agelvipa is a combination of E-commerce and women empowerment in Namibia. It links local products to the market via a Multi-Vendor E-commerce platform and provides capacity building program through our Women E-hub. The brand’s aim is to ensure that micro vendors in Namibia and the rest of Africa, expose their products to a wider market, grow and sustain their businesses.
“Over the years I have realized that many entrepreneurs lack access to the market for their products as they are operating in isolation, and they lack business management skills to run their businesses effectively.”
What inspired you to start your company?
I worked with small businesses as a local Economic Development officer over the years and I have realized that many of these entrepreneurs lack access to the market for their products as they are operating in isolation and they lack business management skills to run their businesses effectively.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
We support vendors that sell a modern take on Afrocentric products
Access to the market for local products
We are a Tech platform that exposes local made products
“We support vendors that sell a modern take on Afrocentric products.”
Tell us a little about your team
The Company is led by myself, Victoria Haihambo, and I bring over eight years’ experience in local economic development and business support services to the business. I hold a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Namibia majoring in economics and accounting, and a post graduate Diploma in Management from Regent Business School. In addition to myself, there is an IT technician / Developer, who brings experience in developing web applications and provides online support to the business. Their role is also to provide technical support on the website, updating the website, and dealing with any technical related support of the website. Our E-commerce Administrator has a Bachelor of Finance Degree (Hon) from the International University of Management (Namibia); and a Student Intern (Marketing Officer) who has a Bachelor Degree in Marketing.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I grew up in the coastal town of Swakopmund in Namibia and grew up in a family of seven girls. Growing up I have seen my father work in a full time job while at the same time running an auto mechanic garage at home. He has inspired me to become an entrepreneur and I always admired his handwork. At first in 2015, I started with a business consulting services, where I provided small businesses with accounting and tax services and later I started an E-Commerce business to support vendors. I developed a website as well as a mobile application. Recently we have developed an E-hub which allows vendors to access free and paid business courses online.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
My future plan is to expand the business throughout Africa and also to export locally- made products to the global market.
Being able to make a difference in the lives of micro-vendors and at the same time achieving business milestones that I have set gives me a great satisfaction.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Being able to make a difference in the lives of micro-vendors and at the same time achieving business milestones that I have set gives me a great satisfaction.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
When you have a dream that you are passionate about don't sit around wishing. Nothing gets done by simply wishing but by setting goals and putting those goals into action/motion and being persistence and never giving up until you start seeing some results.
Contact or follow Agelvipa
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | EMAIL vicky06nghipondoka@yahoo.com
Why LoA loves it…
For so many women micropreneurs, getting access to markets and finding customers is one of the hardest parts of the entrepreneurial journey. Yet making sales is critical for success. So Victoria Haihambo, founder of inspirational business Agelvipa Online, is playing her part to make it a whole lot easier. By combining effective e-commerce and a women’s economic empowerment focus and approach, Victoria is changing the economic landscape for so many women in Namibia. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa