the pride of Africa's women entrepreneurs
Sarah Motshwane Sebetola, co-founder, Tshepiso Branding Solutions
Impact Partner Content - Absa
Every business and organisation needs to get its brand message across to its customers and audiences, and to ensure it has that all important visibility in the marketplace. In South Africa, Tshepiso Branding Solutions, cofounded by Sarah Motshwane Sebetola, is a company bringing both brand expertise and solutions to suit all needs.
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Startup Story
Emray May is the founder of The Partee App in South Africa, a digital marketplace for businesses in the event, party and wedding industry. The marketplace was created to assist small and informal business owners who struggle with marketing, networking and growing their businesses. Emray was inspired to start the business when she found herself in this position through her own party decorations company three years ago. She was unable to find the solution to her problem so she became the solution. The vision is to be the global go-to platform for everyone in this industry to allow all small- and informal businesses to save with marketing.
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Sinah Mojanko, founder, TiyAmo Recycling (South Africa)
Startup Story
Sustainable waste management is a growing business sector on the African continent. In South Africa, TiyAmo Recycling, founded by Sinah Mojanko, is aiming to grow and coach a new generation of recycling entrepreneurs who can tackle the problem of waste.
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Clara Njeri, founder, Naturalglam (Kenya)
Startup Story
Entrepreneur Clara Njeri is the Director at Naturalglam, a business which she started at the age of 21 as a result of trying to clear her own acne. The business started more like a hobby, but three years later, the company has grown to having one major physical shop in Nairobi and a network of distributors. Her Instagram Sensation business is slowly growing to be a powerhouse.
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Thokozile Mangwiro, founder, Nilotiqa (South Africa)
Impact Partner Content - Absa
It is in growing her own natural hair for the past 15 years that Thokozile Mangwiro found her inspiration to create a natural hair care product line. After going to several salons and an endless search of locally produced products that truly work for afro natural hair, it was clear that there was a HUGE gap in the market for professionally formulated products for natural hair. Thokozile, like many other women, struggled with extremely dry hair. This, and the lack of knowledge, led to intense research and experimentation with natural ingredients such as Shea butter and avocado oil for skin and hair. After several years of research, formulations and product testing, Thokozile launched Nilotiqa, a line of products that are proudly made from organic and naturally formed ingredients to deeply moisturize and nourish natural hair.
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Mayra Pereira, founder, Gaia EES Consulting (Mozambique)
Startup Story
Many companies are now actively thinking about sustainability in their businesses and in Mozambique, impact driven entrepreneur Mayra Pereira, founder of Gaia EES Consulting, is helping them to make the move towards more sustainable action.
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Jodi Fittinghoff, co-owner, Jodam Manufacturers (South Africa)
Startup Story
Companies looking for customized bags manufactured to the highest standards and produced locally in South Africa know that Jodam Manufacturers, founded by Jodi Fittinghoff, is the place to go. Operating for 35 years, the business has a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that produces the highest quality bags with innovative design and creativity at their heart.
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Indrani Govender, founder, Ricinz Construction (South Africa)
Impact Partner Content - Absa
Indrani Govender is the founder and owner of Ricinz Construction, a business established in 2010 in South Africa which today employs 20 people. The single mother of two boys, Indrani is an award winning entrepreneur recognized for her business and the number of jobs she has created in the community. Her passion is to uplift women and youth and ensure a better life for those who have given up on life. She now strives to create wealth for all her employees.
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Startup Story
In Uganda, if you are looking for the most exciting apparel and home decor brands, then you need go no further than the Bold in Africa retail outlet, launched back in 2012 by co-founders Nunu Mugyenyi, Angel Nkwaya and Janet Mugume. Today, the business is going from strength to strength, now showcasing over forty emerging apparel and home décor brands from countries across the African continent including Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia and South Africa.
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Gladys Kgorane, founder, Caleb's Farm (South Africa)
Impact Partner Content - Absa
Gladys Kgorane is the founder and owner of Caleb's farm in Potchefstroom, South Africa, a niche agri business that supplies farm fresh products, eggs, free range chickens, sheep packages and pork packages for its customers. As a family oriented entrepreneur, Gladys is married with three children, she started her farming business on her smallholding back in 2013. Today she has seen it grow substantially from those early days, and now supplies 30 trays of eggs daily to customers, in addition to a wide range of farm fresh meat and fresh vegetables.
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Noreen Asenkenye, founder, Tell a Story Foundation (Uganda)
Startup Story
Stories have always had the power to enthrall, to engage, and often to change lives, and for Noreen Asenkenye, founder of Tell a Story Foundation Uganda, that is her motivation. She is passionate about looking out for the vulnerable, and through storytelling she is helping them deal with their distress. Noreen is an enthusiastic fundraiser, and through Tell a Story Foundation, she has successfully run fundraising campaigns for children with autism, two young girls raised by single mothers, and the current Together for Good campaign, a Covid-19 relief fundraiser benefiting vulnerable families with income relief. Noreen is a cohort 35 Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Fellow, Cohort 18 Reignite Africa Young Leaders Fellow, and a recent graduate of the 2020 Zimba Women Business Program.
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Sibongile Mongadi, founder, Uku’hamba (Pty) Ltd (South Africa)
Startup Story
For those living with a disability as a result of being an amputee, life can be challenging and independence is something longed for by many. But hope is on the horizon, thanks to Sibongile Mongadi, founder of Uku’hamba (Pty) Ltd, a company producing lightweight prosthetics for amputees living with disability. Her work is helping to give amputees their independence and their dignity back, and improve their life conditions in general.
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Shamilah Damons, founder, Shammah Innovative Solutions (South Africa)
Impact Partner Content - Absa
Shammah Innovative Solutions is an information technology company based in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is an EME with 100% black women ownership and Level 1 B-BBEE rating. Shammah aims to provide digital solutions to small and large companies. Data is currently considered as any organisation's most valuable commodity, and Shammah’s goal is to use intelligent data processing techniques to provide integrated business solutions that deliver accurate, efficient and timely results.
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Nondumiso Pikashe, founder of Ses’fikile Wines (South Africa)
Exciting things are happening in South Africa’s winelands with a new generation of entrepreneurs making great wines for the local and global market place and building new brands to watch. Ses’fikile Wines, founded by Nondumiso Pikashe, is one such brand with high aspirations.
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Sandra Mauricio Vuvu, founder of Vuvu Organic Beauty (DRC/South Africa)
Startup Story
The rapidly growing global market for organic beauty products is one that Vuvu Organic Beauty, founded by Sandra Mauricio Vuvu, is now tapping into. Born in Angola, originally from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo DRC, and growing up in South Africa, Sandra’s passion for beauty and skincare started when she was 17 years old. She watched her mother have such beautiful fashion sense and the beauty products that she used made her want to know more about beauty herself. Sandra qualified as a beauty therapist where she gained more insight in beauty before launching her business.
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Ijeoma Onuoha, founder of Asoebigirl Limited (Nigeria)
Startup Story
Every woman wants to feel and look good, and finding the right stylish clothing for any occasion plays such an important part in that process. In Nigeria, entrepreneur Ijeoma Onuoha, founder of fashion business Asoebigirl Limited and creator of the brand, Touchbyasoebigirl, is bringing her stylish designs within reach of every discerning woman.
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Itumeleng Tshikalaha, founder of 132 Art Gallery (South Africa)
Startup Story
If you have ever visited an art gallery in Africa, you will know that there is a vibrant and growing art scene on the continent and one that is exciting art collectors both at home and abroad. In South Africa, the 132 Art Gallery, founded by entrepreneur Itumeleng Tshikalaha, aims to promote the work of talented established and emerging African artists to discerning collectors.
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Impact Partner Content - Absa
Everyone loves to take a vacation during the year, but often when the time comes to stop work and take a trip, funds can be in short supply. In South Africa, entrepreneur Millicent Motsoeri, co-founder of Heita Ngamla Holidays, has created a vehicle for customers to pre-pay for their vacations over time, making them more accessible to everyone.
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Startup Story
Girl Spectrum is a non-profit organization movement founded by Nicole Natasha Magerman. Nicole founded Girl Spectrum at the age of 25 running it as a labour of love and devotion for gender equality. Girl Spectrum was founded in 2021 and has a world scale vision of creating awareness around not only women empowerment but also building confidence in our women of today. "Self-Care is Health Care", believes Nicole Magerman. As she says, “Feminists, women activists, let us gather here and conquer!”
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Amanda Obidike, founder of STEMi Makers Africa (Nigeria)
Startup Story
The impact that STEM can make in the lives of young people, particularly women and girls, on the African continent cannot be underestimated. STEMi Makers Africa, founded by Amanda Obidike, addresses the existing leaky unemployment pipeline, the underrepresentation of young women and girls in STEM. and the fragmented education system by training teachers and students in STEM Education.
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